The SMART Model for Setting Goals

Guest Blogger, Amy Maranowicz:  How to set valuable goals for the New Year head

It is a new year and time to think about the goals for your organization, yourself and your team.


Myth: We think our employees are high performers and intelligent enough to identify and achieve their goals without any input from me.


Reality: Survey’s consistently tell us they want their manager to:

• Assign the right work, aligned with their capabilities
• Provide clarity about work and goal expectations
• Set workable goals
• Provide time to achieve their goals
• Provide feedback/motivation on their progress

Creating SMART Goals is one way to meet both employee needs and accomplish your objectives for your non-profit.

What is a SMART Goal: Smart Goals describe what is to be accomplished - the value the effort of the goal will achieve. They are concrete statements that refer to the deliverables or outcomes as well as the timeframes to accomplish them. 

Flow of Goal Formation: Goals should be cascaded down throughout the organization. Employee goals should flow into the broader goal for the department/organization. Your employee’s goals should be different from your goals. 

Examples of Goal Categories:

•       Efficiency

•       Cost-Savings

•       Value-added

•       Process

•       New Opportunity

•       New Program

•       Evaluation of Existing Programs/Practices to an Enhanced Level  

Factors to Consider:

•       Typically 3 – 5 goals per year

•       Value the goal provides

•       Level of effort required to meet the goals

•       Amount of day-to-day work the employee already has

•       Scope of work they are currently doing

•       Potentially breaking down into sub-goals

•       Goals should be equivalent across your team

Testing the Goal You Wrote: Use the SMART process to confirm that the goal you wrote for your employee fits all the criteria.

 - Amy Maranowicz, Organizational Development and Training Manager