Sustaining Community Programs:

1. SustainingCommunity Programs: Planning for Success Created by Tammy Gillespie University of Missouri, Outreach and Extension

2. Sustainability information is based on research sponsored in part by U.S. Department of Agriculture. Principal Investigators: Jay A. Mancini and Lydia I. Marek, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

3. What is sustainability?

4. Purposeof Presentation Help groups: Discuss sustainability process Prioritize activities for project survival Highlight sustainability resources

5. Action Planning Funding Changes Leadership Collaborators Community Demonstrated Program Impact Project Staffing Implications for Sustainability

6. Sustainability Program Funding Do you have: • Current funding for at least 2 years? • Plans for additional future funding? • Funding for current operations & staffing?

7. Sustainability Leadership Do Leaders: • Plan early for sustainability? • Establish clear project mission? • Identify survival strategies?

8. Sustainability Project Staffing Are staff: • Involved in design, evaluation & decision making? • Trained, recognized & rewarded? • Flexible & creative?

9. Sustainability Changes • Do programs end? • Are new programs developed? • Are sites consolidated?

10. Sustainability Community • Are needs & assets regularly assessed? • Does the project reflect diversity? • Does the project have strong local government support?

11. Sustainability Demonstrated Program Impact • Are evaluation plans developed prior to implementation? • Are evaluations conducted regularly? • Are program “success stories” shared with funding sources and the public?

12. Sustainability Collaborators Business & government representatives Common vision Clearly defined roles Involved in program evaluation Involved in program design Involved in program implementation

13. Sustainability Sustainability Resources • Youth at Risk Sustainability Studies • 1998 Study – Patterns of Project Survival and Organizational Support • 1999 Study – Continuity, Success and Survival of Community-Based Projects • 2003 Study – Ongoing community-based program implementation, successes, and obstacles: The National Youth at Risk Program Sustainability Study

14. Sustainability Resources Children, Youth and Families Education and Research Network (CYFERnet.org) Coalition for Community Schools: Sustainability Checklist

15. Sustainability Action Planning Project Leadership Change/modify Project Staffing Community Funding Collaborators Demonstrated Program Impact

16. Acknowledgements • US Department of Agriculture • Children, Youth and Families at Risk Initiative • Missouri Outreach Development Fund • Community partners and volunteers • Lydia I. Marek and Jay A. Mancini, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Principal Investigators, Youth at Risk Sustainability Studies

17. Sustainability Topic:______________ (Adapted from CYFAR 2001 Conference Workshop, Marek and Mancini)

18. Materials Needed • Sustainability resources • Youth At Risk Sustainability Studies • Web addresses • Sticky Wall with main categories listed • Large index cards • Sticker “dots” – yellow, orange and green

19. Process • Setup equipment & room • Display legend for sticky wall • Distribute handouts

20. Process (continued) • Start PowerPoint presentation (1-13) • Divide into groups • Discuss framework handout • Site information group discussion

21. Process (continued) • Sticky wall • Groups share findings • Strengths • Trends • Correlations

22. Process (continued) • Action Planning Sheet (1 per variable) • Evaluation process