Strategic Planning Guidelines - The Irish Sports Council

partners and to make use of available support services. Review:
• Opportunities for the NGB to work effectively with partners
• The NGB’s potential in getting and keeping sponsors for its programmes, bearing in
mind that a range of tried and tested programmes will be available from the Irish
Sports Council
Image and Communications
Sport is competing with many other activities for participants and so effective public
relations are essential. Review:
• The image of sport nationwide
• Marketing and promotion of programmes
Administration and Use of Information Technology
Information technology should have had a significant impact on the way NGBs operate in
ways ranging from the use of simple mailing lists to desktop publishing and e-mail. As
many people interested in the work of the NGB will be able to access the internet either at
home or work, it may be possible to be more effective by using e-mail. There may also
be other ways in which administrative procedures could be streamlined such as availing
of shared services provided by the Irish Sports Council.
Finance
The easiest, most common and by far the worst way to produce a budget is to take last
year’s income and expenditure figures and add a percentage for inflation. Such an
approach stifles change. As organisations with limited financial resources of their own,
NGBs need to use money as effectively as possible. It will help to split expenditure into
“pay” (including PRSI contributions) and “non-pay” costs such as training courses, travel
and subsistence, postage and telecommunications, printing and office supplies,
merchandise costs, office premises, consultancy/legal/audit services, insurance and
incidental expenses.
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