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Manage your Program

Program management involves coordinating processes, prioritizing tasks, and overcoming bottlenecks and challenges that are slowing down your services. Effective program management will ensure that all parts of your program are performing to their full potential. If you are an OFA grantee, visit the Community of Practice (password-protected) for more details and tools.

Program Operations

Many practitioners put great effort into preparing healthy marriage content and recruitment activities, but neglect the importance of core operational issues such as scheduling and logistics. The following resources give guidance on these factors, which can contribute significantly to a positive first impression of your program.

• Operational Issues for Healthy Marriage Programs (PDF, 619K): A how-to-guide with in-depth information on operational issues for healthy marriage programs, such as scheduling, logistics, selecting a location, and more.
• Operational Issues for Marriage Education Programs (PDF, 270K): A tip sheet that assists healthy marriage program grantees in planning and implementing marriage education programs.

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Recruitment

Effective recruitment is key to the success of any healthy marriage program. From promotions to messaging to understanding your audience, strong recruitment tools are essential for attracting participants.

• Recruiting Expectant Couples (PDF, 1MB): The relationship of expectant parents goes through many changes when the baby arrives, making that time ideal for recruiting them to participate in a healthy marriage program.
• Marketing Healthy Marriage Programs to Married Couples (PDF, 915K): A tip sheet on how to tailor your healthy marriage program to the needs of busy, married couples.
• Referral Partner Organizations: How to Approach and Engage Them (PDF, 204K): A tip sheet will tell you what you need to know before making the first contact with potential partner referral organizations; how to pique their interest in your healthy marriage program; and more.

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Retention

Retention of participants is critical to your program’s long-term success. Below is information on what retention is and how to keep participants coming back for more.

• Retention: If Participants Were Boomerangs

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Working with Faith-based Organizations

For many marriage programs, working with faith-based organizations is a natural fit. However, if your marriage program is federally-funded, this needs to be managed with care. The guidance and information below will help you manage relationships with faith-based organizations.

• What You Need to Know about Equal Treatment Regulations (PDF, 12K): Guidance created for Administration for Children and Families, US Department of Health and Human Services program offices and clearinghouse Web sites, by ACF's Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary.
• Staying within the Boundaries, Understanding the Federal Faith-Based Guidelines: Video, audio, and a transcript from a June 2007 NHMRC technical assistance webinar.

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Sustainability

Now that you've built your program, you need to ensure that it becomes a permanent piece of the community and can survive the next fiscal years. Below are tips and tools from the Compassion Capital Fund  to help you think through ensuring the future of your program.

• Laying the Groundwork for Your Sustainability Plan - This brief outlines a set of questions to help your organization think through various aspects of sustainability before sitting down to develop a plan.
• Exploring Fee-for-Service - This brief reviews mandatory, voluntary or requested fees; membership programs; and hybrid approaches to doing a fee-for-service model of your program.
• Fee-for-Service Models: At-a-Glance Reference - This table captures the fee-for-service models described in more detail in the "Exploring Fee-for-Service" article.
• Can Fee-for-Service Work for Your Organization? - An analysis table to get you started.
• Fee-for-Service Plan: 10 Essential Elements - This brief outlines 10 essential elements of a fee-for-service model.
• Fee-for-Service Resources - A listing of additional resources that will add depth and insight into the feasibility and applicability to the fee for service model. 
• SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, Threats) Analysis Table - A table to analyze what works in your program and what needs attention.

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