SUSTAINABILITY PLANNING

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SUSTAINABILITY PLANNING

• Ensuring the Long-Term Growth and Vitality of
  Your Ministry

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How Would You Answer?

• Provide a plan for continuing/sustaining the
  Program after grant funding ends. Include
  specific steps that will be taken to find/provide
  the necessary resource base for your program.

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Guiding Principles

• Bottom Line Focus
• Results Focus
• Systems Focus
• God wants you to succeed

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Definitions

• sustain (s-stn) tr.v. sustained, sustaining,
  sustains
• To keep in existence maintain
• To supply with necessities or nourishment
  provide for.
• To support from below keep from falling or
  sinking prop.
• To support the spirits, vitality, or resolution
  of encourage.
• Middle English sustenen, from Old French
  sustenir, from Latin sustinre sub-, from below
  see sub- tenre, to hold see ten- in
  Indo-European Roots. - sustainability n. /
  sustainable adj. / sustainer n. / sustainment
  n.

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Definitions II

• Sustainability Plan
• A clear, sensible, convincing plan for assembling
  and connecting the key elements necessary for
  long-term growth and organizational excellence.

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Sustainability Key Elements

• Compelling Vision
• Strong (Internal) Leadership
• (External) Champions and Decision-Makers
• Effective Internal Systems
• Results Orientation

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Sustainability Key Elements

• Broad Base of Community Support
• Diverse, Multiple Funding Sources
• Fiscal Stewardship
• Adaptability

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Process Preparation

• Organization Assessment
• Internal Documentation
• Board / Staff Survey and Interviews
• Client Input Sessions
• External Assessment
• Community Needs
• Community Assets
• Sector Trends
• Best Practices
• Current Forces

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Process Analysis

• Current State of the Organization
• Key Strengths
• Key Opportunities for Improvement (OFI)
• Strategic Challenges

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Process Planning

• Vision, Or Where do we want to be?
• Strategic Directions, Or How will we get there?
• Gap Analysis/Capability Review, Or Do we have
  what we need to accomplish the strategies? If
  not, how will we access it?
• Action Timelines, Or Who will do what, when?
• Benchmarks and Feedback Loops, Or How will we
  know if we are making progress?

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Implementation

• Working Your Plan
• Feedback Loops/Internal Accountability
• Plan Revision (On the Fly)
• Outside Assistance
• Monitoring
• Coaching
• Measurable Results

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Additional Resources

• CTC Sustainability Toolkit http//www.americaconne
  cts.net/research/LTC_ToolKit/index.shtml
• Sustaining Comprehensive Community Initiatives
  (The Finance Project)http//www.financeproject.or
  g/Sustaining.pdf
• The Afterschool Alliances Sustainability
  Workbookhttp//www.afterschoolalliance.org/sustai
  n.pdf
• The Mississippi Quality Awardshttp//www.sbcjc.cc
  .ms.us/mqa.html