It is very important that both the advisor(s) and the club establish a set of goals and objectives for the year for several reasons:

1. Clearly stated and agreed upon goals and objectives provide a definite focus and direction for a club.

2. Being a full participant in the goal setting process will dramatically increase the commitment a person has to the organization.

3. Goals and objectives can be used when discussing activities and/or projects.  If a proposed project does not contribute to meeting one or more of your goals, then a club should think very seriously about doing it.

4. A clearly defined set of goals and objectives can help in recruiting new members.

5. Goals and objectives will enable a club to measure their success at the end of the year. 

When setting your goals and objectives for the year, it is important to keep the following in mind:

1. Try to involve as many advisors and members as possible.

2. Develop the goals and objectives in the summer if possible in order to give a club direction when the new academic year begins.

3. Limit the number of goals and make sure that they are realistic and attainable.

4. Quantify your goals so that it is easier to determine if goals were reached.

5. Set challenging, yet attainable goals.  If goals are set too low, the group will not work as hard as they may be capable of.  If they are set too high, they may get frustrated and stop participating. 

6. Make achieving the goals an important part of everything that the club does.  This will provide both direction and motivation.