Program documentation falls into two distinct categories:

INTERNAL DOCUMENTATION

Documentation for program members to ensure that they know:

• What the role entails
• How to carry out the required tasks
• How much time they are expected to commit
• What rules and guidelines they need to follow

EXTERNAL DOCUMENTATION

Publicly available information about the program outlining:

• What the program entails
• Incentives and how they are earned
• Who should apply
• How to apply

Both are important for the successful running of the program. If you have limited resources, make internal documentation your priority. Without it you are not setting your members up to succeed.

A lack of external documentation may limit the quantity and affect the quality of applications, but it isn’t critical to the smooth running of the program.