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The Many Moving Parts of Sustainability
Sustainability is not a onetime event and is rarely linear. Suitability is a continuous effort with many moving parts which is why many programs cite it as a challenge; especially when funding is coming to a close. While the date on which funding ends must be considered and planned for, it is only one element of a strong sustainability plan.
According to the US Department of Human Services' (USDHS)
Building Sustainable Programs: The Framework, sustainability planning should focus broadly on responding to community needs, which may shift or change over time. Sustainability planning must be fluid and specifically tailored to local needs and the environment within which each grantee operates.
There is no standard or one-size fits all plan or path to sustainability. For some programs it simply means the continuation of a program or delivery of a service. In others, it is about creating a legacy, upholding existing relationships, and/or maintaining consistent outcomes.
Planning for sustainability can include several smaller strategies from leveraging funds, incorporating effective practices, and entering into new partnerships. Effective organizations adapt and grow their efforts over time. The USDHS suggests eight key factors that can influence whether a service, program or its activities and benefits will be sustained over time. These factors provide a foundation from which grantees can begin to build sustainability plans:
- Create an action strategy
- Assess the environment
- Be adaptable
- Secure community support
- Integrate program services into community infrastructures
- Build a leadership team
- Create strategic partnerships
- Secure diverse financial opportunities
Because funding is often a concern, here are a few tips to help your program locate and secure additional funding. The USDHS suggests that it is important to set funding goals from the program or service onset and recognize the many ways a program or initiative may achieve sustainability through financial stability. Grantees in the early stages of development have a prime opportunity to build a foundation for sustainability by incorporating sustainability activities and planning into their overall program and service funding plans.
More seasoned grantees can assess their current budgetary outlays and align these with the essential services and activities required to address local needs. By gaining a better understanding of the bare essentials needed to implement their program or service, grantees can explore funding streams to match these requirements, even considering scaling back programs or services as a way to sustain.
Organizations should also seek out opportunities to build capacity around fundraising, which may include training or staff development on grant writing or event planning. Grantees may also explore funding options through
- In-kind resources;
- Local and community foundations;
- Modified organizational financial structures, such as contracting out services, moving services under the umbrella of a community partner, or moving to a fee-for-service model;
- Existing Federal, State or Local funding through the education system, to the extent program services are offered through the schools;
- Social enterprise business models;
- Impact investments; and/or
- Local partnerships with other organizations or programs.
The resource listed below can be found in the BUILD initiative's
Community Systems Development Toolkit. The
Community Systems Development Toolkit supports the hands-on implementation of collaborative systems work at the local level, providing resource tools that cover the full spectrum of community systems and coordination work.
Tailored to the needs of community-based collaboration and organized in systems change theory, the toolkit is designed to provide accessible, comprehensive resources supporting the changing stages and needs of communities engaged in collaborative work. Tools include forms, examples of community-level strategies, questions, guidance, samples, processes and articles.
The resources and tools in the section of
Developing and Supporting Financing and Sustainability Structures, support developing a plan to sustain collaboration and collaboration priorities and resources to support building a sustainability plan. Additional tools support developing a collaboration financing strategy that involves financing the structure and activities that align with the goals of the collaboration.
Community Relationships
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) highlights the importance of community relationships in its document,
CDC's Healthy Communities Program Sustainability Planning Guide. They state that sustainability is not just about funding. It's about creating and building momentum to maintain community-wide change by organizing and maximizing community assets and resources. It also means involving a multiplicity of stakeholders who can develop long term buy-in and support throughout the community for your coalition's efforts. These elements are crucial to ensuring lasting change and making a difference in people's lives.
Strong coalitions and partnerships help support sustainability by providing a platform and process that promote buy-in and support from participating community organizations and leaders. This heightened level of support enhances the reputation of the coalition and the Healthy Communities Movement at large, increasing the likelihood of new funding opportunities. Coalitions and partnerships can, among other things:
- Serve as effective vehicles for exchanging knowledge and ideas.
- Limit duplication of strategies and services.
- Demonstrate and develop community support for issues.
- Maximize the talents and resources of individuals and groups through collective action.
- Improve trust, communication, and collaboration among community agencies and sectors.
- Change community norms and standards concerning health-risk behaviors.
- Promote policies to create sustainable change in systems and environments.
Communication
Finally, a major factor in any sustainability plan is communication. using various media to convey policy messages, coalitions are able to develop public/decision-maker awareness and support around policy strategies, in addition to keeping them informed about the overall program efforts. Specifically, media efforts can help by:
- Promoting decision-maker buy-in of coalition vision, mission, and plans.
- Conveying the sense that coalition funds and other resources are being used wisely.
- Increasing chances that new funding or other resource-development opportunities will present themselves.
- Setting the stage for collaboration or coordination between organizations.
The ways coalitions and programs can keep community and decision-makers up-to-date include:
- Newsletters (electronic) distributed through Web site or e-mail
- Social media (e.g., Facebook or Twitter)
- Regular columns in weeklies, newspapers, or trade publications
- Periodic sustainability reports or annual action plans (print or electronic)
- Annual reports highlighting current plans and progress as well as future strategies
- Personal e-mails from coalition members to contacts
- Talk shows appearances (e.g., radio/TV/podcasts)
- Presentations at civic organization gatherings (e.g., Parent Teacher Organizations, Elks, Chamber of Commerce, school superintendents, local trainings, or conferences)
In addition to communicating policy messages, it is important for coalitions to consider:
- Internal communication: Communication directed at managing the work of a coalition or planning group.
- Community-wide communication: Communication directed at keeping community members, leaders, and key decision-makers up-to-date on the overall Healthy Communities effort.
Resources
The resources listed below can help you communicate your message to the larger community.
- Working with the media - A key part of building a quality early education continuum is community education and outreach to parents, school leadership, business, and media. This resource on the PA Keys website has some great tips for working with the media.
- Educating Legislators Toolkit - Educating our legislators about Pennsylvania's investments in early education not only makes us accountable for public dollars, it helps make the case for future investment. This toolkit can help you build relationships with your legislators so they are well educated on the importance of quality early learning and support continued investments in early education.
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