Something I see new or small arts organizations struggle with is launching a brand new program. It doesn’t matter if that new program is intended to be a free community outreach event or a paid class or workshop, launching a new program can be daunting when you’ve never had to manage the logistics or needed resources are scarce.  Developing sustainable programming is the cornerstone for any successful nonprofit organization. Simply put: no programs, no revenue, no mission. 

Have ever put together a really great new program only to have it launch to crickets? If you have, I know that’s frustrating place to be. But it’s OK. I’m here to help. 

Three Things To Master First

(Or, look before you leap.)

Here are my top three recommendations when preparing to launch a new program. Notice that I said preparing, meaning these steps need to happen well before you activate that registration link or post that first advertisement. 

Build A Warm Audience.

In the arts & culture sector we call this cultivation or audience development. Fundraisers might call this qualifying leads (donors). In the small business or entrepreneurial sector this is called building warm leads. Basically what happens is that you leverage your relationship building and networking skills to create an audience base that would be a good fit for the program you want to launch. You’re doing the work upfront to get potential attendees in alignment with your future program. This takes time. Sometimes a lot of time. And you can’t rush it because people can tell when the cultivation is authentic or superficial.  

I get it. You have an amazing idea for a new program and you want to get it out into the world yesterday. But if you haven’t spent the time cultivating leads, building your audience by consistently engaging with them in some way, you’re going to launch to crickets. And, remember, we don’t you to launch to crickets every again.  

How to build a warm audience. Start with your family and friends. Seriously, it’s the easiest place to start because they are already invested in your vision and they want to see you succeed. After that initial group, ask them to share your program concept with their extended family and circle of friends. Start with who you know.

Also consider what other organizations or groups serve your ideal participant. Identify those groups and begin building relationships with them. Ask if they would consider a collaboration. Find a way to get in front of their audience. But also be thinking about what you can offer to them as part of the collaboration. What problem can you help them solve in exchange for them introducing you to their audience.

Yes, you are going to have to talk about who you are, what you do and how your programs can help others. This is not “selling”. This is sharing and relationship building. Selling comes later. Read that again. 

Create a Pilot Program.

A pilot program is a way to learn if the program’s concept has wings. Will it take off? Or do you have more work to do? Basically, you’re testing the program by implementing it among a small group. This is so important because it saves you a lot of time and money (not to mention frustration and defeat). With a pilot program, you can see in real time what works and what doesn't. What doesn’t work can be adjusted quickly (and probably less expensively) in time for your official launch. 

It is much easier to start small and scale up once you begin to see a pattern of success. If you skip the pilot phase and go right into launching a full-blown program there is a huge risk not meeting your (unrealistic) goals, wasting resources, losing money and ending up feeling frustrated and defeated. Again, we don’t want that to happen.

Speaking of goals…

Set Realistic Goals.

So incredibly important. Setting goals that are based on hopes and dreams but little data end up being overly ambitious and unobtainable. All this does is set you to fail from the beginning. Whey you try to do too much too soon without the right resources it becomes difficult to set realistic goals and your efforts will typically end up falling short. Setting lofty or arbitrary goals and then failing to meet them starts a whole tidal wave of feeling defeated combined with negative self-talk that will kill your dreams faster than anything else. Set small, achievable goals.

Consider these tips when setting goals in preparation for your new program launch. 

• Make sure they are SMART goals. (Specific. Measurable. Achievable. Realistic. Time-Sensitive.) 

• The goals should fit within the context of your situation. If you have no one “tee-ed” up and ready to buy, or you haven’t taken the time to figure out your target market, don’t make a registration goal that is unrealistically high. Set a much smaller goal.

• Break your goal down into smaller parts by creating a plan to help you be successful. 

So there you have it. These are my top three things that need to be thought through and completed before launching a new program out into the world. 

Launching a new program can be scary. But, truly, if you give yourself patience and take the time to do this important preparation you’ll be well on your way toward creating a successful and sustainable new program. 

What successes or challenges have you encountered in staring new programs for your organization?