When creating a new program, I think its appropriate to do extensive background research on the subject matter. Its important to get a broad feel for all aspects of a topic and to explore related work that has been done within your organization in the past. Often there are more senior colleagues that can share advice and tips to consider as you get started. You can also ascertain a great deal of information by looking at other nonprofits doing similar work. It's important to know what else is happening out there to determine if this program is really possible and fulfills a need within your community. Next it is important to consider your scope of work, the work of your organization, and how this particular program fits into this framework. From here, it may be appropriate to build partnerships with other team members or organizations that can help you achieve your goals.

When the epiphany of a new program manifests, I first brainstorm the idea on paper, lots of paper, for days, weeks, and occasionally months. White boards are great too, I have three in my home office and two in my work office. I think and ponder on the idea incessantly really, when I’m cooking, mowing, weeding, feeding pigs, just thinking of the possibilities and the potential results, trying to remember to document everything I can that may be important later. Eventually I will begin to bring my ideas up in small bits to local farmers or veterans, then peers and superiors just to what kind of reactions, verbal and non-verbal, that I get. I’ve actually gotten a negative reaction from my superior once; I ignored it, and followed through, only to get accolades from that same person who poopooed my idea in the beginning, so I’ve learned not to take too much to heart from feedback in the beginning, particularly if my gut is telling me that my idea has potential. Then I begin seeking out a person who may have a similar interest in the type of programming I am considering, and once I find that person, I share my ideas and go back to the beginning of brainstorming, only this time with a partner. Two heads are better than one, and if we can find a third, then all the better.

For context, I am part of a “reimagined” multi-county Ag team where my role had been vacant for four years. Until recently, I was also the only member of the team. Most of my time since being hired has been marketing my position by driving around to farms, attending industry events, and calling farmers to introduce myself and the position. I provide this context as most of my program ideas have been fostered from directly asking producers what their major needs are and reacting to identified trends. I have also developed strong relationships with the Ag staff in the counties I cover which has spurred collaborative programming.

One strategy that I have found to be successful is to recognize that I am not an expert in all areas and that building a strong network is important. My most successful programs came from relationships I built with County CCE staff, University faculty, and outside partners (FarmNet, UVM Extension, Soil and Water etc.). Instead of spending time becoming an expert on a topic, I found the expert to collaborate with and learned alongside the program participants to become more knowledgeable. This has also built more credibility for my team as farmers recognize that this “new guy” has been able to access the experts and bring them to their community.

I am often primarily guided by first determining who my audience is and what my objectives are. After that I determine methodology and who my partners will be. Although often done last, I also keep in mind how I will accomplish the evaluation component, as it's necessary to ensure your methodology allows you to obtain the necessary types of information for evaluation. Knowing how you will evaluate the program also can inform those prior steps as well.

I generally start by making sure there is a committee of folks from different offices, organizations (campus, CCE, SWCDs, NRCS, non-profits) who also have interest in collaborating on a new program and believe that there will be a benefit for it. I think it's important to start the planning process early on so there is time for relationships between collaborators to be built and so everyone has time to weigh in on what the program will look like.

I would begin to approach planning a new program by first gauging needs and interests and determining who my audience would be. This is important to determine the program purpose and goals. I would also have conversations with coworkers and/or other professionals in other areas of the state in extension who might be working on similar programs, and what they found to be the most successful in delivering meaningful experiences. I would also connect with local organizations, community members, local officials, and any other stakeholders with shared goals/interests. Also important is to have a longitudinal survey to determine participant interests and how they might change over time, and evaluations to determine if the mode of presentation is appropriate and effective.

I am visual. I feel like I need to get all of my ideas out on paper (or in an app) and then start to organize and understand themes. I like to talk things through with my team, friends and colleagues, read...and in general try to make sense of things.

A few years ago I started getting in the practice of "drafting" and not trying to get things perfect. I still do this today - writing, sharing, revising, sharing thoughts with others to use in written form. I find it really helpful and it helps me to frame what I'm thinking and not be "stuck" in one mindset.

I usually approach planning a new program and take it in chunks, step by step. I LOVE stats, so I will research the need that has been identified, mostly through community conversations with directly influenced individuals/farmers etc., and congregate the information I can find. In doing this I have realized that our county is 'data poor' when it comes to many things, so I try to keep this in mind when I am assessing/evaluating a program. I do best in writing, so I will break the program into steps, assessment, activities etc. I use SMART goals a lot, and timelines with flexible 'deadlines'. I have found this helps a lot too in translating programs to grant requests, as many require a written timeline, goals etc. outlined. Evaluation is still the most difficult part of PD for me, survey fatigue is real! I have really found the CCE storytelling examples to be interesting, and I try to craft 'Impact Reports' annually to share with our board and the wider community.

I love to collect data! When considering a new program, I first do a review of already existing programs. Is this something that is already being offered in the community. If so, are there ways to collaborate. If not, is this a community need that we should pursue? Sometimes we consider something that sparks us, but just isn't relevant or needed. Are other CCE offering the program and is there a program plan already created? What has there success been? Start mapping out your ideas. I like to create lists and diagrams. Once I feel that I have a beginning idea, I like to take it to collegues and potential participants for their feedback. If you find that there is a spark also from your stakeholders, you know that you have reason to continue. Without it, you may need to put the idea away for a bit, and consider something else. In-person discussions, I feel are often the most effective, but it is hard to get people together.

Within our 4-H Youth Development, almost all of our programs come from input from the youth we serve in Onondaga County. Many times, the idea for a program comes to us while in the middle of a completely different program. We try to make a space where youth and their families are comfortable sharing what they're interested in and what they'd like to engage in. This input allows us to cater our programming to the needs and interests within the population we serve. One thing I want to work on moving forward is inviting the input of populations we are not currently serving, so that we can reach new audiences in addition to our current youth and families.

When it comes to the development of programs, we draw on pre-existing resources and experience to create something that is intentional and impactful. There is so much to draw from within the extension system, and it's a great resource when developing something new or modifying an existing program.

As a new employee, I would first consult with my senior colleagues to see if the topic has relevance, if the program has been done previously and thoughts on moving forward. I would then find my target audience and send out a survey. Then, who do I involve and what are my needs?

Planning a new program definitely can be different depending on your intended audience and information you hope to get across to participants. I find it beneficial to map out what you hope to accomplish in the program and then figure out what partners you may need to make that possible. Is this a free program, will it cost a lot in materials, or will it need more staff involvement? Does it involve youth or is there another partner that has more experience with your intended group audience that you may ask for opinions from?

Coming from a top-down university, I'm used to being told what programs I'll teach and when based on state-wide goals. I'm looking forward to being able to customize 4-H for my community. Learning how to do a needs assessment, getting buy-in from the community, and getting collaboration from local stakeholders or funders will be useful going forward.

When planning a new program, I would first assess the need in our community for our program (although typically I have found that the need comes first, and the program is created to address the need). I would would gather all of the supporting data, and brainstorm on paper all the different ways a program could possibly address the need. I would also reach out to other agencies that have done similar work to see what they have found to be successful, and what they have learned so far. I would also ask where they have secured their funding - which would be my next step. I would apply to multiple grantors to attempt to secure funding, after doing extensive searches into different funding opportunities. I would create and share flyers promoting the program and reach out to Community Partners and share information about the program and ask for them to help promote the program to their participants, and to possibly be a host site for programming. I then compile all of the information in a spreadsheet, so I know what I have worked on, what I am working on, and what I still need to do (along with what I have learned along the way).

I also need to not be too proud to ask for help or support along the way.

A few key factors for planning out a new program include:
-formatting a narrowed out guide with steps or some version of a program manual
-communicate with current educators and community partners/stakeholders
- needs assessed for targeted audience to gather starting point information
-start small and precise focusing on quality
-find out who your creativity support group is
- join events and community groups that align with this programs intention to find new partners, potential volunteers or participants, possible places to hold events

When I have an idea for a program (often based on hearing repeated questions from the community), I ask my colleagues if they have noticed or considered that need before. If they have, I ask my supervisor who has been working for CCE Tompkins on energy education for the past 12 years, if anything has been done to address this issue in the past. If all those folks are interested in me pursuing this program, I check in with Energy Advising colleagues statewide to ask if they would be interested in developing a program together. As this shows, my main strategy is connecting with others to ensure I am not creating a redundant program, and am building on others' learnings/experiences.

I think my approach to a project is dependent on what the program is. When I am passionate about a project I am more inclined to go 100% into it but often jump ahead of myself in the "fun" elements of it. When I approach a project that I am not as passionate about it may be harder for me to start the process and get stuck in the "weeds". It helps when I have at least one person passionate about the project to help you move it along. But once I have decided on a project I like to learn what has been done in the past, what is possible, who is out there to help, etc. Then bring it to my team or have my team member share what they are thinking!

When working on a new program we often have open discussions and brainstorming time. We keep track of it all on a big piece of chart paper that helps us create actions steps. To help guide us we may also utilized "prompts".

I find it helpful to have all my meetings/planning times scheduled ahead of time allowing me to set deadlines and continue moving the process forward. I also find it helpful to write everything down (physically).

My background is in Environmental Education and Interpretation. I particularly like the way Interpretation approaches program planning because it takes into account the forging of meaningful connections between the resource (topic) of your program and your audience. So, when planning a new program with a previously defined topic, I like to think about the following questions: Why? What? Who?
- Why do I want to plan this program? How does it align with our mission?
- What tangible resources/topics do I want to incorporate? What intangible or universal values can I use?
- Who is my audience and what do they need? Why is the topic relevant to them or how can I make it relevant?

Once I have these answers I move on to the how, when and where. I also like to write down my ideas and create a mind map on paper. Discussing with colleagues and my team leader is very helpful. Some good advice I received was to research what has been done by other organizations (no need to reinvent the wheel) and to see if they were successful or not, and if not, why not? This can help save time and possibly even create partnerships with other organizations.