Securing Resources

Action Checklist

1. Identify staff, financial and technical resources needed
2. Develop budget to support, implement and evaluation plan
3. Integrate the assessment plan withyour organization's processes
4. Identify existing resources
5. Identify potential external funding resources
6. Secure identified resources, and develop alternative resources

1. Identify staff, financial and technical resources

   Recognize up front that planning takes money. Find examples of what other planning initiative may have included and required in funding. You have to answer the basic question: What will it take to support the planning initiative? An Assessment Budget Worksheet can help you think through the process.

2. Develop budget to support, implement and evaluate plan

   Develop a budget for supporting the process, identifying both people and funds. Think about developing a separate budget for assessment plan implementation and evaluation. Be realistic - do not underestimate your costs. Think through the potential budget items. Use a budget worksheet to list your estimates. Most budgets have the following items:
   
   
   This includes professional staff and support staff. A grant may be used to cover part of the costs, while the rest may be offered as in-kind services. Information requested includes annual salary, percentage of time budgeted for the activity related to the grant, total months budgeted and total salary requested. The Assessment Team will have to allocate time for data collection, review, analysis, writing the plan, presentation and marketing the plan.
   
   
   Fringe benefits are usually applicable to direct salary and wages. Provide information on the rate of fringe benefits used and the basis of their calculation.
   
   
   Reimbursement for key people may be important. Mileage or overnight stay (e.g. to attend training sessions or meetings) may be necessary.
   
   
   Office supplies such as paper, envelopes, notebooks, postage, pens, pencils are needed.
   
   
   The Assessment Team may choose to hire an outside consultant to perform part of the assessement (e.g. conduct the phone survey, analyze the results).
   
   
   Some items you may need are office space; office equipment such as computers, desks; cost of use of existing office equipment; advertisements; expenses for phone, videoconferencing or faxing.

3. Integrate the assessment plan with your organization's processes

   
   Plan to integrate the plan into your organizations's planning, budgeting and programming processes. Identify common purposes, goals, and how the initiative outcomes can benefit various programs within the organization. This can enable you to negotiate allocation of existing agency staff, ensure sustainability and effective implementation of the plan within your organization.

4. Identify existing resources

   Investigate the uses of available resources such as grants or categorical funding. Identify and secure assistance from internal development experts (e.g. grant writers).
   
   Coordinate resources with local planning initiatives, and include them in resource proposals.

5. Identify potential external funding resources

   • Investigate availability of new state-based funding sources, such as tobacco settlement money and hospital conversion foundatiions.
   • Research potential external funding sources, such as federal and state government, private foundations, hospitals, governor-funded initiatives, and other public or private sources whose purposes may be aligned with the assessment plan.
   • Consider self-sustaning funding sources, such as forming a partnership and collecting dues from members, or creating a non-profit organization to raise and distribute funds.
   • Approach businesses or community group for donation of services or non-financial resources.

6. Secure identified resources, and develop alternative resources, if necessary

   You may not get every resource you apply for. You will need to identify alternative resources for some of of your needs. Keep a wish list for future funding requests.