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Sustaining Good Works
KidStrong
Charleston, West Virginia
June 13, 2012
T.W. (Tom) Klaus
Director, Capacity Building & Sustainability
Advocates for Youth
About Advocates for Youth
• Established in 1980 as the Center for
Population Options
• Based in Washington, DC, Advocates for
Youth offers more than a dozen programs
and initiatives nationally and internationally
• Our primary audiences are: parents,
professionals, and youth advocates
• Advocates for Youth hosts seven different
websites, all accessible from our main
website at www.advocatesforyouth.org.
© 2011 Advocates for Youth
Vision & Values
• Advocates for Youth believes that all young
people have the right to the reproductive and
sexual health information, confidential, safe
services and a secure stake in the future.
Advocates envisions a world in which societies
view adolescent sexual development as normal
and healthy, treat youth as partners in promoting
sexual health and value young people’s
relationships with each other and with adults.
• The core values of Rights, Respect,
Responsibility® (3Rs) animate this vision.
© 2011 Advocates for Youth
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Objectives
• As a result of attending today’s
session, participants will be able to:
– Define “sustainability” in relation to
evidence-based programs
– Describe three levels of program
sustainability
– Describe a key sustainability strategies
for each level
– Identify key indicators that an evidencebased program is becoming sustainable
© 2011 Advocates for Youth
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Program Sustainability
 The ability of a group (e.g., organization
or community) to maintain a specific
program or project beyond the life of
original funding
– Sustainability = DP+DO+UCE
• Translation: Different Projects/Programs +
Diverse Organizations + Unique Community
Environments = Sustainability will look different
in each community
– Therefore, the planning framework has to
be broad and multifaceted, such as the
one offered by The Finance Project (2003).
© 2011 Advocates for Youth
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Curriculum Sustainability
The ability of a school (or department
or even a teacher) to maintain a
specific curriculum beyond the
funding cycle
– Sustainability = (f)PCV/TC+SSP+CC/S
• Translation: Sustainability of a curriculum
is a function of Perceived Curriculum Value
(and Teacher Commitment to it) +
Supportive School Policies + Supportive
Community Context
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Sustainability
 Eight Elements of Sustainability (The
Finance Project, 2003)
1. Clear and shared Vision
2. Results Orientation for CQI and maintain
support
3. Strategic Financing Orientation for
analysis of needs and feasibility of funding
options
4. Broad-Based Community Support
5. Key Champions, people who are willing to
use their prestige to support your work
© 2011 Advocates for Youth
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Sustainability
Eight Elements of Sustainability (The
Finance Project, 2003)
6. Adaptability to Changing Conditions
7. Strong Internal Systems to help
improve the quality of work, use
resources effectively, and meet the
accountability standards of the
community and funders
8. A clear and concisely written
Sustainability Plan
© 2011 Advocates for Youth
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Sustainability Conversation
What are you trying to sustain?
How will you know that sustainability is
being attained?
(What are the indicators of sustainability you
need to see?)
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Three Levels of Sustainability
 Food for Thought – Project sustainability is represented by
three different levels. Each progressively “imbeds” the project
deeper into the life of the community thus making long term
sustainability more likely:
 Level 1: Sufficient funding to continue the program –
annually renewed funding to an organization(s) to continue
the project
 Level 2: Institutionalization – adoption of the project into
multiple delivery systems of organizations within the
community
 Level 3: Culture Change – the work of the project
becomes the norm (“that’s just what we do for our youth”) in
the community within the majority, if not all, systems
© 2011 Advocates for Youth
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Attaining Level 1 Sustainability:
Sufficient Funding
 Raise More Money!
 Evaluate for outcomes! (Show results)
 Publish! Publish! Publish! (Get the word out)
 Stand and deliver (Keep telling people what you do & be
creative)
 Network! (Get to know the right people and get known)
 Play nice! (Build a reputation for quality collaboration)
 Be kind to “in-kind” (Donated goods & services help too)
 Stay aware and be alert! (Watch for opportunities
whenever, wherever, and with whomever)
 Ask, ask, ask! (Always have an “ask” ready anytime the
opportunity arises)
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Attaining Level 2 Sustainability:
Institutionalization
 Inculcate, Collaborate, & Disseminate – in that
order!
 Inculcate: Merriam-Webster Dictionary: “Teach someone
an attitude, idea, or habit by instruction.” Train
stakeholders and organizational partners to do what you
do!
 Collaborate: As partners demonstrate buy in through
commitment to widespread implementation with quality,
fidelity, and concern for measurement establish a
collaborative partnership to share the work, the kudos, and
the benefits.
 Disseminate: Having established a trusting relationship
through collaboration, entrust them with the content to
deeply imbed it into their work and organizational
structure.
© 2011 Advocates for Youth
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Institutionalization Strategies
Become familiar with National Sexuality
Education Standards & FoSE:
 Future of Sex Education: American Association
of Health Education; American School Health
Association; National Education Association –
Health Information Network; The Society of State
Leaders of Health and Physical Education;
Advocates for Youth; Answer; & Sexuality
Information & Education Council of the U.S.
 The National Standards:
www.futureofsexeducation.org/nationalstandards
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Institutionalization Strategies
Utilize free & existing resources
Advocates for Youth:
http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/forprofessionals/lesson-plans-professionals
ANSWER:
http://answer.rutgers.edu/page/lesson_plan
s/
SIECUS: http://www.sexedlibrary.org/
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Institutionalization Strategies
Share these links and resources with
colleagues
Work with colleagues to create and
implement an evidence-informed
curriculum in your school or through
your CBO
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Attaining Level 3 Sustainability:
Culture Change (Normalization)
 Convert Stakeholders to Shareholders
 Convert Stakeholders to Shareholders. As the
collaborative stakeholders demonstrate ownership, give
it away to them to manage, sustain, grow and
normalize into the community’s culture - then move
on to something new.
© 2011 Advocates for Youth
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Engagement
Exploration
Normalization Formation Legitimization
Evaluation
Transformation
© 2011 Advocates for Youth
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Resources
•
•
Sustainability Planning Workbook: Building a Sustainable
Initiative. (2003). Washington, DC: The Finance Project. More
information available at:
http://www.financeproject.org/special/engage/workbook.cfm
Resources from Advocates for Youth:
– Ensuring Organizational Sustainability for State Teen
Pregnancy Prevention Organizations:
http://advocatesforyouth.org/publications/614?task=view
– Institutionalizing and Sustaining Support for Science Based
Approaches:
http://advocatesforyouth.org/publications/618?task=view
– The Seven Components of Organizational Sustainability:
http://advocatesforyouth.org/publications/612?task=view
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For More Information
• Contact:
T.W. (Tom) Klaus
Director, Capacity Building & Sustainability
tom@advocatesforyouth.org
• Address:
Advocates for Youth
2000 M St., NW, Suite 750
Washington, DC 20036
202-419-3420
• Website:
www.advocatesforyouth.org