Program Planning 101From the Center for Wellness Promotion at UNC CHARLOTTE

A step-by-step guide to planning andimplementing Resident Advisor- facilitated programs

For More Information Contact:

Shawnte’ Elbert704-687-5884

Email: Wellness@uncc.edu Website: http://www.Wellness.uncc.edu

TABLE OF CONTENTSMIND MAP TEMPLATE 3INTEREST SURVEY TEMPLATE 5

POST –EVENT 23

Brainstorming

Before beginning a program, the first thing you have to do is develop a topic. Don’t just pick your brain; try the brains of your fellow R.A.’s, residents, and friends. There are lots of different ways to gather ideas.

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Mind Map

Mind mapping is a way to organize thoughts and review information about specific titles. Write down the first couple of program ideas that come to mind. For each idea, write down related items. For example if you wrote down alcohol abuse, related items might be definition of alcohol abuse, the number of drinks one should have in a single sitting, or how much alcohol is a serving size. This method can give you a little bit more insight about what you already know and what you may need to research more. This can determine which program you decide to present.

Mind Map Template

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Survey

If you’re not sure what program your students would prefer, ask them! Surveys are a great way to understand your students’ needs and interests. Use the template on the following page or create your own with program ideas you had in mind. You could even use a site such a “Survey Monkey” and send invitations for students to take the survey through e-mail.

*Note: Many of the Health and Wellness Topics listed below can be administered by a Health Educator from the Center for Wellness Promotion. Programs in a Box are also available at the Center for Wellness Promotion to provide you with resources needed to run a successful program. For more information, visit:

http://wellness.uncc.edu/about-us/presentations

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____ Goal Setting____ Job Placement Skills____ Leadership Development____ Political Issues____ Resume Writing

Survey Template

Name:_________________________ Room Number:_____

Major/Minor:___________________ Birthday:_________

Email:_________________________

The RA’s would like to know what your interests are so that we may hold programs and activities that meet your needs. Please take this brief interest survey so that we may begin planning a fun-filled year!

Personal Development (Mark an X next to the 5 items that interest you the most)

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Interest

Survey

____ Anger Aggression Management____ Assertiveness Training____ Career Planning Issues____ Cultural/Racial Issues____ Death and Dying Issues

____ Study Skills____ Women’s Issues____ Men’s Issues____ Other ____________________________________________________

____ Goal Setting____ Job Placement Skills____ Leadership Development____ Political Issues____ Resume Writing

Health and Wellness (Mark an X next to the 5 items that interest you the most)

Arts and Crafts (Mark an X next to all that apply)

Times available (Mark an X in all of the boxes applicable for days and times when you are available to attend programs)

Morning Afternoon EveningSundayMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFriday

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____ Anger Aggression Management____ Assertiveness Training____ Career Planning Issues____ Cultural/Racial Issues____ Death and Dying Issues

____ Wellness Jeopardy____ 1 drinks, 2 drinks, 3 drinks, floor

(Alcohol Education)____ Mythbusters (drug perceptions of college students)____Tobacco 101____ Fairy Tale Endings (Do

relationships really have them?)____Interpersonal Violence 101

____ Sex: What’s Your Position?____ Sex, Drugs, and Band-Aids____ ONE ACT- Bystander

Intervention Training ____Stress and Time Management____ Healthy Relationships (Red,

Green, or somewhere in between)

____ Nutrition____Get a Clue before You Have a Few____ Sexual Double Dare____Tobacco 101____ Relationship Feuds____Spa Night____Building Health 49ers____Fitness

____ Drawing

____ Mosaic tile art

____Holiday Greeting Cards

____ Painting

____ Photography

____Jewelry Making

____ Pottery

____ Other ____________________

Saturday

Other Suggestions/Comments (Please list any other ideas that you have or feel free to talk to your R.A. about other comments or concerns)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thanks for your Participation!

Timer and Voting

Another way to come up with ideas is by writing down everything you can think of during a set period of time. This can be done individually but usually works best with a group. Have a timer or stopwatch handy and set it for 1-2 minutes. Write down all of the ideas for programs that come to mind. When the timer has stopped, read the ideas to everyone else in the room and take a vote on which one is best. Your brainstorming group for this activity can be other R.A.’s, residents, fellow students.

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PurposeNext, you have to decide what the purpose of your program is. What do you want students to learn from your program? What are your goals and objectives?

Ask yourself the following questions:

What issue(s) are you addressing?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Why does this issue need to be addressed?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How do you know that there is a need to address this issue?

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________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What do you want residents to learn?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Goals

What do you hope to achieve?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What are your objectives (Make sure they are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-specific)________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Make a to-do list to decide who will do what by when:

Task Person assigned task

Due Date Contact Person

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BudgetIt is important to determine how much your program will cost or what you need to spend to facilitate it successfully. Having a budget will ensure that you do not over-spend. There are Budget Templates that can be found online or through Microsoft Excel. Below is an example

of RA budget plan, using a program in a box from the Center for Wellness Promotion.

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Cups For root beer pong tournament $5.00Ping Pong balls 2+ per table $2.00Music/Stereo Mixed CD (made or purchase) $0- 12.50Prizes Some provided with CWP programs in a box $15.00

Total $35.00Decorations Number Purchased? Budget: $10.00

Flyers 8 $3.00Handouts 20 $5.00Posters 2 $2.00

Total $10.00Food and Drinks Ingredients Purchased? Budget: $50

Punch Ginger ale $6.00Frozen Juice Concentrate $3.50Fruit Slices $5.00

Fruit Strawberries $5.50Grapes $5.00

Finger foods Cheese $5.00Crackers $5.00Vegetables $10.00Dip $5.00

Total $50.00Other Supplies Details Purchased? Budget: $10

Cups To drink out of $3.00Plates $3.00Napkins $2.50

Total $8.50OtherReservation Details Reserved? Charges?

Room $0.00Equipment $0.00

GRAND TOTAL $103.50

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Program Budget Template

[Program Title]_______________________________

[# Students]______________|[Date]______________ | [Time] ___________

Supplies Details Purchased? Budget:

TotalDecorations (Marketing) Number Purchased? Budget:

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TotalFood and Drinks Ingredients Purchased? Budget:

TotalOther Supplies Details Purchased? Budget:

TotalOther

Details Reserved? Charges?

GRAND TOTAL

MaterialsYou can’t have a successful program without all of the necessary materials. Sometimes, you may have to make a long list of all the things you need, especially for large programs. Don’t forget the following Key Items.

1. Activity Materials

What activities are involved in your program? Will you need games, art supplies, computers, or music? Do you plan on getting a speaker or renting a program in a box? Make a list of materials (or people) you need for the activities within the program. Don’t forget some of the key elements like tables, chairs, LCD projectors, and microphones (if needed). Note that some materials may need to be rented/borrowed from a third party (i.e. Programs in a Box or LCD projectors) and make sure you have placed your request for these items ahead of schedule.

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2._______________________________

3._______________________________

15.______________________________

16.______________________________

17.______________________________

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1._______________________________

2._______________________________

3._______________________________

15.______________________________

16.______________________________

17.______________________________

2. Location

Where is your program going to be held? This is not always an easy question to answer. To determine where you should hold your program, you should ask yourself the following questions.

1. How many students am I expecting?________________________________________________________________

2. Will I need a location with tables and chairs or an open area to move around?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Will I need a location with outlets for computers, projectors, or other electronics?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Will I need a serving area for food and is this a place I can decorate to match my program theme? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Will this be a more formal event held in a lecture hall or a social event that can be held in a community room?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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3. Room

Once you have asked yourself these questions and determined your location, find a room to accommodate your needs and make reservations ahead of time. Make sure there are no scheduling conflicts by checking your campus calendar. Now that you have a room in mind, determine the following:

1. Number of tables___________

2. Number of chairs___________

3. Room arrangement ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Decoration (placement)_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Time and number of people needed for room set-up_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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4. DecorationsDon’t forget to decorate! Your decorations should

match your marketing flyers and posters. Try to make your decorations match your theme. For

example if you were having a program about UNC CHARLOTTE school history, you may want to decorate

using the school colors, green and white. You may need things like table cloths, streamers, or banners, depending on how colorful you would like the room to be. Make a list of possible decoration items below:

5. Food

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1.____________________________________________________________________

2.____________________________________________________________________

3.____________________________________________________________________

4.____________________________________________________________________

5.____________________________________________________________________

6.____________________________________________________________________

7.____________________________________________________________________

8.____________________________________________________________________

9.____________________________________________________________________

10.___________________________________________________________________

11.___________________________________________________________________

12.___________________________________________________________________

13.___________________________________________________________________

14.___________________________________________________________________

15.___________________________________________________________________

All college students love free food! That’s why the menu is so important for a program where you will be serving food or snacks. When deciding on food, make sure to determine where you are going to get it from early so that you can order ahead of time. You may want to use UNC CHARLOTTE catering or caterers from other sources. Make sure you know your location first as some locations will not allow food from venues other than UNC CHARLOTTE’s catering services. Making a list of the foods you want to have may help you determine where you would like to order it from.

*Don’t forget cups, plates, and napkins.

Location of Food (caterer or store):__________________________________________Time food needs to be picked up or time food arrives: ___________________________Person responsible for picking up food: ______________________________________Contact person and Number: ______________________________________________Time to be served: ______________________________________________________Cost (to be added to budget): ______________________________________________

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1.__________________________________________

2.__________________________________________

3.__________________________________________

4.__________________________________________

5.__________________________________________

6.__________________________________________

7.__________________________________________

8.__________________________________________

9.__________________________________________

10._________________________________________

11._________________________________________

12._________________________________________

Marketing

Nothing’s worse than planning a great event and having little to no turn-out. It is important to market your program in a fun way. Get the word out so that people know what the program is, when it will be held, and how much fun it will be!

Here are some marketing tips:

Make sure all marketing materials have the same look (design, color, font, etc.) This way no one will be confused.

Flyers and Posters should match any decorations you may have for your program

Look at marketing from other RA’s or even other campuses to get ideas Less is more: Try to use fewer words on your flyers so that students will be more

inclined to read the whole messageo You don’t have to tell students everything about the program, just enough

to make them want to attend Proofread! Make sure you and at least two other people read over your flyer for

grammar errors cohesion Use color: make sure your marketing materials catch the reader’s eye Let it be known who the host of the event is, i.e. “Bought to you by the R.A.’s of

Lynch Hall” or “Co-sponsored by the Center for Wellness Promotion” Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Two heads are usually better than one (especially

if they specialize in art or marketing!) Finally, advertise in more than one way. The following page includes a list of

possible advertising methods

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Possible Methods:

Bulletin Boards across campus School Paper (Niner Times) Email to resident listserv Place flyers in Student Organization Mailboxes Digital Signs in Student Union or Student Government Organizations

Complex Add event to Campus Events Calendar Request an ad on NinerOnline.com or Radio Free Charlotte Submit a request for buttons that advertise your program (Student

Organizations websites) Hand out postcard-sized ads to students Give out tickets to promote event (maybe even for a raffle) Post of social networking site (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) Sidewalk chalk (in permitted areas)

**Please be aware of University policies when using these different methods of marketing/advertising**

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RA Program!!

Cleaning UpCleaning up is an important part of hosting a program. You want to make sure to leave your event area just as you left it, so that administrators will not mind letting you use the area again. Here are a few questions to ask yourself to prepare for cleaning up:

1. How many people will I need to help with clean-up? Who are those people? (Have people sign up below.)

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

2. How long will it take to clean up?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What needs to be cleaned up (i.e. food, decorations, etc.)________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. What did I borrow that needs to be returned (i.e. projector monitors, laptops, etc.)________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. How will I dispose of things (trashcans, recycle bins), and what are the University’s requirements for breakdown of certain materials?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Evaluation

How do you know if your program was a hit? Just ask! Evaluations or surveys done by students are a great way to find out what people likes about your program and what you may need to improve on. Here are two ways to distribute your evaluation.

1. Right after the program, while everyone is there, pass out evaluations. Make sure to have lots of pens/ pencils handy and have them pass them back on their way out of the door.

2. Create a sign-in sheet for students to write their name and email address, then you can e-mail the surveys to them or invite them to take it on a secondary sight such as Survey Monkey.

*Note: Option number one may increase the chances of people filling out the evaluation forms, since a captive audience is provided in this scenario.

After you have tallied your evaluations, prepare a brief report. You may want to get with other R.A.’s or supervisors to go over your successes and mistakes. Remember there is always room for improvement. Continue to come up with new ways to host great programs at UNC CHARLOTTE!

See Evaluation Template on Next Page.

Program Evaluation

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Residence hall:________________________________________

Program Title:___________________ Program Date: _________

RA Name(s): __________________________________________

____________________________________________________

Rate the following questions on a scale of 1-5.

5-Strongly Agree, 4-Agree, 3-Neutral, 2-Disagree, 1-Strongly Disagree

1. I enjoyed this program

2. The advertising was creative and catchy.

3. This program personally benefitted me.

4. I would attend this program again.

5 4 3 2 1

5 4 3 2 1

5 4 3 2 1

5 4 3 2 1

5. What did you like most about the program?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. What did you like least about the program?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. Comments/Suggestions/How can we improve? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for your participation!

Post-Event

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After your event, be sure to thank everyone for attending. Don’t forget to thank your supporters (people who helped you advertise, clean up, host, etc.) Thank you cards are always greatly appreciated. If it is easier, you may want to send brief (but personalized) thank you e-mails. For example:

Dear Jack,

Thank you so much for passing out flyers for my most recent program. Your help really made this event a success.

Your Friendly R.A.,

Jill

Another option is to purchase blank thank-you cards and write short messages to participants. You could also post thank-you’s to social media sites like facebook or twitter.

For more questions about program planning, contact the Center for Wellness Promotion located in the student health center. Happy Planning!

http://wellness.uncc.edu

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I’d like to thank everyone who attended and helped with my program “1 drinks, 2 drinks, 3 drinks, Floor.” You guys really made it a huge success and I couldn’t have done it without you! @Kim, @Kaycie, @James, @Tom, @Meghan @Tasha, @Jared