"Getting the Grant" Newsletter

Monthly Blog

May 2018

That Pesky Sustainability Question,
Part II

Funders want to know how your program will continue once their funding ends.

We all know the program will continue with more funding. Funders want to know your plan to ensure more money is raised. They want to see a solid and innovative plan that matches the capacity of your organization.

Raising money through grants, individual donations, and events is a good start, but consider some other options and ways to frame the options:

Fee-for-Service: Even in a small way, how can you build revenue-generating activities into your services? If you can’t charge clients, consider marketing your expertise and resources to organizations and businesses.

In-Kind Donations: Tease out items or services that can be donated in-kind in an effort to reduce the program budget. This will show your commitment to continue the program, innovative thinking, and strong relationships in the community.

Partnerships: Explore ways in which the program can be transformed and delivered as a partnership. Provide names of potential partners.

Evidence: Emphasize the value of evidence and how it will be leveraged to secure more dollars. This will reinforce your commitment to evaluation.

Embed your Fundraising Efforts into your Work Plan: If you need to draft a work plan, consider embedding fundraising efforts in the plan such as number of expected applications you will submit per year, identify and reach out to a certain number of new partners, and number of profile raising activities.

And there is another way to answer the sustainability question and it is around program legacy, check out my blog from February 2016, hence the part II.