Summary: This resource outlines a guided inquiry for NWP site leaders interested in designing a new or revitalizing an existing site program. It is designed to capture the process and thinking involved in determining site capacity and priorities and organizing a revenue-generating program at any local site. As a series, these four sessions pull together the organizational aspects of a program–financial, physical, personnel, and relational–with the goal of establishing a program structure that is self-sustaining. Each session consists of steps that include inquiry prompts and tasks designed to lead teams through the thinking and work essential to designing a self-supporting, revenue-generating program. The sessions can be followed sequentially as a whole program, or individual sessions can be explored and revisited as stand-alone resources.
Introduction
This resource is designed to capture the process and thinking involved in determining site priorities and planning and organizing a revenue-generating program at a local Writing Project site. As a series, the sessions pull together the organizational aspects of a program–financial, physical, personnel, and relational–with the goal of establishing a program structure that is self-sustaining.
This process does not address pedagogical content, which will also be a major topic for consideration by a leadership team and may directly impact planning decisions.
How to Use This Resource
The resource is organized as a series of four sessions. Each session consists of steps that include inquiry prompts and tasks designed to lead teams through the thinking and work essential to designing a self-supporting, revenue-generating program. The sessions can be followed sequentially as a whole program, or individual sessions can be explored and revisited as stand-alone resources.
An overview of the sessions can be navigated both through the lefthand column and the tabs across the top of each page. In addition, each session has a drop-down menu of sub-topics or “steps” to provide easy access to any point of the planning process.
The sessions are—
- Developing an Action Plan
- Exploring Financial Issues
- Pulling it All Together
- Leveraging Your Investment
In addition to the main text, additional resources that feature examples of the work of NWP sites related to a particular step can be found in the right hand column on a given page or as attached files at the bottom of the page.
We encourage you to join with leaders at your own Writing Project site or across sites to engage in this process as a team.
We will occasionally schedule facilitated planning events using this site. Information about planned events can be found in Announcements at the top of this page. In addition, a to-do list that includes any activities to be done between sessions can be found here in the Task List.
Related Resources
- The Limitations of Partnership
- Innovative Writing Program Helps High Schools
- What Does Teacher Leadership Look Like at Writing Project Sites? (NWP Radio)
Original Source: National Writing Project, https://sites.google.com/a/nwp.org/business-planning-for-nwp-site-programs/