Phase 1: Lay the Groundwork
Laying the Groundwork is about getting organized to conduct a successful Heart & Soul project. This is when you gather partners, form a team of volunteers, figure out how they will coordinate with each other, set goals, and establish what will be included in the process. It's also important to find out who lives and works in the community and set up a communications strategy to reach them.
Phase 2: Explore Your Community
Explore Your Community is vital to the Heart & Soul approach. Activities in this phase focus on attracting a broad, diverse mix of people to help identify what matters most. Telling personal stories about local experiences is a key engagement strategy in this phase bringing people together and finding common ground. This phase ends in articulating that common ground in Heart & Soul Statements, which guide activities and results in phases 3 and 4.
Phase 3: Make Decisions
Making Decisions is about how to protect and enhance your community's heart and soul--what matters most--and building toward a future that honors them. What are the options available to your community and which should be pursued? Also important to the decision-making process is figuring out when things will be done. What will you do this year? What will you work on later?
Phase 4: Take Action
Taking action is about following through with the action plan and doing the work needed to produce lasting results. One important action is to create a Stewardship Team that will keep watch on how the other actions are progressing. This leadership team coordinates the work and communicates progress to keep community members engaged and decision-makers accountable. This team also looks for ways to infuse civic culture and any community decision-making with the three Heart & Soul Principles.
