How the five Ws can help you set goals

Setting goals is essential for charities wanting to secure the success of their operations and mission. You can use the five Ws and SMART to strategise before executing plans.

 

 

What are the five Ws?

 

The five Ws may sound familiar. Who, what, when, where, and why are the basics to good journalism and storytelling. The answers to these questions help define what the problem is and steer the course towards the desirable outcome.  

 

The five Ws also apply to goal-setting. Defining what the goals are in five, short questions lays the foundation for learning and finding solutions.

 

The five Ws apply to goal-setting in terms of:

• Who considers what teams and people are involved with the goal
• What defines the aims and deliverables
• When determines how much time will be dedicated to the project
• Where considers the location of the goal and impact
• Why takes aim at the strategy behind the goal

 

 

SMART goals

 

The other acronym that helps defines goals is SMART. Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based details ensure that targets are tangible.

 

Classy examines what SMART goals look like in a fundraising context. Staring with specific, they recommend setting goals that are tied to monetary and impact ambitions.

 

As a start, set targets that include numbers. For example, a campaign goal may be to raise over £1,000 to provide for new medical equipment. Tying in nicely with the five Ws, specific goals link with what the aims and deliverables are.

 

For measurement, Donorbox recommends determining in advance, how to gauge success.

 

They suggest anticipating and planning for:

• What exactly will be measured
• Who will be doing it
• How this metric will be assessed

Here, the five Ws also come into play, as they help determine what will be examined, when, and who’s doing it.

 

Attainable goals are those that are ambitious and feasible. CauseVox offers advice for those drafting ideas. They suggest comparing goals against previous performances, including fundraised amounts, donation sizes, number of donors, or costs.

 

Relevance also tests goals against charity mission and resources. Rocket Charities notes the British Heart Foundation’s ambitions. They say that while the BHF may set targets in terms of the money raised or donation amounts, they wouldn’t necessarily raise funding for a different disease because it is outside of the mission.

 

Time-based goals are those that expire after a fixed period of time. This aspect of SMART also marries up with the when part of the five Ws. When defines the amount of time that charities have to realise their sights.

 

 

The five Ws for digital and social media strategy

 

While Classy and Donorbox offer advice on how to write charity goals, the five Ws can also be used to plan digital and social media strategy.

 

Applying the concepts, Shutterstock says to use the five Ws when designing media campaigns.

 

 

Who?

 

The question of who your charity digital campaign is targeted at is the first W to tackle. For many charities, this is an exercise in audience segmentation.

 

Shutterstock says that, in addition to determining who your campaign is for, charities should bear in mind who you are – that is, the charity, a product, team, or idea. The perspective matters when determining who the social media campaign is aimed at.

 

 

What?

 

Social media managers should also consider what is being shared:

• What type of content is being broadcast?
• Do you have a product?
• What messaging is included?

In terms of the five Ws, managers should also consider whether there’s an ask or a call-to-action as part of the goal-setting process. Tying in with SMART aims, when launching media, make sure that you’re able to measure its success.

 

 

Where?

 

Once the content and message has been decided, the question is where this is going to be distributed. Buffer suggests linking the sharing platform with your target audience. For example, if the ‘who’ part of the strategy includes reaching young adults and teens, then Instagram may be the right platform to share the message. Consider thinking about what platform makes sense for the type of content being shared.

 

 

When?

 

The timing of the social media campaign covers when to launch and how long it will go on for. LinkedIn offers golden advice. They say: “fresh content is the best content.” Ensure that your media is relevant and that the campaign doesn’t outlast the longevity of your content.

 

 

Why?

 

Last, the why of your campaign should tie in with your strategic aims. The message should fit in with the charitable purpose and be justifiable from a return-on-investment.