MANAGEMENT AIN-ABILITY SYSTEMS HIGH PROGRAMS FOR FUNDING .

NIAST ITYUS ILAB LANPMANAGEMESYSTEM NTSHIGHITYQUAL litySustainabilityANOISIVBUILDINCOLLABO GRATIONADVOCATFOR INGSUPPORT

SustainabilityWorkbook

Table of ContentsOverviewBeginning to Create a Sustainability Plan24Building Collaboration to Strategically Secure ResourcesSample Network MapMy Network MapBuilding Collaboration Worksheet591011Advocating for SupportAdvocating for Support Worksheet1217Finding FundingStarting to Piece Together FundingFinding Funding Worksheet182425Designing a Sustainability PlanTemplate for a Formal Sustainability Plan2630Long-Range Plan Grid32Action Plan Grid33Research on Sustainability of Afterschool Programs34Case Studies36RESOURCES for Sustainability42Sustainability Workbook Evaluation Form48

OverviewSustainability. Everyone wants it; everyone sees it differently.sus tain a bil’i ty: n.Capable of being prolonged; to keep up; to withstand.ore often than not, sustainability is thought to mean raising money. Butmoney is only part of the equation. In fact, you can’t raise money withouthaving a quality program, and you can’t prove you have a quality program unlessyou can show results, and you can’t show effective results unless you have goodmanagement practices and so itgoes. Sustainability therefore, is“Sustainability goes beyond financialmany things that in combination(consideration) Funding is essential, but all of themake something capable of lastingbuilding blocks need to stand up tall first.”over time.stM- A 21 Century Community Learning Centerafterschool program directorIn the case of fully developedafterschool programs, getting tosustainability requires a carefullyconstructed plan composed of a number of critical components. First and foremostamong those components is a vision. Remember, your vision isn’t only what you wantyour program to achieve; rather, it starts with why you’re doing what you’re doing.What are your hopes for the children and families you serve in your program?As for other critical components, there are several. For starters, a broad base of supportto ensure that the program continues on a long- term basis.Indeed, a truly sustainable afterschool program has an array of community supportersand partners who are critical to assessing kids’ needs and discovering communityresources. As the starting point for building a sustainable program. Together yoursupporters and partners are the people and organizations that will ensure that quality isparamount and who will be the first to speak out for a supportive policy and fundingclimate. More than anyone else, they know that afterschool programs have proven thatthey keep kids safe, improve academic achievement and help working families.Therefore your program is a community asset that needs to be sustained.This workbook will focus upon three fundamental elements:“Make sure (newly funded programs) are aware fromthe beginning that they will need to also think aboutsustainability. We took the ball and ran, and now werealize that the ball needed to be kept bouncing! I’dsay plan ahead at all times.”- A 21st Century Community Learning Centerafterschool program director2Time for Afterschool Strategic Communications Kit1. Building CollaborationStrategically considering whosesupport you need in yourcommunity, and developingappropriate outreach efforts andvehicles for involvement in yourprograms, and utilizing theirresources to contribute to both thequality and sustainability of theprogram.

NOTES2. Advocating for SupportRallying leaders from education institutions, businesses, community- and faith-basedinstitutions, government and other parts of the community and encouraging them touse their power and influence to generate support for your program.3. Finding FundingDetermining the resources you will need and systematically developing a variety offinancing strategies and funding sources to provide a diverse and stable base of resourcesover time.Getting to sustainability is not always simple. Certainly there are challenges. Theconstantly changing environment in which afterschool programs operate buffets ourefforts to strive for sustainability. The dynamic nature of communities affects programs’community partnerships. The unpredictable climate for policy related to afterschool andyouth programs alters programs’advocacy efforts. The shifting“Have a clear picture of what the program will looklandscapes of afterschool fundinglike and know it is workable, rather than grandiose andimpacts how programs pursueunreachable Know where you are going.”funding. Moreover, characteristics- A 21st Century Community Learning Centerof afterschool programs will impactafterschool program directorhow a program approaches thesustainability challenge. Differencesin program size, location, historyand community partners will shape each program’s sustainability efforts. Hence,sustainability is an ongoing and complex challenge.The good news is that yours is not the first program to face a serious sustainabilitychallenge. Many have worked through these issues over time and successfully achievedbroad support for their programs. There are many lessons to be learned from thesuccesses and failures of those that have already faced these challenges. (See CaseStudies)This workbook will outline some of the strategies that have proven successful inapproaching sustainability, start you on your way to developing that all-importantsustainability plan, and point you to more detailed, specific resources that explore therange of important elements your final plan should entail. Use this workbook on yourroad to sustainability.Getting StartedBefore we begin, briefly assess where your project is by completing the followingworksheet, “Beginning to Create Sustainability Plan.”Strategic Communications Kit Sustainability Workbook3

Beginning to Create a Sustainability PlanOur program’s vision:Our program has already taken these steps toward sustainability:Our program needs to take these steps toward sustainability:4Time for Afterschool Strategic Communications Kit

NOTESBuilding Collaboration toStrategically Secure ResourcesCampaign disclosurexperience shows that the most successful afterschool programs are based on broadpartnerships between communities and schools. Community partners bring an array ofresources that contribute to both the quality and the sustainability of afterschool programs.For example, a school could provide the space and staff, the local parks and recreationdepartment could provide sports activities, a local business could provide computers, and alocal arts organization could provide instruction in drawing or pottery. Working with adiverse group of community partners can increase the potential for sustainability becauseeach partner organization comes with its own constituency and contacts that provide arange of support that can benefit afterschool. To demonstrate how this might work, usingour example above: the school could apply for a grant from the state, the parks andrecreation department could solicit funds from the city or county, the local business leadercould promote the program among his or her peers at meetings and conferences, the localrestaurant could ask customers to add an extra “tip” that would go directly to the program,and the local arts organization could include an article on the afterschool program in itsmonthly newsletter.ESuch partnerships are best structured as a collaboration in which each organization isexpected to make both a commitment and a contribution to the collaboration. Making acommitment means being present at meetings, taking on specific tasks, following throughand participating in decision making. Making a contribution can be done in a variety ofways including donating money, in-kind services or volunteers, providing access topotential supporters and sharing resources. In this way, everyone brings something to thetable that will benefit the group as a whole and help to achieve the common goal.It is important to make a distinction between collaboration and other ways in which youmay work with organizations: Cooperation: an informal, short-term relationship without a clearly defined mission orstructure. Most of us have participated in cooperation before. An example would besharing materials or supplies between two organizations. Coordination: a somewhat formal relationship that involves longer-term interactionaround a specific effort. It requires some planning and division of roles. Resources maybe shared to a small degree. Many of us have also participated in coordination before. Anexample would be planning a joint field trip or sharing office space. Collaboration: a more formal and long-term arrangement. It brings separateorganizations or individuals into a new relationship with a joint commitment to acommon purpose. Such a relationship requires comprehensive planning and well-definedcommunication. Partners pool their resources and share the products of their work.Distinguishing collaboration from these other types of working relationships will help all ofthe participating organizations to understand what is expected of them from the start.Benefits of CollaborationTrue collaboration takes a great deal of planning, time and effort, but the benefits faroutweigh the costs. As the saying goes, there is strength in numbers. A chorus of voicesStrategic Communications Kit Sustainability Workbook5statements will tell youwho the electedofficials’ supportersare and when youcross check the nameswith your database ofsupporters, you willfind some matches.This is criticalinformation.