Designing Programs that Live Longer than the Money

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Designing Programs that Live Longer than the Money

• LSA Grantee Meeting
• November 8, 2004
• Bethesda, Maryland

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Designing Programs that Live Longer than the Money

• Amy Lesser
• Director of Programs
• CTCNet
• Youth Visions
• www.ctcnet.org
• alesser_at_ctcnet.org

• Tony Ganger
• Associate Director
• YMCA of the USA
• IMPACTPLUS
• www.ymca.net
• tony.ganger_at_ymca.net

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Designing Programs that Live Longer than the Money

• Workshop Overview
• Whos Here
• Areas of Sustainability
• Sustainability and CTCNet
• Sustainability and YMCA of the USA
• Group Discussion and Sharing
• Questions and Answers

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Areas of Sustainability

• Initial Program Design
• Product Development
• Stakeholder Groups
• Training and Capacity Building
• Resource Development
• Evaluation

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Initial Program DesignWhere does it begin?

• Grass Roots Interest or Development
• National Trend or Advocacy
• Proposed Partnership

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Initial Program DesignThe YMCAs litmus test.

• How will it help local YMCAs positively develop
  constituents?
• How will it impact communities?
• How does it influence society?
• Does it support current organizational
  priorities?

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Initial Program DesignCautions!

• Requires heavy staffing to sustain.
• Requires high funding to sustain.
• Can not be locally driven or delivered.
• Requires intense training or technical
  assistance.
• Has no long term impact.
• Is a short term or passing fad.

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Product Development

• Develop products that have a 5 to 7 year shelf
  life.
• Video/DVD images can be quickly dated.
• Avoid contact names and information.
• Avoid current pop culture and current issues.
• Develop affordable or free products.
• Only include well tested tools, concepts, and
  ideas.
• Integrate material into existing tools and
  resources when revising.

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Stakeholder Groups

• Grass roots innovators.
• Early adopters.
• Anyone missing from the table.
• They become part of the planning and development
  processcreating the vision.
• Support the entire stakeholder group, not just
  the program director.including training and
  technical assistance.

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Training and Capacity Building

• Build on past successes and initiatives.
• Integrate key concepts into all trainings.
• Build a strong volunteer trainer and delivery
  base (stakeholder groups).
• Specifically target funds for training and
  capacity building.
• Make the case for participation.

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Resource Development

• Dont design something that requires perpetual
  and high amounts of funding.
• Work into existing budgets.
• Tie to other organizational priorities.
• Find like-minded partners.
• Provide information to help grass roots adapters
  secure funding.

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Evaluation

• Do it!
• Plan for evaluation during development and
  visioning stage.
• Target specific funds for evaluation.
• Use an outside third party evaluator.
• Make use of the results.
• Make data and results available to all
  stakeholders.

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www.impactplus.org
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What is IMPACTPLUS?

• Service-Learning
• Civic Engagement
• Asset Development
• Media Literacy
• Technology
• Diversity

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What is IMPACTPLUS?

• Partners
• CNCS LSA
• Service-Learning
• Civic Engagement
• Asset Development

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What is IMPACTPLUS?

• Partners
• Time Warner Foundation
• 21st Century Learning SkillsTechnology and Media
  Literacy
• Best Buy Childrens Foundation
• Technology and Youth Development
• Mighty Media
• Partner with YUSA Since 1994

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What is IMPACTPLUS?

• Three-year project
• 108 YMCAs in 9 retreats (36 YMCAs/3 retreats each
  year)
• 540 team members
• More than 2,000 youth and adults
• Training (Retreats) ? Resource Mapping ?
  Service-Learning Projects (Project Seed Grants)