Sustainability

Resources

Sustainability Toolkit
Center for Civic Partnerships
Community Tool Box
University of Kansas

Another consideration when implementing a social marketing program is sustainability. There are two types of sustainability: sustainability of your program and sustainability of behavior.

Sustainability of Program

This type of sustainability refers to how likely it is that your program (or at least components of it) continues after you or your funding are no longer available. Is there someone who will take over management of the program if you get a different job? Is there money available to fund the program if your current source of funding is no longer available?

For example, if you are promoting the consumption of fruits and vegetables by offering coupons to farmers' markets – how likely is it that you will continually have coupons to encourage trips to the market?

Think about whether or not you can ask partners to take over certain pieces of your program, or if there are other funding sources you can explore. Refer back to the analysis of your stakeholders you completed in phase 4. Identify any stakeholders or partners who share your goals and who may be in a position to support the program on a long-term basis.