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Managing Community ProjectsManagement by objectives for community projects:A key best practice that can be taken from this project is the successful use of the ‘Management byObjectives’ principle. The project activities and budget were aligned to the project objectives – everyactivity carried out had to contribute to the respective objective either directly or indirectly.This management system gave focus to the project and ensured that all project objectives were met,and that activities that did not have a direct bearing on the objectives were not prioritised.An IntroductionDonor-funded community projects have become extremely common in Africa for many yearsnow. These are mainly in the fields of health (especially HIV/AIDS), poverty alleviation,entrepreneurship, provision of water and sanitation, and food security. Only recently havewe begun to see community projects in heritage management, culture, and the arts. Thequestion that begs an answer is Why do so many of these projects collapse so soon afterthe donor funding ceases?56In this publication the authors examine some of the critical ingredients for planning andimplementing successful community projects through a case study of the work of TARAand the Abasuba Community Peace Museum. While donor organisations, through baselinesurveys, may be sufficiently armed with data to justify community development projects,the authors argue that the target communities more often than not have a clear idea ofwhat their needs are and how they feel these should be addressed, ideas which must becollected, organised and respectedby the donors as a critical first step.If communities would take theleadership in identifying needs andapproaching donors, rather thandepending upon donors to establishthe priorities for funding support, andif these communities developed thenecessary skills related to projectplanning governance, managementand implementation, sustainabilitywould be greatly enhanced.