The sustainability plan is becoming more and more critical part of the proposal, as many donors put a lot of emphasis on this to decide if a proposal is worth funding or not. But this is also a section with which many NGOs struggle. Many don´t really understand the importance of it and don’t invest enough time to make it count. Don´t be one of those NGOs and avoid making one of these common mistakes in writing your sustainability plan.
One of the most common mistakes in writing the sustainability section of the proposal is that NGOs confuse, sustainability with project sustainability. While it is of crucial importance to also address environmental sustainability when applicable, the sustainability section normally is not the place to do so.
When the donor asks you about the project sustainability, they want to know how you are planning to sustain the project in the long run – not which effects it will have on the environment. In this section, you have to explain how you will ensure community sustainability, financial sustainability, and organizational sustainability to make the donor understand that you have a long-term plan for your project and your organization.
Sometimes, donors also ask for aspects of environmental sustainability – but in these cases, they will spell it out explicitly. When it is not specified, the sustainability section is not the place to elaborate on this.
Many NGOs think of the sustainability plan more as an afterthought than as an integral part of the proposal, and it shows. When the sustainability plan is very superficial and does not really go deep, it will not impress the donor. Make sure that your sustainability plan is thorough and really cohesive. If you only have platitudes to write, it is not a good sign.
Be as specific as you can, when talking about the different sections you want to address. When talking about financial sustainability, don´t just say you plan to apply for other grants, but tell the donor exactly for which grant you want to apply and why. If you talk about community sustainability, don´t just say that you will form local NGOs, but say how you will work with them and how they will sustain their work in the long run. Give the donors as much information as possible, so they can see that you really put effort into developing your sustainability plan.
We have specified before that there are different areas of project sustainability –
Many NGOs make the mistake of only addressing one of these areas in their plan, instead of all of them. Particularly the areas of organizational and community sustainability get neglected in many proposals. Do not make this mistake, though, as it leaves your sustainability plan incomplete.
Project sustainability can only be achieved when all areas are covered. If you have a perfect financial plan, but the community does not support your project, it will not function in the long run. If you have complete support from the community, but your organization is unstable and seizes to exist at some point, your project will still fail. Make sure you always incorporate all aspects of project sustainability when writing your plan to make sure it has a chance of success.
The sustainability section of the proposal is usually the last section of the proposal. Nevertheless, project sustainability issues – if really embedded in the project – will influence the entire proposal and all sections. You need to make sure that everything you talk about in your sustainability plan is well reflected throughout the proposal, as you will use your credibility otherwise.
One critical example of this is the community sustainability. If you want to achieve high community sustainability, you will have to start incorporating community input and support from the first stage. If you want the project to be rooted in the community, you have to use participatory methods from the early stage – and this needs to be reflected in the activities and strategies. Another example would be if you plan to use a social enterprise to support your financial sustainability. This also needs to be reflected in your activities and budget, as it has to be formed and established to be effective.
Make sure that all the issues you address in your sustainability plan are also visible in the appropriate sections throughout the proposal. If they are not, the donor might get the impression that your sustainability plan is not well thought out and doubt its relevance.
Most of these mistakes are the result of something prevalent: thinking about the sustainability plan too late. As it is typically one of the last sections, many NGOs also do it very late – and sometimes too late. If you don’t have enough time to think about all the issues that we have pointed out earlier, you will have the resulting problems.
While you don´t have to write down your sustainability plan in the first step, it is always important to at least talk about it and discuss it in your team very early. This way, you can make sure that every important aspect is included and that everybody is on board with the ideas that you develop. As we have discussed earlier, a good sustainability plan influences all parts of the proposal, and to be able to do this, it needs to be known while writing these parts.
Make it a habit to think about project sustainability issues with your proposal as early in the project planning process as possible – and include your team.
If you avoid these mistakes when writing the sustainability section of your proposal, you will already distinguish yourself and your organization from many of your competitors. Make sure that this section reflects everything that you do to ensure the project sustainability and that the donor can clearly understand your efforts. If you can manage to convince them that the money they are thinking about investing in your project will have a long-term impact and will be well spent, you are one step closer to winning the grant!
Eva is based in Germany and has worked for nearly a decade with NGOs on the grassroots level in Nepal in the field of capacity development and promotion of sustainable agricultural practices. Before that, she worked in South America and Europe with different organizations. She holds a Ph.D. in geography and her field of research was sustainability and inclusion in development projects.
Project sustainability is key, therefore any project that has no specific sustainability is not worth funding
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Thanks Eva.Your guidance on project sustainability is very elaborate.I find it very useful.I am head of a district NGO Forum in rural Uganda.We work with poor communities in the fight against poverty,HIV/AIDS and Health Water and Sanitation, and prevention of violence against children and women.We need more of your support on proposal writing and resource mobilization.Wish you a fruitful work in Nepal.
Thank you Eva Wieners, you have been one of the best authors with your wide knowledge and skills in research, this makes it more easier to understand and develop interest in proposal writing as a beginner and the experts. Yes, sustainability in the three levels (community, Finance and Organization) is very important Thank you!
Dear Livingstone:
I am glad you found this article helpful!