Setting & Meeting Goals

With the New Year well underway, many of us have started on our annual list of resolutions. From exercising regularly to spending more time with family, our personal goals help us become better people and push us towards growth. Likewise, setting goals for both yourself and your Red Cross club are crucial steps to being successful a Red Cross leader.

While balancing your school, extracurricular, and Red Cross responsibilities, it can be easy to lose sight of your long-term goals. This is a great time to reflect on what you’ve accomplished as a volunteer and look forward to where you want to go. Take this opportunity to remind yourself of what you love most about volunteering with the Red Cross! Look back on the highs and lows of your Red Cross journey and try to identify the factors that contributed to your successes. Think about what you could improve on, or things that you want to change in your club.

When you move on to forming goals, try to avoid generalizations and be as specific as possible. If possible, try to set quantitative benchmarks that you can easily track. For example, instead of setting a goal of improving your public speaking abilities, say that you want to speak in front of your club at least twice a month. This allows you to track your progress and measure your progress towards accomplishing your goals.

It may be easy to set these goals, but be sure to create an action plan to see them through. Break down each goal into small steps, and create a timeline for when you want to accomplish each milestone. Breaking your long-term goals into smaller short-term steps makes them more attainable and less intimidating. Keep yourself accountable and you’ll be closer to meeting your goals!

For additional help on accomplishing specific goals, visit redcrossyouth.org for resources on leading your club.

— Anna Nguyen, National Youth Council Member, Field Relations Liaison