WISCONSIN TOBACCO-FREE COALITION 2002 WORK PLAN
EXAMPLE GUIDELINES

Good planning helps you achieve the results you desire, use resources more efficiently, and promote common understanding of your mission among coalition members and the community. It can also help you avoid surprises along the way.

The enclosed planning template has been designed with two purposes in mind:

1. To assist in your own planning of a realistic and meaningful effort that will result in ultimately reducing tobacco use and prevention. First and foremost, the planning template is for your own use. It is based on "best practices" in program planning. It will help you think through critical steps that link activities to outcomes. It will also help you plan for a local, multi-year strategy necessary to reduce tobacco use in Wisconsin over the long term.
2. To meet the Tobacco Control Board expectations by providing a clear and consistent planning framework for all coalitions across the state.

In addition to the planning template, you will also find a sample so you can see what a completed plan of work might look like. Use these materials to help you develop your coalition's plan of work for 2002.

As possible, develop your plan as a coalition "team." Working together to develop your plan takes more time but results in greater ownership of the plan, understanding and commitment to achieving it.

As you plan the coalition's work, consider the following:

• Develop your annual plan based on a multi-year strategy. Community change may take many years to achieve. Thinking in terms of a multi-year plan will help you identify how objectives from one year fit into a broader strategy for changing community norms around tobacco. Your annual plan should build upon past work and clearly identify realistic, measurable outcomes that will help achieve the WTCB goals.

• Plan for evaluation. Building evaluation into program design can increase program effectiveness and efficiency, and it will help clarify what data to collect for DPH deliverables. However, for one objective or a group of related objectives include a more detailed plan (format included). Choose an objective that:

• is newsworthy - noteworthy - to key community influentials

• you want to assess - where the evaluation will provide information that will help you better understand how to achieve changes in tobacco use and prevention

• can be measured during 2002 with available resources

• For each objective, consider your media strategy. When applicable, clarify your targets for earned media. By planning ahead, you can coordinate initiatives and press coverage for maximum community impact. Review your action plan to make sure you have built in strategies to communicate key messages to the "right" people at strategic times during the year.

• Clarify the resources required to carry out your plan. A critical piece of your planning process is identifying the resources you already have and the resources you will need to cultivate during the year. A detailed list of resources that the coalition will target will help you build resource development into your plan. If your county receives tobacco control funds from another source (e.g., CDC, Cancer Control or Thomas T. Melvin program), you should incorporate those objectives into your plan if they overlap. The purpose of this plan is to help coalitions identify strategic opportunities for action. Combining similar objectives in your action plan can help you avoid confusion.

• Communicate your 2002 plan to others in the community so that it helps build understanding and visibility for the coalition's work.

• Submit plan to the Regional DPH tobacco health educator/contract administrator by mail, fax or as an electronic file attachment (preferred)

Remember: Planning is a dynamic process that doesn't end when the plan is written. Keep your plan in front of you and alive -- refer to it, change it, build upon it, share it with others -- always keeping the end goal of reduced tobacco use clear and evident.

SUMMARY

Components of a Comprehensive Tobacco Control Plan

1. Title of plan

2. Timeframe

3. Coalition characteristics
1. Mission
2. Primary contact person
3. Membership
4. Description of local situation
1. Geographic area of coalition
2. Population served
3. Description of tobacco environment
4. Priorities
5. Past coalition work
5. Summary of objectives
1. DPH deliverable
2. WTCB goal
6. Coalition action plan
1. Long-term outcome
2. Activities
3. Who responsible
4. Timeline
5. Media Strategy
6. Evidence for activities
7. Evaluation plan
1. Objectives
2. Deliverables
3. Responsibilities
4. More detailed plan for one objective
8. Resources
1. Existing
2. Needed

For more information on Wisconsin's Tobacco Control Initiative, contact the

• Wisconsin Tobacco Control Board