NCJ Number
240206
Date Published
November 2012
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This report presents checklists for actions that are critical for sustaining and improving services over time.
Abstract
Three concepts of "sustainability" underlie the checklists presented. First, it involves more than maintaining or expanding funding; it's about building a strong, data-driven organization that serves the community. Second, sustainability involves maximizing all of a program's resources, both external (funding) and internal (staff, volunteers, and advisory/executive board members). Third, relying on a limited range of funding sources puts a program at risk for survival. The seven checklists presented are tools that assist in ensuring a program's sustainability. One checklist is a guide for taking initial steps in the development of a structure for proving a program's effectiveness. A second checklist pertains to data analysis and reporting, which involves telling others about a program's capacity, model integrity, and accountability. A third checklist assists in structuring an organization and its management tasks so as to facilitate sustainability. A fourth checklist addresses staff training and retention, which are essential for sustainability. A fifth checklist focuses on the building of collaborative relationships that are mutually beneficial, which strengthens the value and thus the importance of a program. A sixth checklist provides guidance in developing community interaction, support, and marketing, so that the community becomes familiar with what the program does and how it benefits the community. The seventh checklist provides guidance for being creative and thinking strategically about funding sources. 33 references categorized under topics related to sustainability