What does sustainability mean? What is a plan for sustainability? Why should you plan for sustainability? When should you plan for sustainability? How do you plan for sustainability? Your initiative is making progress. Community members are involved, partnerships have developed, and your work appears to be producing meaningful benefits. Now consider what should happen over the longer term. Funding may change. Staff or volunteer leaders may leave. Community priorities may evolve. Policies may change. Another organization may become better positioned to carry the work forward. Some activities may become part of routine practice, while others may no longer be needed. Sustainability planning helps an initiative prepare for those possibilities. What does sustainability mean? Sustainability is the capacity to maintain meaningful benefits, effective practices, services, policies, relationships, community capacity, or other valuable results over time. Sustainability does not necessarily mean keeping every activity, program, staff position, funding source, or organizational structure unchanged indefinitely. Depending on the initiative, sustainability might mean: Continuing an effective program Integrating a service into the routine work of an existing organization Maintaining a policy or systems change Transferring responsibility to a community partner Strengthening community leadership and capacity so the work can continue locally Maintaining partnerships and referral networks Scaling an effective approach Adapting a program as needs and evidence change Preserving knowledge, tools, data, or infrastructure Responsibly concluding activities that are no longer necessary or effective The central question is not simply, "How do we keep our organization alive?" A more useful question is: What benefits of this work should continue, for whom, for how long, and what structures, resources, relationships, or changes are needed to make that possible? Public-health sustainability frameworks commonly identify several interacting areas that influence whether programs and their benefits can continue, including: Organizational capacity Funding stability Partnerships Program evaluation Program adaptation Communications Strategic planning Support in the broader organizational, community, policy, and funding environment Sustainability planning should therefore look beyond fundraising alone. What is a plan for sustainability? A sustainability plan is a practical roadmap for maintaining the parts of an initiative that continue to provide value. It identifies: What should be sustained Why those elements remain important What evidence supports continuing them What may need to be adapted Who should be responsible for the work What partnerships are needed What staffing and leadership capacity is required What financial and other resources are needed What risks or changes may affect the work How progress and changing community needs will be evaluated Sustainability planning is closely connected to strategic planning. It asks organizations to look beyond immediate activities and consider how benefits can continue under different future conditions. A written sustainability plan can also provide institutional memory. It documents why decisions were made, who is responsible for carrying them out, what resources are needed, and how progress will be assessed. Questions to consider A sustainability planning process may begin with questions such as: What benefits, activities, policies, services, relationships, or capacities are worth sustaining? What evidence do we have that the work is useful and equitable? What should continue unchanged, what should be adapted, what should be transferred or institutionalized, and what should end? What community partnerships and forms of community ownership are necessary? What organizational, governance, leadership, and workforce capacity is required? How will we communicate about the work and maintain appropriate community and institutional support? What funding and other resources are needed, and how stable are they? What external changes, risks, and future scenarios should we prepare for? Example: A community initiative addressing housing instability and access to behavioral health services has achieved promising results, but it depends heavily on one short-term grant and on several staff members and volunteers carrying unsustainable workloads. Sustainability planning might include documenting effective practices, strengthening partnerships with housing and health organizations, evaluating outcomes, identifying which services could be incorporated into existing systems, developing more stable funding, creating realistic staffing plans, compensating essential work appropriately, cross-training staff, and preparing for leadership transitions. The goal is not necessarily to preserve the initiative exactly as it exists. The goal is to preserve and strengthen the benefits that matter. Why should you plan for sustainability? To maintain benefits that require sustained effort Some community priorities cannot be addressed through a one-time project. Preventing child maltreatment, reducing community violence, improving health equity, strengthening educational opportunity, addressing housing instability, improving environmental conditions, and other complex goals may require sustained work across organizations and systems. Sustainability planning helps identify what must remain in place long enough for meaningful improvements to occur. To protect valuable investments Programs require time, funding, relationships, knowledge, trust, training, technology, facilities, and community effort. If effective work disappears abruptly when one grant ends or one leader leaves, some of those investments may be lost. Sustainability planning can help preserve useful infrastructure and knowledge even when a particular program changes. To reduce dependence on one person Initiatives are vulnerable when leadership, relationships, passwords, procedures, institutional knowledge, or decision-making authority are concentrated in one person. Sustainability planning can strengthen: Succession planning Shared leadership Documentation Cross-training Delegation Institutional memory To support a sustainable workforce Programs are not sustainable when they depend on chronic overwork, unpaid labor, unclear responsibilities, or recurring burnout. Planning should address: Appropriate staffing levels Fair compensation Workload Training Supervision Staff retention Volunteer roles and boundaries Leadership development To prepare for changes in funding and the external environment Grants end. Government priorities change. Costs increase. Community needs shift. Partners reorganize. Technologies change. New laws or regulations may affect the work. Planning can help organizations prepare for several possible futures rather than assuming current conditions will continue. To decide whether continuation is actually appropriate Sustainability should not become an automatic goal. Ask whether: The need still exists The intervention remains effective Community members still consider it valuable Another organization can provide the service more effectively A temporary program should become routine organizational practice A policy or systems change has made the original program less necessary Resources would now have greater impact elsewhere Sometimes responsible sustainability planning leads to continuation. Sometimes it leads to adaptation, transition, integration, or planned closure. When should you plan for sustainability? Begin sustainability planning early. Consider sustainability while developing the initiative's mission, objectives, partnerships, funding strategy, staffing model, and evaluation plan rather than waiting until a grant is about to expire. Early planning can influence decisions about: Program design Staffing Partnerships Technology Data collection Funding Governance Community participation Evaluation Sustainability planning is not a one-time activity. Review the plan periodically as evidence, community priorities, staffing, funding, policies, and other conditions change. How do you plan for sustainability? Step 1. Decide what is actually worth sustaining Begin by clarifying the purpose of the initiative and what benefits it is producing. Ask: What need or community priority led to this work? Does that need still exist? What parts of the initiative are producing meaningful benefits? Who benefits? Are benefits distributed equitably? What parts are ineffective, unnecessary, or burdensome? What could be continued by another organization or community partner? Avoid assuming that organizational survival is automatically the goal. Example: A community initiative supports adolescent sexual and reproductive health through education, access to services, partnerships with schools and health organizations, and outreach. Sustainability planning does not necessarily mean preserving every workshop or outreach activity permanently. The initiative may determine that some practices should become part of routine school or health-system operations, while others should be adapted as community needs and evidence change. A short-term initiative may also appropriately conclude once its purpose has been accomplished. Example: Residents organize a project to restore a neglected section of a river corridor. Once restoration is complete, they might end the project, establish periodic stewardship activities, transfer maintenance to another organization, or develop a broader environmental partnership. None of those choices is automatically more sustainable than the others. The appropriate decision depends on the continuing need and community priorities. Step 2. Clarify goals and future direction Sustainability is easier to plan when the initiative has clear goals. Review: Mission Short-term objectives Longer-term outcomes Equity goals Community priorities Measures of success Goals may change as the initiative learns. Example: Residents initially organize around one dangerous intersection and advocate successfully for safety improvements. Through that process they discover broader concerns about pedestrian access, transit, traffic speeds, and neighborhood safety. The group can decide whether to conclude after accomplishing its original objective or broaden its mission into an ongoing neighborhood transportation or civic organization. Expansion should be intentional rather than occurring simply because the initiative has gained attention or members. Step 3. Evaluate what the initiative has accomplished and learned Sustainability decisions should be informed by evidence. Review: What was implemented Who participated Who was not reached What outcomes changed What participants and community partners experienced What worked well What did not work What unintended consequences occurred Whether results were equitable What adaptations improved the work Do not sustain a program simply because staff and supporters have invested substantial time in it. Continue what evidence and community experience suggest is valuable. Example: A youth violence-prevention coalition develops an after-school recreation and mentoring program. Participation is strong among some young people but much lower among others. Evaluation shows that transportation, activity choice, disability access, and program scheduling limit participation for several groups. Participants also value the recreation component more than some of the structured lessons. Sustainability planning would use those findings to redesign the program rather than simply seeking funding to preserve the original model. Step 4. Build communication, community support, and shared ownership Communication can support sustainability by helping people understand the initiative, its results, available opportunities, and ways to participate. The goal is not maximum publicity. Communication should serve specific purposes such as: Sharing results and lessons Maintaining transparency and accountability Recruiting participants or partners Building support for policy or systems change Helping potential funders understand the work Ensuring community members know how to access services Communication channels might include: Community organizations Websites and social media News and community media Email and text communication Community meetings Public reports or dashboards Presentations to partners, boards, funders, and policymakers Trusted interpersonal networks Visibility is not the same as trust. Organizations build lasting support through useful work, accountability, respectful relationships, meaningful community participation, transparent communication, and evidence of impact. Step 5. Strengthen partnerships and community ownership Programs that depend on one organization or one leader may be especially vulnerable. Identify the partners necessary to maintain benefits over time. These might include: Community organizations Participants and residents Health and human service organizations Schools and educational institutions Local government Businesses Faith and spiritual communities Funders Advocacy organizations Universities Ask whether partners are simply supporting your organization or whether they share meaningful responsibility, decision-making, knowledge, resources, and ownership of the work. When appropriate, sustainability may involve transferring part or all of a program to a partner that is better positioned to maintain it. Step 6. Strengthen organizational capacity, governance, and leadership succession The amount of organizational structure needed depends on the initiative. A temporary volunteer project may require relatively little formal structure. An organization employing staff, managing grants, providing services, handling confidential information, or making long-term commitments will require more. Consider whether you have clear procedures for: Decision-making Financial management Roles and responsibilities Conflict of interest Data and document management Privacy and security Program quality Partnerships Leadership transition Avoid concentrating essential knowledge and authority in one person. Strengthen continuity through: Shared leadership Leadership development Succession planning Cross-training Written procedures Secure recordkeeping Documentation of partner relationships and commitments Example: A community health initiative has relied heavily on one coordinator for decisions, partner relationships, fundraising, and institutional knowledge. Sustainability planning might redistribute responsibilities, document procedures, train additional leaders, establish decision-making policies, and create a succession plan before the coordinator leaves. Step 7. Build sustainable staffing and workforce capacity Ask whether the initiative has enough people with the right skills, time, support, and compensation to carry out the work. Review: Number of staff Workload Compensation and benefits Volunteer expectations Training Supervision Staff retention Cross-training Leadership development Administrative support Persistent burnout, unpaid overtime, dependence on a few volunteers, and chronic vacancies are sustainability risks. Recruiting more volunteers is not always the solution. Some responsibilities require paid staff, professional expertise, consistent availability, or long-term accountability. When resources cannot support the existing workload, consider reducing or redesigning the scope of work rather than relying on people to absorb unsustainable demands. Step 8. Develop a sustainable financial and resource strategy Sustainability requires understanding the full cost of the work. Estimate: Personnel costs Employee benefits Facilities Technology Insurance Transportation Participant supports Accessibility and language access Evaluation Communications Administrative and indirect costs Equipment replacement Training Compliance and professional services Then consider the stability, restrictions, timing, and risks associated with current and potential resources. Depending on the organization, a resource strategy might involve: Grants Government contracts Individual donations Foundation funding Membership or participation revenue where appropriate Earned revenue consistent with the organization's mission Institutional budget allocations Partnerships and shared services Appropriate in-kind contributions Operating reserves Diversification can reduce dependence on one source, but more funding sources are not automatically better. Each source may carry restrictions, administrative requirements, reporting obligations, or risks. Avoid expanding solely because new funding becomes available. Expansion should be consistent with mission, evidence, community priorities, staffing capacity, and the organization's ability to support the work after initial funding ends. Step 9. Anticipate external risks and future scenarios Sustainability planning should consider changes outside the organization's direct control. These may include: Loss of a major funding source Changes in laws or regulations Economic downturns Leadership changes Loss of a major partner Technology changes Workforce shortages Natural disasters or public-health emergencies Changes in community demographics or priorities Political or institutional opposition For major risks, consider: How likely is this? What would the impact be? What warning signs could we monitor? What could we do now to reduce the risk? What would our response be if it occurred? Scenario planning can help prepare for several plausible futures instead of assuming that current conditions will continue unchanged. Step 10. Turn the assessment into an action plan Sustainability planning should lead to specific actions. For each priority, identify: The action to be taken The person or group responsible Partners who need to be involved Resources required A realistic timeline How progress will be measured Prioritize rather than trying to strengthen every sustainability area simultaneously. For example: Priority Action Responsible Timeline Measure of progress Leadership succession Document key responsibilities and cross-train two additional staff or volunteers Executive director and board Next six months Succession plan adopted and backup responsibilities assigned Funding stability Identify funding risks and develop a multiyear resource strategy Leadership and finance team Before next budget cycle Board-approved resource plan completed Program adaptation Use participant feedback and evaluation results to revise services Program staff and community advisory group Before next program cycle Revised model implemented and evaluated Step 11. Review and update the sustainability plan Sustainability capacity changes over time. Review the plan periodically and after major changes such as: A new strategic plan A major grant beginning or ending Leadership transition Significant program expansion Major evaluation findings A change in community priorities A new partnership or merger Significant financial changes Changes in law, policy, or technology Ask whether the same activities still deserve to be sustained and whether the current model remains the best way to provide the intended benefits. In Summary Sustainability is not simply keeping an organization or program alive. It is the capacity to maintain meaningful community benefits, effective practices, relationships, services, policies, and other valuable results for as long as they continue to be needed. Sustainability planning should begin early and continue throughout the life of an initiative. It involves more than fundraising. Strong sustainability capacity may depend on organizational capacity, partnerships, funding stability, evaluation, adaptation, strategic planning, communications, community and institutional support, leadership succession, and a sustainable workforce. Begin by deciding what is actually worth sustaining. Use evidence and community input to determine what should continue, what should change, what might be transferred or incorporated into other organizations or systems, and what may appropriately end. Build enough governance and organizational structure to support accountability and continuity without creating unnecessary bureaucracy. Document important knowledge, distribute responsibilities, develop future leaders, and avoid making essential work dependent on one person or on chronic unpaid labor. Develop a realistic financial strategy based on the full cost of the work and prepare for changes in funding, partnerships, leadership, policy, technology, and community conditions. Finally, treat sustainability as an ongoing learning process. Evaluate results, listen to community members and partners, adapt when conditions change, and remain willing to change the form of the initiative when another approach can sustain its benefits more effectively or equitably. Resources Online Resources A Sustainability Planning Guide for Healthy Communities describes science‐ and practice‐based evidence designed to help coalitions, public‐health professionals, and other community stakeholders develop, implement, and evaluate a successful sustainability plan. Coalition Sustainability Characteristics describes the main characteristics a group needs to be sustainable. Factors that Promote Sustainability is formatted in a checklist to help groups decide where to focus in order to achieve sustainability. Key Sustainability Tasks for Coalitions outlines the tasks that need to be accomplished in each stage of development to achieve sustainability. Letting Go: Why It's So Hard to Say Goodbye (to our interventions) an article from Community Psychology about de-implementation which is the process by which health promotion and prevention-oriented interventions end. The Program Sustainability Assessment Tool: A New Instrument for Public Health Programs is from the CDC. This "PSAT" is a new and reliable instrument for assessing the capacity for program sustainability of various public health and other programs. Promoting Sustainability of Community Health Initiatives: An Empirical Case Study describes an empirical study of strategies used to promote sustainability of community health initiatives. A total of three initiatives for prevention of adolescent pregancy and three initiatives for prevention of adolescent substance use in Kansas were studied. Sustainability information page from Implementation Matters. The CDC's article entitled Using the Program Sustainability Assessment Tool to Assess and Plan for Sustainability is a helpful resource that includes a case example of a chronic disease program that completed the Program Sustainability Tool and engaged in program sustainability planning. Print Resources Homan, M. (1994). Promoting community change: Making it happen in the real world. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company. Lefebvre, R. (1990). Strategies to maintain and institutionalize successful programs: A marketing framework. In N. Bracht (Ed.). Health promotion at the community level. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications. Steckler, A., & Goodman, R. (1989). How to institutionalize health promotion programs. American Journal of Health Promotion, 3(4), 34-44.
