Define goals in terms of problems to be solved (for example, “Our goal is to raise $4,000 to beautify Dixon Park”), not values to be embodied (“Our goal is to be good citizens of this community”). Value-based goals are vague, so it’s difficult to know if and when you’ve achieved them. (What does

“being a good citizen” mean in practice, anyway?)

c Establish clear performance standards. How will your group know when it has succeeded in reaching its goal? For example, “We will have $4,000 in our checking account by the last day of March.”