Sustainability Plans That Don’t Make Funders Roll Their Eyes

Sustainability plans are where good proposals quietly win or lose funding. Funders read them to decide whether your program has staying power or just good intentions.

A strong plan signals competence, foresight, and respect for the funder’s investment.

A weak one sounds like crossed fingers dressed up as strategy.

The goal is simple: to sound thoughtful, realistic, and refreshingly honest.

Let’s dive into what a sustainability plan is and why it’s so important to get it right.

Why Sustainability Plans Matter to Funders

Funders want their dollars to have a life after the grant report is filed. A sustainability plan explains how a program survives once the grant funding runs out. It might show how staff time shifts into the operating budget or how earned revenue keeps activities going.

Funders don’t want their grant to be the only way a program can stay afloat. It’s unsustainable. So funders read this section to see whether a program has a true future and can stand on its own — or whether it just has a good launch party but no real substance. They use it to assess risk, leadership judgment, and organizational stability.

But that’s not all.

It also reveals how well an organization understands its own finances. Clear thinking here suggests the grant will be managed carefully from start to finish.

8 Ways to Create the Strongest Sustainability Plan

1. Start with what already exists
   Describe how similar programs or operations are currently sustained. Funders trust proven patterns more than future promises.

2. Be specific about ongoing costs
   Identify which expenses continue after the grant period ends. This clarity helps funders understand the true financial picture and shows you’re willing to make sacrifices to keep core services going.

3. Explain diversified revenue sources
   The idea that nonprofits can’t make any money is totally false. Sure, you’re not paying annual dividends to your to uber-rich investors, but you’re keeping the lights on. And a healthy, diversified revenue model is how you do it — and it just happens to be what funders love to see.

   Donors. Earned income. Contracts, Sliding-scale service fees. Fundraising. These are some of the ways to create multiple revenue streams and show funders how you support the work.

4. Connect sustainability to organizational priorities
   Explain why this program remains central to your mission — how is it important to your community? Funders want to support work that leadership values long term.

5. Acknowledge risks honestly
   Funders don’t expect a picture-perfect program. They know there’s going to be risks. And they’d rather you acknowledge that rather than try to hide it. So name potential challenges without overdramatizing them.
   Then explain how leadership plans to respond to these challenges. This shows that you’re realistic and a forward thinker that they can trust with their money..

6. Show leadership involvement
   Strong leadership signals accountability and shared responsibility — program directors aren’t out here alone trying to get things done. They have strong leadership behind them that ensure program success. This is gold to funders. So put that front and center by reference board engagement, financial oversight, and any strategic planning you have in place.

7. Avoid vague future language
   Phrases like “we’ll fundraise” or “we’ll apply for more grants” lack credibility without detail. Replace vague language with concrete strategies you already have in place to ensure you get the funding you need.

8. Keep the tone realistic and grounded
   Funders don’t want sustainability plans born in a dream world. They see the state of the nonprofit world and they know the struggles. You trying to hide those struggles isn’t fooling anyone.

   The best way to win their trust is to come to them with a realistic plan. Funders value thoughtful planning over ambition alone.

Final Thoughts

A sustainability plan should feel calm, clear, and believable, reflecting how your organization actually operates. When done well, it strengthens the entire proposal.

Strong sustainability plans do not impress funders with buzzwords. They earn trust through clarity, honesty, and sound planning.

Feature image credit: Kazuend on Unsplash.