Youth Engaged in Service
Sustaining your service program
Make it last
Volunteering is a choice. Remember that volunteers will continue to serve only if they feel valued, that their work is meaningful and provides other benefits.
Retaining youth volunteers, though, is only one part. No matter how busy you are running day-to-day operations, you need to spend time on resource development and sustainability.
The voice of experience…
"Learn about who is doing what in your community; have your group do something that isn't already being done or partner with others who are working in your focus area."
—Eric Adelman, Field Staff, B'nai B'rith Youth Organization, Michigan Region
Some advice on sustainability, from the U.S. Department of Education Mentoring Resource Center:
- Put resource development on the agenda of every meeting—Keep the issue at the forefront; ask for progress reports on sustainability goals, new ideas, and commitments to carry out fundraising activities
- Be open to new partnerships and develop those you already have—Spend time each week checking in with partners; explore new ways to collaborate; investigate other youth-serving organizations and ways to leverage their resources
- Make your program known in the community—Create awareness by producing professional-looking materials about your program, making presentations in the community, and keeping stakeholders informed
- Make a list of people and skills that can aid sustainability efforts—Include volunteers, staff members, business partners, community connections, and youth participants and their parents; look for key skills like grant writing, event planning, and public relations
Another way to view sustainability is to think about the lasting effects of your service work. You don't want youth to feel that they only make a day of difference but you want to be intentional in your efforts to make permanent change.
Many successful service projects include 'Future Action' component where participants are asked to think strategically about how they can implement long-term, sustainable solutions. One idea is to avoid simply 'serving' a community by implementing a plan that will provide service recipients with the skills and tools to redirect and change the circumstance on their own. Another sustainability project is to have youth demonstrate their service project and how they did what they did to other people so that the cycle of service can continue. However you decide to do this, the goal is to make lasting change not only a hope but a reality!
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