Strategic planning can not only help you increase efficiency in your workflow, but it can also be an important step to increasing your audience reach and engagement. In this section, you'll find templates for event planning, resources for education and program plans, presentation templates and example, and communications resources, including tips and tricks for social media. There's also a section on grants to help you find funding and write excellent proposals!
Program planning resources and templates
Adopt a River Toolkit
Link to website from Freshwater
This toolkit will walk you through the steps of organizing a cleanup and give you the knowledge you need to have a fun and effective cleanup.
Sustainable Agriculture Through Sustainable Learning
Link to PDF from Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
An educator’s guide to best practices for adult learning.
Tap Your Potential: A Training to Grow Farmer Leadership in Watershed Management
Link to curriculum from North Central Region Water Network
A curriculum designed for use by outreach professionals and educators who work in agricultural watersheds and seek to recruit farmers to play a more proactive role in watershed management in their communities.
Fresh on the Farm Event Planning Toolkit
Link to PDF from Healthy Harvest of North Iowa
A toolkit of resources to serve as a base for your planning, with the acknowledgment that each community is different in its resources available and the challenges that may develop.
Presentation resources
Online Tools for Audience Engagement
Link to University of Minnesota webpage
Tools and resources to create more engaging virtual presentations.
Teaching and Presentation Skills
Link to University of Wisconsin-Madison webpage
Tools and techniques to keep in mind when developing or polishing your outreach skills.
Top Tips for Superstar Presentations
Link to University of Minnesota video
A range of design and delivery best practices aimed at building better presentations.
Social media
Development resources
The CivicPlus and ArchiveSocial team offer archiving and website solutions for government. While their social media blog understandably prioritizes their resources, it also contains many useful and timely tips about managing government social media.
Social Media Strategies Summit blog
This blog covers a number of social media tips that government and non-government social media managers should know.
Arik is a Minnesota-based social media expert whose blog can help keep you up-to-date on social media trends.
Training opportunities
Minnesota Association of Government Communicators
There are often social media training opportunities through this association; keep an eye out on their events page for more. Trainings often have an associated cost, especially for non-members.
Grants
Federal Grants 101
Information about federal grant lifecycles, eligibility requirements, reporting, and more.
Opportunities
Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment opportunities
The Legacy Amendment increases the state sales tax by three-eighths of one percent beginning on July 1, 2009 and continuing until 2034, and was voted in to the Minnesota Constitution to: protect drinking water sources; to protect, enhance, and restore wetlands, prairies, forests, and fish, game, and wildlife habitat; to preserve arts and cultural heritage; to support parks and trails; and to protect, enhance, and restore lakes, rivers, streams, and groundwater. The grant opportunities linked above cover all those categories.
This list from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency details various opportunities for watershed project funding.