Set Concrete Goals

Setting goals helps you be accountable to yourself and also increases accountability within a group. Clear goals at the beginning of a project will also help you determine how your project will work and what role group members can play. Once goals are set, you can track your progress, compare your results with other group members, and figure out what works best so everyone can meet (or exceed) their goals.

So, set a service goal and hold yourself accountable.

Make sure your goals are impact-based so you are measuring your accomplishments, not just the time you’ve committed. While it’s important to calculate volunteer hours and volunteer participation, it’s as important to know that you are making a difference. If you’re working to reduce hunger, measure the exact number of meals you’ve secured. If you want to reduce summer reading loss, measure the number of hours spent reading with individual children. If you are working to reduce pollution in your community, measure the tons of carbon your project has saved.

• As an individual, I will _____________this month/season/year.
• As a team, we will _______________this month/season/year.

Part of setting good goals is thinking about how you will achieve them. As a group or an individual, think about process-based goals as well to map out how you will hit your goals above:

• As an individual, I will ask ______ friends, family members, and colleagues to join our service group to support ______.
• I will recruit ______ volunteers to join our service group to support ______.