Listen to the need first
A project can begin with a question: whose daily difficulty are we trying to ease? The organiser should not be the only person answering it. People affected by the project should have a voice in its design.
Make the contribution specific
A partner may offer time, professional expertise, equipment or organisational resources. Explaining what each contribution is for and who will manage it makes it easier to begin working together.
Communicate honestly
Distinguish intended outcomes from results already achieved. When sharing a participant’s story, consider their permission and boundaries. CHARE’s language is built around respect for a person’s dignity and choices.
Write the problem before the solution
Good intentions start a project, but do not define its activities on their own. Prepare a one-page note: what difficulty exists, who experiences it, where current support falls short and what feedback you have heard. Mark unknowns as assumptions. Listening to the people concerned before presenting your solution may change the plan. That change is an opportunity to direct resources more appropriately, rather than evidence that the initial effort was wasted.
Make roles and resources specific
Instead of asking vaguely for support, describe the work that needs to happen. Space, transport, communication, technical services, professional time and funding each need a clear purpose. Who is responsible, when are decisions made and who should be informed if circumstances change? Even a small division of responsibilities can prevent confusion. Keep volunteer roles distinct from professional responsibilities and avoid promising work that has not been agreed or resourced.
Measure and report honestly
An activity count is not the same as a change in someone’s life. Meetings and attendance figures describe a process; participants’ experiences need to be heard separately. Before beginning, choose the question you want to answer. Collect information for that purpose and consider whether reporting can be done without personal data. Clearly distinguish intended outcomes from results already achieved. This distinction helps partners understand what the project has actually learned.
Introduce a proposal to CHARE
Introduce yourself and your organisation, explain the need in a few sentences and describe the intended participants and resources available. Then say what collaboration you are seeking: joint planning, partner introductions, a technological solution or another contribution. Identify provisional timings and budgets as estimates. An initial WhatsApp conversation is an introduction. Responsibilities, delivery arrangements and the terms of collaboration need to be discussed and agreed separately before a project is presented as a commitment.