GETTING STARTED

Getting Started

Our suggestion for the first step in Getting Started is to review the following checklist to see if you are well positioned for success.

Checklist
	Do you have sufficient interest and support within your church or group for a minimum three-year commitment? see Commitment Expectations
	Do you have a champion or small team to the run the program? see Being Successful as a Champion
	Do you have sufficient Volunteer resources to run the program? see Successful Approach to Volunteers
	Do you have sufficient financial resources to run the program for the next three years? see see Budget Considerations
	Consider the appropriate Operating Model for running the program. see Ways To Operate the Program

We consider these five items to be critical to have in place before you get started. It is important to lay a solid foundation and be well positioned to see things through once you begin.

Once these are in place, you are ready to Lay The Groundwork:

1. Determine the Community to Support

Identify a local at-risk social housing community to work with
- see Tips on Selecting an Appropriate at-risk social housing community
Contact the Regional Government to gauge interest in running the program
- see Tips on Working with Local Government
Identify key advocate/contacts living within the community, through Regional Government

2. Make an Introduction

Meet the community advocate, to discuss ways of helping, areas of most need
- see Tips on Working with Community Advocates and Residents
Suggest to the advocate the idea of running weekly BBQ event as a way to start building relationships within the community
Make note of areas of need for potential future activities and support
Get buy-in from the advocate to start to work together in the community

3. The Launch

You are now ready to start planning for the launch of the Joining Hands Program
- see The Program for details on the Activities
Timing is important at this stage: it is recommended that the Initial Activity be the Summer BBQ, which starts in early July, which means your planning should start in March/April
- As this will be the first time, ensure you have planned all details, most notably:
- Visit the community site to identify the appropriate location for the BBQ events
- Ensure you have sufficient Volunteer resources to support the full eight-weeks of BBQ events
- Start your promotion early enough to generate attention
- see The Program, specifically Weekly BBQs for the How-To Run PDF
Good luck with The Launch, have fun, and remember the primary goal:
It Is All About Building Relationships!