Sustainability Planning

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Sustainability Planning
Promote Prevention Conference Kansas City April
28, 2004 Margaret Flynn

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About The Finance Project

• The Finance Project is a non-profit policy
  research and technical assistance organization
  that supports decision making that produces and
  sustains good results for children, families, and
  communities
• Weve provided TA and training on financing and
  sustainability issues since 1994

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Key Elements of Sustainability

• 1. Vision
• 2. Results orientation
• 3. Strategic financing orientation
• 4. Adaptability to changing conditions
• 5. Broad base of community support
• 6. Key champions
• 7. Strong internal systems
• 8. Sustainability plan

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• Module 1 How are we doing so far?
• Introduce
• sustainability framework
• Take stock with Sustainability self-assessment
  tool

• Module 2 What do we want to sustain?
• Define vision
• Determine desired results and strategies to
  achieve them
• Measure progress

Sustainability Planning Process
Module 5 Translate information into a clear
written plan

• Module 3 How do we develop needed ?
• Clarify what will be financed
• Estimate needs Identify resources
• Assess gaps
• Determine sources strategies

• Module 4 How will we develop other resources?
• Marshal non-monetary resources
• Use results of self-assessment environmental
  scan to determine strategies

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Sustainability Planning Process
Eight Elements
Module II Developing a Vision and Results
Orientation
Vision and Results
Strategic Financing Orientation
Module III Creating a Strategic Financing Plan
Adaptability to changing conditions Broad base of
community support Key champions Strong internal
systems
Module IV Building Organizational Capacity and
Community Support
Module V Developing and Writing a Plan
Sustainability Plan
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Getting Started

• Define initiative
• Clarify planning parameters
• Decide whos input you need and how that input
  should be structured and managed
• Develop a workplan

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1. Define Initiative

• Many levels within initiatives
• Multiple programs and activities
• Multiple sites
• Multiple partner agencies
• Multiple levels of governance site level,
  initiative-level, citywide
• Possible to focus sustainability plan at any or
  all of these levels
• Need to be clear what focus is upfront

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2. Clarify Planning Parameters

• Over what timeframe will you develop your plan?
• What resources do you have available?
• Staffing scheduling meetings, developing
  agendas, communicating with sustainability
  planning group, gathering and summarizing
  information, writing the plan.
• How much time can you expect your planning group
  members to devote to meetings?

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3. Who to Include

• Internal
• Governance, management, staff
• Clients/consumers, target population
• External
• Those with influence policymakers, public agency
  administrators, funders, business leaders, etc
• Those with information community organizations,
  researchers, budget and development personnel,
  etc

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Do You Have Individuals With

• The historical perspective?
• The ground level perspective?
• Knowledge of local politics, policies, and
  resources?
• The power to adopt the plan?
• The power to implement the plan?

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How Will You Structure Input?

• Existing governance entity completes process
• Significant staff support to gather and analyze
  information to present.
• Have to seek out input of other stakeholders
  throughout the process.
• Might create a subcommittee(s) to manage process.
• Appropriate if you have an active board, that
  includes needed stakeholders.

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How Will You Structure Input?

• Create a taskforce to complete sustainability
  planning
• Include reps from governance entity, but also
  other stakeholders.
• Report to governance entity regularly on progress.

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4. Develop a Workplan

• Review all of the modules
• Consider planning you have already completed
• Consider the time and resources you have
  available for planning
• Consider what combination of large group
  meetings, subcommittee meeting, and staff work
  makes sense for your initiative
• Design a workplan that includes key steps to
  complete, timeframe, and meetings

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Module I Building a Sustainable Initiative

• Goals
• To introduce and discuss the sustainability
  framework and planning process
• To benchmark progress by identifying strengths
  and weaknesses
• Steps
• Determine who will provide input and complete the
  self-assessment
• Summarize and share self-assessment results with
  relevant stakeholders

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Using the Sustainability Self-Assessment Tool

• Determine who to have at the table -- need to
  have working knowledge of the initiative and its
  history
• Determine if there are issues that must be
  addressed in more private settings
• Prepare group for the process -- no surprises
• Allow enough time 1 and ½ to 3 hours

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Module II Creating a Vision and Results
Orientation

• Goal
• To clarify what do you want to sustain? what
  do you mean by sustainability and how you will
  measure progress toward those goals
• Steps
• Review and compile what has already been done
• Clarify vision and desired results
• Identify conditions and causes
• Identify and prioritize strategies and activities
• Define scale and timeframe
• Identify measures of progress

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Module III Creating a Strategic Financing Plan

• Goal
• To identify the range the fiscal resources needed
  to achieve your sustainability goals and to
  develop strategies to access those sources
• Steps
• Clarify financing for what
• Estimate fiscal needs
• Identify current resources
• Assess funding gaps
• Identify funding sources and financing strategies

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Creating a Strategic Financing Plan

• Prep cost estimates, resource map, and gap
  analysis ahead of time
• Use group meetings for financing for what and
  funding sources discussions
• Remember that this likely requires two meetings,
  at a minimum
• Connect with funding information sources and
  expertise

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Funding Strategies

• Maximizing Federal Funds
• Maximizing State Local Funds
• Creating New Partnerships to Access Private Funds
• Building Community Support Local Fundraising
  and Business Income

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Module IV Building Organizational Capacity and
Community Support

• Goal
• To identify resources and design strategies
  related to adaptability to changing conditions,
  community support, key champions, and strong
  internal systems
• Steps
• Review self-assessment and relevant discussions
  from Modules I-III
• Identify resources and design strategies
• Prioritize strategies
• Review your financing plan

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Adaptability to Changing Conditions Strategies

• What opportunities are present?
• What threats must you respond to?
• What are major strengths to draw on?
• What are major weaknesses to address?
• Interaction with financing strategies?
• Resources needed for implementation?

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Community Support Strategies

• Who are critical stakeholders you need to engage?
• Do you have their support?
• If not, how can you cultivate their support?
• Interaction with financing strategies?
• Resources needed for implementation?

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Key Champions Strategies

• What leaders do you need to engage?
• How best can you engage them?
• Interaction with financing strategies?
• Resources needed for implementation?

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Internal Systems Strategies

• What systems are currently in place?
• Do these systems meet your needs?
• If not, do you need to strengthen, expand, or
  create new systems?
• What resources do you need for implementation?

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Module V Writing the Plan

• Goal
• To assist in constructing a written
  sustainability plan
• Steps
• Develop a workplan
• Write the sustainability plan
• Adopt the plan and celebrate!