How to have a sustainable project in 4 steps

1.Start with the community Identify a need in the community that builds on community strengths and aligns with local culture and values Research using Social Media what others NGOs and associations do, (successful projects) Send out a survey to partners, volunteers, friends, family (what they want to see changed ) 2. Why making projects sustainable is important? Bigger impact Branding Raise awareness

2.Building lasting partnerships 1.Understanding the environment in which you operate is key to the longevity of local projects Reach out by setting up a meeting in person or phone with the relevant representative you want to partner with Follow up the meeting with official emails (to finalize the details for memorandum or agreement of collaboration) Sign a memorandum of collaboration Set up a time frame for the partnership Have a plan B if in last minute the partner backs up

2.Leave a good impression(Be Professional) By being reliable. People can depend on you to show up on time, submit your work when it’s supposed to be ready, Show competence. You’re good at what you do – and you have the skills and knowledge that enable you to do your project well Listening Carefully. People want to be heard, so you give people a chance to explain their ideas properly. Staying Work-Focused. Not letting your private life needlessly have an impact on your project, and not spending time at work attending to personal matters. Respect For Others. Treating all people as if they mattered is part of your approach.

3.Financial planning 1. With most projects having finite funding, retaining staff can be a problem which can jeopardise projects Make the goal of self-sufficiency project -By having the project itself to generate funds, by selling items made during the project, or donations, or crowdfunding Do a project that doesn’t need funding -Spending time with the Elderly people -Do a panel discussion/debate -Play board games with the children from the Orphanage

4.Measure your success Many projects fall down on this important part of sustainability planning, not because they don’t undertake research but because they don’t collect the most valuable commodity they have: EVIDENCE Quantitative -number people showed up (alumni and non-alumni), -number of items were collected -number of workshops, events It can be qualitative -can emonstrate the need and the impact -can be used to describe the journeys of individuals and communities -can ensure that lessons learned are applied. Most projects have this evidence in some way but not all collect and use it systematically(We do that in our monthly reports)

Have a time frame for the project Have a time frame for the project. Annually, quarterly, or monthly however it works for the alumni and the community Modify/change. Rather than letting your project to become outdated, you seek out ways of staying current. Modify the project from previous experiences (take them as a lesson and opportunity to learn something new) Make them FUN both for the alumni and the recipients