Take an Inventory

Taking an inventory of your council is a way of finding out where your council is heading by seeing where its been.

It's a good idea for council officers and program directors to get together at the start of the fraternal year to take stock of last year's endeavors as a way to help the new officers and chairmen with the coming year's efforts.

This meeting should be a time to look back over the council's membership recruitment and retention efforts and program activities to size up their strengths and weaknesses. What programs can be expanded or improved? How can glitches be avoided next year?

This review is a time for honest assessment, not finger-pointing over projects that may not have worked out. When reviewing programs, ask these questions:

• How well were the membership recruitment and service programming plans designed at the start of the year followed?

• Were these plans realistic?

• Were the plans overly ambitious, or did they fail to tap into the council's full potential?

• Where goals achieved?

• Were families involved to a sufficient degree? If not, how can family involvement be expanded?

• Were the entire parish and community involved in these efforts?

• Were materials available from the Supreme Council office fully utilized?

• How can the lessons of this year be used to develop better plans for the coming fraternal year?

The program and membership directors should share their evaluations with their grand knight and incoming directors to ensure the lessons they learned through experience are passed along.