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The Meaning of Sustainability
Sustainability is the ability of an organization to secure and manage sufficient resources to enable it to fulfill its mission effectively and consistently over time without excessive dependence on any single funding source.
Sustainable organizations have, at minimum:
- A clear mission and strategic direction;
- The skills to attract resources from a variety of local, national and international sources and the know-how to manage them efficiently for maximum benefit to communities.
Ideally, sustainable organizations also have some or all of the following:
- The ability to scan the environment, adapt to it, and seize the opportunities it offers;
- Strong leadership and management;
- The ability to attract and retain qualified staff;
- The ability to provide relevant benefits for services for maximum impact on communities;
- The skills to demonstrate and communicate this impact to leverage further resources;
- Community support and involvement;
- Commitment to building sustainable (not dependent) communities.
This definition of sustainability does not require an organization to be 100 percent self-financing. Sustainability can be thought of as a continuum, a process in which an organization aims to become less dependent on external funding. At one extreme is complete dependence on a single foreign donor; complete financial autonomy is at the other.
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Keeping the Work of Social Entrepreneurs Alive
April 2001 Journal Home Page