1. © 2012 The Finance Project Finding Funding and Planning for Sustainability of Community Tennis Programs May 5, 2012 2012 Community Development Workshop Lori Connors-Tadros, Ph.D. Vice President, Children and Family Services The Finance Project

2. © 2011 The Finance Project GOALS FOR SESSION  Increase awareness of resources and tools to find funding and plan for sustainability.  Spur new thinking, share new ideas and lessons learned with colleagues on how to grow and sustain community tennis programs.

3. © 2011 The Finance Project Introductions  Describe the results of your program (in 2-3 sentences).  What 1 characteristic helps ensure that your program has “staying power?”

4. © 2011 The Finance Project The Challenge of Maintaining Quality Programming Expense challenges: – Reduce existing costs – Manage new costs to expand services – Plan for unintended or unexpected costs Revenue challenges: – Finding adequate funding – Finding flexible funding – Coordinating and leveraging funds

5. © 2011 The Finance Project Long Term Approach: Planning for 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. © 2011 The Finance Project 1.Vision  Know what you want to sustain  Know how your initiative fits within the larger community  Know what you mean by sustainability Scope of activities Scale of operation Timeline

7. © 2011 The Finance Project 2. Results Orientation  Adopt a results framework  Be clear about the results you want to achieve for children and youth as well as the systems that serve them  Use indicators and performance measures to track progress and improve your work Outputs– X # of tennis programs Outcomes– X% of children improved tennis skills from fall to spring

8. © 2011 The Finance Project 3. Strategic Financing Orientation 1. What do you want to finance? 2. How much does it cost? 3. How much do you have? 4. What is the gap? 5. What funding sources and financing strategies can you implement?

9. © 2011 The Finance Project Mapping Current Resources and Assessing the Gaps Major Strategies or Activities (in priority order) Funds Needed Available Resources Source of Funding or In-Kind Contribution Amount Restrictions on Use of Funding Expected Timeframe Funding Is Available

10. © 2011 The Finance Project Decision Matrix: What to Fund, Scale Back or Cut? QuestionResponse 1. Is the activity a core service that is critical to the organization’s mission? YesXX NoXX 2. Do revenues generated by the service / activity cover the costs? YesXX NoXX Decision:FUNDSeek funding or scale back CUT

11. © 2011 The Finance Project Finding Federal Funding http://www.financeproject.org/fedfund_search.cfm Database of over 400 federal funding sources Searchable by agency, use of funds, who can apply, and other criteria

12. © 2011 The Finance Project “Best Bet” Funding Announcements  State Afterschool Networks America’s Promise Alliance  Youth Service America  National Clearinghouse on Youth and Families  The Foundation Center, Philanthropy News Digest  Sports Grants Funding  FindYouthInfo.gov

13. © 2011 The Finance Project Who Helps You Get $, Keep $, and Use Them Well! 4. Adaptability to changing conditions 5. Broad base of community support 6. Key champions

14. © 2011 The Finance Project FindYouthInfo.gov Identify potential partners and collaborators at Map My Community

15. © 2011 The Finance Project 7. Strong Internal Systems  Know and involve the people you need to carry out your mission: staff, board(s), volunteers, etc.  Develop strong fiscal and performance management systems  Use those systems to review strategies, document outcomes, track costs, and make changes as needed

16. © 2011 The Finance Project Do You Have A Sustainability Plan? If you plan to start from scratch or revise an existing plan…tips for success:  Start early!  Determine available resources  Involve diverse group of stakeholders Big/creative thinkers Decision makers Key partners Users of services  Integrate into management routine

17. © 2011 The Finance Project ELEMENT FOUR: Broad-Based Community Support The initiative’s leaders take steps to involve the community in their work and gain community support based on the initiative’s positive impact on families’ lives. 12345Comments A. The initiative has a plan to establish a desired identity and reputation within the community. B. The initiative’s leaders involve recipients of their services in their work to improve service design and delivery and to build ownership and support. C. In addition to service recipients, the initiative’s leaders involve a diverse set of stakeholders in their work (such as community-based organizations, government agencies, and private businesses) to improve service design and delivery and to build ownership and support. D. The initiative’s leaders and community partners understand and communicate the work’s value for families in its community. E. The initiative’s leaders collect quantitative and qualitative data to show the value of their work for families. F. The initiative’s leaders package those data in user-friendly formats and communicate them regularly to the community, key stakeholders, media, potential funders, and others. G. The initiative’s leaders recognize and reward people who are instrumental in helping achieve sustainability for the work. Where do you stand?: Sustainability Self-Assessment

18. © 2011 The Finance Project Thank You! Lori Connors-Tadros, lctadros@financeproject.org@financeproject.org The Finance Project 1401 New York Avenue, Suite 800 Washington DC, 20005 (202) 628-4200 www.financeproject.org