Community Toolkit

• 1. REVIEW YOUR OPERATIONS
• Maximize Your Board of Directors, Staff, Volunteers and Constituents
  Understanding the role of your board, staff, volunteers and constituents is necessary. However, it's also important for each of those roles to understand each other and how they can and will interact together.
• Optimize Your Organizational Development
  If your organization has recently established a non-profit status, you may want to review your mission statement, maximize your use of the board of directors and understand the Internal Revenue Services (IRS) timelines you must follow to maintain a good standing.

• 2. PLANNING AND EVALUATING EFFECTIVE PROGRAMS
• Conduct Formative Research
  Gather information that will help you to design and refine your program by conducting interviews, holding focus groups, or pilot testing your program.
• Develop Your Evaluation Plan
  Evaluation is the process of determining the worth, merit and effectiveness of a program or product based on relevant standards typically set by the organization.
• Manage Your Data
  Using the data you have collected throughout the planning and evaluating processes is crucial to gain support from your organization as well as the constituents you may serve.
• Planning Steps
  Consider the entirety of any new program beforehand so you will be able to develop an effective evaluation plan.

• 3. UNDERSTANDING GRANTS
• Create Grants that Will Get Funded
  After you have decided on the grant you would like to apply for, determine the fit with your organization, set your timelines, follow guidelines and prepare for a response.
• Locate Potential Grantors
  Look into other, larger cancer organizations to learn about their grant cycles and funding opportunities.
• Manage Your Grants Successfully
  Establish communications with your grantor(s), learn about grantor policies and procedures, adhere to reporting requirements and be a responsible steward of funds.

• 4. FUNDRAISING SUCCESSFULLY
• Consider Pledge Drives and Direct Mail Campaigns
  Consider other fundraising options including pledge drives, direct mail campaigns and e-mail blasts asking for donor support.
• Planning Your Events
  Although there are many different sources of revenue you may choose to pursue, one of the primary sources of revenue for many nonprofits is fundraising through events.
• Thank Your Donors
  No matter how you raise your funds, establish a plan to thank your donors that is relative to the scale of donations.

• 5. MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
• Maximize Your Reach
  Understanding different ways that you can increase or strategically direct your organization to specific groups can maximize your reach to your targeted community.
• Promote Yourself
  Promoting yourself and your organization can be done through a number of strategies, venues and styles.

• 6. CONDUCTING COMMUNITY OUTREACH
• Be Strategic and Facilitate Public Engagement
  Be strategic in how you grow and what populations you can serve within your resources. Smart growth is more important than fast growth.
• Build Partnerships
  Identify other organizations for collaboration to extend your reach.
• Understand Your Community
  Know your audience, including underserved populations that exist within your community.

• 7. UTILIZING ADVOCACY SKILLS
• Understanding and Influencing Policies
  Whether it is legislative policy that dictates the level of funding a research project receives, or a private health insurance policy about which treatments are covered, policies affect cancer outcomes.
• What is Grassroots Advocacy?
  Build and maintain a permanent network that unites people affected by cancer to develop grassroots skills, cultivate local leadership around cancer issues and empower individuals for collective action.

• 8. DEVELOPING A SUSTAINABILITY PLAN
• How Sustainability is Different from Evaluation?
  Evaluation is determining the worth, merit and effectiveness of a program or product. Sustainability is how you will maintain your organization for the long term.

• 9. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
• About LIVESTRONG
  Founded in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, we unite people through programs and experiences.
• About the Toolkit Development Process
  The Toolkit is meant to provide information that can enhance the knowledge, experience and confidence of community leaders working on cancer issues.
• Legal Resources Available for Nonprofits
  Legal resources may be helpful during any stage of your organizational functions, activities, evaluation and growth.