ITAV Toolkit Kickoff Activity and Resources
The It Takes a Village Toolkit is an adaptable set of tools for practical use in planning and managing sustainability.
The ITAV Analysis Kickoff Activity is designed to help determine a program's sustainability status, priorities, and capacity. The results of this activity can help decide which Toolkit activities would be most helpful to complete.
Note that this Activity is optional! All programs are free to browse the Toolkit table of contents for each facet and choose activities a la carte.
To get started with the Kickoff process, read through the Pre-Work and Activity Instructions below to get a general sense of the meeting’s core components. Next, read through the Planning and Facilitator Guide, which provides links to all the materials needed for your program to plan and carry out a successful Kickoff. After reading through the Pre-Work, Activity Instructions, and Facilitator Guide, choose the path that will work best for your program. Potential pathways include:
- Carry out the Kickoff Activity as designed, using the scripts and templates linked below.
- Identify a specific Facet your program would like to focus on and shorten the Kickoff to complete only the Core Data Activity and Analysis Checklist for that specific Facet.
- Decide that the level of planning described in this document is not needed and move directly to the table of contents for each Toolkit Facet and choose Activities “a la carte.”
ITAV Analysis Kickoff Pre-Work
- Determine who will be responsible for managing the kickoff process. One or two members of the program team or governance group are recommended as facilitators, or you may wish to engage outside facilitators.
- Determine the format of the Kickoff – i.e., in-person or virtual.
- Review the linked resources in the Planning/Facilitator Guide and customize them for your program.
- Complete Activity: Core Data Worksheet
- Schedule and carry out Activity: ITAV Analysis Kickoff.
ITAV Analysis Kickoff Activity Instructions
Introduction and kickoff description
Have the facilitator introduce the It Takes a Village in Practice Toolkit to the meeting participants and explain the purpose of the kickoff meeting
Core data and information sharing
Have the meeting facilitator or member of the program team present an overview of the Core Data gathered during the pre-work phase to all meeting participants. Allow time for those familiar with the data to speak about it, and for those unfamiliar to ask questions.
ITAV Phase Analysis Checklist
As a group, complete the ITAV Phase Analysis Checklist for each of the four facets in the ITAV Framework (Governance, Technology, Resources, and Community Engagement). The ITAV Analysis Checklist is designed to help your program determine which Phase of Sustainability you’re currently in: Getting Started, Growing, or Assessing and Evolving.
Identify and prioritize sustainability goals
As a group, prioritize two or three Objectives identified via the checklist to explore further using the ITAV toolkit. These might be strengths you’d like to amplify, weaknesses to shore up, opportunities to take advantage of, or threats to mitigate.
Wrap up
As a group, complete Part 1 of the ITAV Analysis Project Planning Template. The plan should be based on the baseline information gathered and priorities mapped during the kickoff.
Next Steps
Schedule and move on to Activity: ITAV Analysis Activity Selection. This activity can be completed synchronously or asynchronously.
| Time, Duration | Facilitator /
Presenter |
Topics and Activities |
| 0:00
10 mins |
Welcome, Introduction, Agenda Review
Action Introduce activity participants to the kickoff and explain the purpose and format of the meeting. Resource |
|
| 0:10
5 mins |
Icebreaker/Mental Warmup
Action Virtual Meetings - Use this time to confirm that all attendees can access any virtual collaboration tools. Icebreaker questions can be answered via the tool. In-Person Meetings - Ask a few people in the group to answer the icebreaker question; it is not necessary to go around and have everyone answer. Sample icebreaker questions: - What is the longest you’ve ever kept a plant alive? |
|
| 0:15
20 mins |
Core Data and Information Sharing
Walk through core data and metrics to provide all attendees a baseline of information for the next elements of the kickoff. NB: Provide a five-minute warning to the presenter at 0:30 Resources |
|
| 0:35
15 mins |
Phase Analysis Checklist – Governance
Actions - Provide general overview of checklist – list of objectives to achieve to move forward to the next Phase in a given Facet Keep record of top 2-3 vote getters Resources ITAV Phase Analysis Checklist Slides Checklist Strategy Guide for In-Person Meetings (includes script with intro) Checklist Strategy Guide for Virtual Meetings (includes script with intro) |
|
| 0:50
15 mins |
Phase Analysis Checklist – Technology
Actions - Lead participants through the Technology checklist Resources See above |
|
| 1:05
15 mins |
Phase Analysis Checklist – Resources
Actions See above |
|
| 1:20
15 mins |
Phase Analysis Checklist – Community Engagement
Actions Resources See above |
|
| 1:35
15 mins |
Identify and Prioritize ITAV Analysis Goals
Actions |
|
| 1:50
10 mins |
Complete ITAV Analysis Project Plan & Wrap Up
Actions Resources ITAV Analysis Project Planning Template Activity: ITAV Analysis Activity Selection |
Meeting Facilitation and Planning Resources
ITAV Core Data Worksheet
The Core Data Worksheet should be filled out by program leadership / program management participants before the Kickoff event and presented to attendees during the event. It provides a baseline of information about the program's current sustainability status to all Kickoff attendees.
Meeting Planning Checklists
A set of checklists to: gather key points about your program's Kickoff (e.g. purpose, date, time, and participants); manage the logistical tasks of the Kickoff including scheduling, collaboration tool identification and testing, and agenda and participant list development; manage the logistical tasks specific to an in-person Kickoff; manage the logistical tasks specific to a virtual Kickoff; and manage post-meeting follow up tasks.