1. Sustaining Community-Based Programs and Supporting Families: The Virginia Tech Interactive Training On Sustainability Training Developed by: Lydia I. Marek and Jay A. Mancini Research Supported by CSREES/USDA CYFAR Initiative Jay A. Mancini and Lydia I. Marek, Principal Investigators Marek & Mancini, 2002

2. Referencing and Acknowledgements §Please cite all material contained in this presentation as: Marek, Lydia I. & Mancini, J.A. “Sustaining Community-Based Programs and Supporting Families: The Virginia Tech Interactive Training On Sustainability.” CYFAR Teleconference Training, January 2002. §The authors would like to thank the research assistance of Donna-Jean P. Brock, M.A. §Marek & Mancini, 2002

3. Projected Results of Training on Sustaining Community-Based Programs §Roadmap for discerning sustainability issues l Application to local level §Opportunity to review core sustainability elements §Research-based information l National Sustainability Study: 1996 to the present l National Results of the Organizational Change Survey l NNFR/Casey Foundation Study on Model Programs §Marek & Mancini, 2002

4. The Nature and Importance of Sustainability A sustained program: §Continues to deliver programming to intended audiences over the long term consonant with program goals and objectives §Modifies as necessary through expansion and contraction §Supports community capacity -Communities with high capacity can better respond to community needs §Marek & Mancini, 2002

5. Elements of Sustainability: Overview §Elements are varied §Elements are interrelated §The significance of particular elements vary from program to program §Marek & Mancini, 2002

6. Elements of Sustainability: The Virginia Tech Research Study §Leadership Competence §Effective Collaboration §Understanding the Community §Program Flexibility §Adequate and Stable Funding §Staff Quality and Involvement §Demonstrated Program Success §Marek & Mancini, 2002

7. Leadership Competence §Leaders have clearly established the project’s mission and vision. §Leaders are committed to the long term goals of the project. §Leaders initially and intentionally plan for sustaining the project. §Leaders continue planning for sustainability. §Leaders developed and follow a realistic project plan §Leaders identify alternative (and multiple) strategies for project survival. §Community institutions (e.g. schools, social services agencies, etc.) are involved in providing leadership or input to the project leader(s). §Marek & Mancini, 2002

8. Strong and Effective Collaboration §Local decision makers are project collaborators. §Represntatives from businesses are project collaborators. §Collaborators are involved in program design, program implementation, and program evaluation. §Collaborators share responsibility for providing program resources. §Collaborators share credit for project success. §Collaborators have clearly defined roles and responsibilities. §Collaborators share a vision for the project. §The project is part of the mission of participating institutions. §Marek & Mancini, 2002

9. Understanding the Community §Community needs are regularly assessed in relation to the project’s goals. §Community resources and assets are regularly assessed in relation to the project’s goals. §Project goals are matched with community needs and resources. §Community resources are effectively utilized by projects. §Projects account for diversity in the community. §Community members are actively involved in program design, program implementation, and the recruitment of participants. §Marek & Mancini, 2002

10. Program Flexibility §Goals and programming that no longer meet the community’s needs are reassessed and changed as appropriate. §Projects that no longer meet the community’s needs are eliminated. §When there are community needs that are not being met, programs are developed or expanded to better meet those community needs. §Site are consolidated, as appropriate, to better use project resources. §Marek & Mancini, 2002

11. Stable and Sufficient Funding §Current funding is sufficient for the project’s operations, including hiring and retaining quality staff. §Funding is available on a long term basis (at least 2 or more years). §There are plans in place for obtaining additional funding. §The plans that are in place include multiple options for obtaining additional funding. §There is a person responsible for grant proposal writing. §Collaborators contribute to the monetary resources for program operations. §Marek & Mancini, 2002

12. Staff Quality and Involvement §Staff are actively involved in program design, program evaluation, and project decision making. §Staff retention is high. §Staff understand the project mission, vision, and goals. §Staff are committed to the project mission, vision, and goals. §Staff are qualified to work on the project. §Staff are flexible and creative in their work. §Staff are recognized and rewarded for their work. §Staff receive adequate training. §Marek & Mancini, 2002

13. Demonstrated Program Success §Evaluation plans are developed prior to implementing programs. §Project effectiveness is demonstrated through evaluation. §Evaluations are conducted on a regular basis. §Evaluations are appropriate for the programs being delivered. §Evaluation results are used to modify programming (expand, reduce, eliminate). §Project successes are made known to the community. §Project successes are made known to funders. §Public relations (marketing) strategies are in place to highlight successes and recruit participants, funders, and collaborators. §Marek & Mancini, 2002

14. Program Sustainability: Translating Research and Theory to Action §Research-Based Program Development, Implementation, and Assessment §Being Intentional About Sustaining Programs l The Sustainability Workbook and Sustainability Index §Marek & Mancini, 2002

15. The Sustainability Process: Applying Knowledge §A few examples: l Sustainability: What Does it Look Like? l Sustainability: What is the Status of your Project? l Developing a Sustainability Plan Be as detailed as possible. This is your map into the future as you work towards sustaining your project. Your plan needs to be reassessed on an annual basis. §Marek & Mancini, 2002

16. Exercise#1: Sustainabilty - What does it look like? §An opportunity to begin discussing the complexity and variations of sustainability. §As you look over the following figure - l What do you see? l What words jump off the page for you? l Any surprises? l Would you add or take away anything? l Would you rearrange them differently? If so, how? Would you l What might be the implications of your responses to the figure? §Marek & Mancini, 2002

17. Sustainability:What Does it Look Like? Marek & Mancini, 2002 Stable and Sufficient Funding Staff Quality and Involvement Demonstrated Program Impact Program Flexibility Strong and Effective Collaboration Understanding the Community Leadership Competence SUSTAINABILITY

26. What are your project’s strengths and gaps with regard to sustainability? §Look at the seven areas and your responses in the columns: l Where are the most “blues” - the successes in your project? l Where are the most “reds” - those gaps in your project? l Are there particular sustainability factors that stand out for you either in terms of successes or gaps? l What can be done to strengthen the gaps that you have identified? Can any of the “blues” be used to accomplish this? l What are your next steps in turning the “reds” into “greens” or “blues?” §Marek & Mancini, 2002

27. Summary and Conclusions §Planning for sustainability is a continual process. §There are factors known to strengthen the sustainability success of a project. §A sustainability workbook and sustainability index will be available in 2003. §Marek & Mancini, 2002

28. Summary and Conclusions §Reports on the sustainability of projects supported through CYFAR are available through CYFERnet. l http://www.ext.vt.edu/vce/specialty/famhum dev/350-800.html (1998) http://www.ext.vt.edu/vce/specialty/famhum dev/350-800.html l http://www.ext.vt.edu/vce/specialty/famhum dev/350-801.html (1999) http://www.ext.vt.edu/vce/specialty/famhum dev/350-801.html l http://www.ext.vt.edu/vce/specialty/famhum dev/350-804W.html (2001) http://www.ext.vt.edu/vce/specialty/famhum dev/350-804W.html