Annual Report Template s2

Final Report Guidelines 2012

2012 Trails Final Report Guidelines

A summary of the reporting requirements and due dates for the Trail Corps are listed below with more detailed descriptions of requirements. Project Website

A “Reader’s Digest” version of the Final Report. So that you do not have to generate the same sort of text twice, you will probably want to do this after you complete your Final Report. Put on your web site just like you would any hitch report. It should include:  Final work totals  A paragraph or two highlighting your main accomplishments- the what, where, why, and when.  A paragraph of “thank yous”: to the agency staff, particularly  3-4 Photos: a team photo would be nice, the best scenery one you have, and 1-2 of the best work photos.  A map of your main accomplishments (the same one as the one you create for the final report is fine)  An attached “external” version of your final report (with any sensitive material about members or agency people taken out- remember, this website is very public.) Collection of Photographs

Along with your Final Report, please include 20 or so of your best photographs from the season that capture the essence of your program. Please keep to the naming convention for these photograph file names (MDACode_Description_Date, e.g. 13_NVUS4_ACE_Dave_digging_a hole_6-21- 12) Remember, what makes a “good” photograph (besides clarity and composition) is a) visible faces, b) action, c) visible logos, d) Personal Protective Equipment. Please be sure to include interns, staff, and agency personnel in your photos. Send the photos along with your final report either as a “zipped” folder via email, or burned on a CD, or on a cheap flash drive. Final Project

SCA knows that you work hard at your job. In order to ensure that we have the reputation and agency support to continue your great work we need great materials that show all the great work you are doing.

Please create a project that represents your team’s talents that can be used in the future marketing of your site. Past projects have included movies, posters, Final Report Guidelines 2012

powerpoints etc. SCA needs these materials to help create new internship opportunities. Please give SCA something that can be shown off. This project is due with the final report.

Written Final Report

This written final report should be a Word document sent your supervisor under the filename FinalRpt_MDACode_Date. Try to keep it around 10-15 single spaced pages with pictures and charts. The document should be able to stand alone as a summary of the great work that you did. Paragraphs are fine, as are bulleted lists.

Overall this report should include great pictures, data, and quotes from interns, agency, and staff. Below is a basic overview and description of each section that should be included.

I. Letter to the Agency This letter should summarize your project and significant events and highlights. It should be written in formal business letter format (Your address on top, then the agency address, then date, salutation, body, closing.)You will thank the agency for their support of the team and be sure be sure to sign the letter, and, of course, actually send it to the agency with a copy of the Final Report.

A possible structure for the body of the letter might be:  Paragraph One: Thank the agency and tell them some specific things you appreciated that they did for you.  Paragraph Two: Highlight the major accomplishments of your crew.  Paragraph Three: Politely thank the agency again, subtly suggest they consider SCA for their future needs, and let them know who they can contact if they need anything else.

II. Conservation Service Outcomes (based off your goals and the program goals).

Environmental Stewardship

This section should include statistics and highlights about conservation work completed. For the Trails Maintenance program this is arguably the most important section of the report.

This section should include:

 A concise table of the total amount of work completed for the season. Final Report Guidelines 2012

 A basic summary of the work complete for the season, in greater detail. This section should include a bulleted list of all areas worked, and a short paragraph that includes the relevant data each site (land management agency, state, and brief description of work completed in each location.  Excellent before and after photographs of your team’s best work. (1- 4 photos is sufficient, include captions to explain your work.)  A map showing the locations of the work completed. You can use google earth or maps for this. Please attach this map to the front page of your project website as well.

Public Outreach & Education

In this section you should include statistics and/or highlights about SCA members reaching out to the public to increase conservation awareness. Some potential statistics include: number of youth (or adults) engaged, visitors contacted, partner involvement, schools engaged, volunteer interaction, etc. Please include numbers, names, and locations of (or better yet, images of) any newspaper articles or other media pieces that were completed about your team. A possible structure for this section might be:  A table with various relevant statistics regarding your public outreach projects  A paragraph discussing your general interactions with the public  A paragraph discussing your interactions with volunteers  A paragraph highlighting some special project your team organized or participated in.

Service Learning

In this section, you should include statistics and/or highlights about member training and education. If you have broad statistics about member hours spent receiving training & education, you should include that in this section. Also include the type of training received WFA/WFR, Work Skills, Leave No Trace, GPS use/data collection techniques, SCA Orientation, etc. It would also be helpful to include any statistics or highlights about agency trainings & other professional development opportunities provided to members. A possible structure might be:  A chart with statistics regarding hours spent in various trainings.  A paragraph (or bulleted list) explaining these trainings to a general audience.  A paragraph discussing the miscellaneous leaning experiences your leaders may have had.

Leadership Development Final Report Guidelines 2012

In this section you should capture statistics and stories about personal development of members and leadership opportunities pursued by members. This could include member self-assessments, member assessments by leaders, parents, and/or coordinators, stories about events planned by members, challenges faced & overcome by members, etc. This is also an appropriate place to share statistics and stories about community living and community building. A possible structure might be:  A paragraph devoted to the hitch leader system, or its equivalent on your crew.  A paragraph discussing crewmember evaluations or other forms of crew member assessment, particularly focusing on how you felt these contributed to the members’ professional development.  A paragraph (or two) discussing your leadership from your perspective, as evidenced by the overall crew dynamics over the course of the program.

III. Member Experience & Demographics

In this section you should capture information about the members’ experiences. Statistics could include member retention, results of member surveys & member demographics. This would also be a good place to include quotes and stories from members that don’t fit neatly into the other categories described above. A possible structure for this section might be:  A table with any important statistics about members, such as those mentioned above.  A paragraph dedicated to each member, discussing their experience on the crew and where they personally grew over the course of it.

IV. Opportunities on the Horizon

In this section, please describe future and new opportunities for the site. Possible structure:  Paragraph discussing future possibilities at the site in general  Paragraph discussing SCA’s standing with certain critical agency personnel  Paragraph discussing concerns you might have about SCA’s future with the agency.

A few final notes about the Final Report. Please be clear, concise and to the point. Bulleted lists work great for much of this report. Presentation is the key. Pepper in great pictures and solid quotes from agency partners and interns.

These reports should be polished and professionally written. Ultimately these Final Report Guidelines 2012 reports represent you and your team’s hard work, so please spend the appropriate amount of time on them. Please ask for feedback on additional information, that your agency partner, would like included, and include it in the final report.

Finally, remember your audience, which is: a) your agency partner(s) b) the Director and Managers of your program and c) potential new agency partners. Be professional, clear, and constructive in tone. Certainly you should mention challenges your crew had, but be careful that you do not come off as bitter or defeatist, even though you may be emotional about the subject as your write it.