I love getting an opportunity to peruse other people's work on the topic of sustainability. And the nice folks at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (DHHS) have obliged me by publishing their Sustainability Toolkit for Grassroots Programs (PDF). The toolkit is specifically geared toward community- and faith-based programs (and ones centered around substance abuse and mental health treatment, at that), so obviously some of the ideas outlined in the kit will require a broader read.
 
The toolkit is broken down into 6 sections:

• Introduction
• Organizational Assessment and Readiness
• Effective Marketing Strategies
• Financial Management
• Sustainability Strategies
• Results-Oriented Evaluation

 
Best of all, it's rife with charts, timelines, exercises and other tools, many of which feel very relevant to the work we do. A caveat, though--as with so many sustainability tools, this one is primarily about funding. And as you may have learned, sustainability is about much more than just money. Collaboration and recruitment/retention certainly contribute to the sleepless nights of many a coordinator. I'll touch on those topics this week, as well.
 
Thanks, Sally for this tip!