Key learnings and good practice tips
This section is divided into organisational tips and advice around engaging with EoP clients.
Organisational
- Partnerships are crucial: The operation of the programme through a partnership has proved beneficial to the programme and the partners. Each partner has brought different organisational strengths and
relationships to the programme, and this combination has maximised community reach and funding opportunities. The Council is well positioned to provide facilities, community access and leverage; the PHO bring the health
sector on board; Sport Waikato bring expertise around physical activity and sport and SPARC provides strategic expertise and support.
- Managing growth: The programme quickly became a “victim of it’s own success” with a large backlog of patients being referred. One of the reasons for the high demand was that the programme made a range of
physical exercise options available to people who could otherwise not afford to visit the gym or pool regularly.
- Sustainable funding: Further funding was sought to bring on board another EoP co-ordinator to manage the demand from the community. Key advice for organisations wishing to replicate the EoP model is to
structure partnerships and funding arrangements in such a way as to factor in growth, and the ultimate financial sustainability of the project beyond any seed investment.
- Planning: The key to success is the robustness of business planning, administration systems, strategic planning and constant promotion and marketing. There is a great deal of ‘behind the scenes’ work that
was not anticipated at the outset.
- Choosing the project administration: Initially, Taupo District Council took on the role of administering the project. In retrospect, they feel that while there were no serious problems, having a Council
leading the project made it very difficult to obtain funding. Councils are viewed as comparatively wealthy organisations, and as investors in community projects, rather than a likely recipient of external investment from
community organisations.
- Research, data collection and reporting are fundamental. This is to ensure monitoring of client progress before, during and after the programme. The data, not just the anecdotal evidence and case studies,
has to be able to demonstrate the success of the programme to potential funding and partner organisations. The project team had to adapt their data collection during the project. They recommend to other organisations looking
to initiate EoP to seek advice from research experts about what data to collect, for what purpose, and how.
Updated | 23 Sep 2009.
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