1. Planning for Sustainability: Framework and Process U.S. Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration, Division of Youth Services Grantee Check-Up Meeting May 12, 2010 Victoria Wegener, The Finance Project

2. About The Finance Project  The Finance Project is a specialized non-profit policy research and technical assistance organization for public and private sector leaders nationwide  Mission: To support decision making that produces and sustains good results for children, families and communities  Our Work: Technical assistance on financing and sustainability issues Capacity-building through Sustainability Training Institute Policy tools and materials

3. What is Sustainability Planning?  The process of sitting down to develop specific strategies and an action plan to help ensure the long- term sustainability of an initiative  Includes considering a full range of resources and competencies – financial, political, administrative, managerial– needed to meet long- term goals

4. Why Do Sustainability Planning?  To clarify where you are and where you want to go  To develop strategies for long- term success  To provide benchmarks to measure progress  To demonstrate the value of your work A written plan can provide overarching guidance for your initiative over time

5. 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

6. Developing a Vision and Results Orientation Vision and Results Strategic Financing Orientation Creating a Strategic Financing Plan Adaptability to changing conditions Broad base of community support Key champions Strong internal systems Developing Strategies for Building Organizational Capacity and Community Support Sustainability Plan Developing and Writing a Plan Eight Elements Sustainability Planning Process

7. Planning for Sustainability  Planning to Plan  Module I: Building a Sustainable Initiative  Module II: Creating a Vision and Results Orientation  Module III: Creating a Strategic Financing Plan  Module IV: Building Organizational Capacity and Community Support  Module V: Writing the Plan

8. Planning to Plan  Goals: Develop a realistic workplan for completing the process Clarify scope of your planning effort Determine a planning group and structure  Tools: Sample workplan, workplan worksheets

9. Getting Started 1. Define “initiative” 2. Clarify planning parameters 3. Decide who’s input you need and how that input should be structured and managed 4. Develop a workplan

10. Who to Include in planning  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 Potential partners: those working toward similar goals

11. How Will You Structure Input?  Existing governance entity completes process Significant staff support to gather and analyze information to present. Appropriate if you have an active board, that includes needed stakeholders.  Create a taskforce to complete process Include governance members but also others

12. Module I: Building a Sustainable Initiative  Goals: To introduce the sustainability framework and planning process To benchmark progress by identifying strengths and weaknesses  Tools: Sustainability Self-Assessment Sample Agenda: Completing the Self-Assessment

13. Self-Assessment Tool  Diagnostic tool to help you: assess progress identify strengths and weaknesses determine where to target scarce resources  Organized by elements; rank your progress toward a desired state  First step in developing a sustainability plan

14. Completing the Self-Assessment  Define “initiative” and “initiative’s leaders”  Options for managing discussion - Email electronic version out to participants, then choose to: Read each task together – poll on rank and discuss Participants rank individually – then poll and discuss Participants rank individually – then poll and only discuss items with wide variation

15. Facilitation Tips  Remind them that this is not a critique – “embrace the one”  The goal is not consensus – allow for diversity of opinion and sharing of information  Make use of a parking lot  Change techniques if the process gets bogged down

16. Next Steps  Read through Sustainability Planning workbook  Identify planning group and complete Self-Assessment Tool  Two teleconferences in May 1 st to focus on Module II – Vision and Results Orientation 2 nd to focus on Module III – Strategic Financing and Module IV – Organizational Capacity and Community Support  Follow-up workshop in June