How to Plan an American Red Cross Youth Project

Written by Ashleigh Howard, Youth Content Committee, RedCross.org

June 24, 2003 — The most important step in carrying out a successful project with your American Red Cross Youth group is PLANNING! With careful, detailed planning before you dive right in, your group is sure to pull off a smooth running and rewarding project.

Coming Up with a Project Idea

1. Brainstorm a list of needs in your community and/or Red Cross chapter or choose a current Red Cross project to get involved in such as School Chests or the Measles Initiative.

2. Think of ways your group can realistically solve the problem/ or fulfill the needs on your list. Ask yourself the following questions when considering project ideas:
   • Is it feasible? Do we have the finances/resources to complete such a project?
   • Will we be able to devote the time necessary to complete the project? Plus, can we accomplish our goal within a reasonable period of time?
   • Is this project reasonable for the number of people in our group?
   • Will we be supported by chapter leadership and the community?
   • Will the group be excited about participating?

3. Choose the project from your list that BEST fits your group, something that you are enthusiastic about, that may be realistically accomplished, and most importantly, that you will be PROUD of in the end. Put the other ideas aside to use later.

Getting Started

The next step in planning a successful project is creating a proposal. The proposal should describe WHAT you hope to accomplish and HOW you are going to achieve your goal.

1. Decide specifically WHO you are trying to reach: (youth in schools, families in the community, homebound elderly people) and WHAT exactly you hope to accomplish.

2. Resources
   • Compile a list of materials/equipment (buckets, pencils, candy) needed for the project, find out what the group already has and what you still need.
   • Then, decide how much it will cost to purchase remaining materials and/or make a list of businesses to contact for donations/loans of specific items (lumber, flatbeds).
   • Determine where funding will come from: chapter funds appropriated by the board; saved money already in Youth account; member donations; or fundraiser?

3. Time Frame
   • Will this be an ongoing project (such as visiting a nursing home or hospital or a one time event, such as a health and safety fair?
   • How much time will it take to prepare?
   • How long will it take to execute?
   • Set specific dates for the project and deadlines for when to have specific jobs accomplished.

4. Jobs: Contact person, fundraising coordinator, project chair, etc.
   • Delegate jobs to each member of the group, so that one person does not end up doing all or most of the work and the responsibility is shared.

5. Contacts
   • Who do you need to contact/get permission from to begin the project? (Chapter leaders, homeless shelter coordinator, school principal, etc.)

Troubleshooting and Afterthoughts

When it’s all over, you will have the opportunity to evaluate what was done right, wrong, areas to improve, lessons learned. Build a file so when new projects come up you will have past experiences to rely on so the same hiccups won’t occur again!

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