National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention

Using communications and marketing skills to inform others about your program's goals and successes is a key way to create and maintain a base of support for your program. Linking your communications plan to your overall strategic plan can help you reach your long-term goals. Successful marketing/communications initiatives engage program participants and key community members, stakeholders and decision-makers. Their involvement may lead to partnerships and collaborations, funding, and other contributions to your goals.

How can communications and marketing be used to sustain your program? Developing an adaptable presentation about the problems your program targets and how its results are diminishing or eliminating those problems can help you make the most of opportunities to publicize your program and gain support and partnerships. Using a social marketing campaign to reach your target audience may also help to sustain your program by making your approach or intervention part of the community's norms and traditions.

For examples of how grantees have used Communications as a sustainability tool, read these Grantees at Work stories:


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		Home --> Resources --> Leaving a Legacy --> Communications/Marketing Our View of Sustainability \| Partnership and Collaboration \| Capacity Building \| Communications/Marketing Public Policy \| Evaluation \| Financing \| Leadership for Change \| Strategic Planning \| Spotlight on Grantees Sustainability Planning Tool \| Models of Sustainability \| Self-Assessement \| FAQ \| Definitions Communications/Marketing Using communications and marketing skills to inform others about your program's goals and successes is a key way to create and maintain a base of support for your program. Linking your communications plan to your overall strategic plan can help you reach your long-term goals. Successful marketing/communications initiatives engage program participants and key community members, stakeholders and decision-makers. Their involvement may lead to partnerships and collaborations, funding, and other contributions to your goals. How can communications and marketing be used to sustain your program? Developing an adaptable presentation about the problems your program targets and how its results are diminishing or eliminating those problems can help you make the most of opportunities to publicize your program and gain support and partnerships. Using a social marketing campaign to reach your target audience may also help to sustain your program by making your approach or intervention part of the community's norms and traditions. For examples of how grantees have used Communications as a sustainability tool, read these Grantees at Work stories: Art or Magic: Creating Community Awareness Using the Media to Generate Program Support Click on any of these listings for more information: Introducing communications and social marketing Creating a communications plan Identifying your audience/s Developing your message Choosing strategies for reaching your audience Introducing communications and social marketing The 3 Most Effective Nonprofit Marketing Tools (Article) http://www.help4nonprofits.com/NP_Mktg_3EffectiveTools_Article.htm Social marketing and institutionalization of the initiative (Toolkit) http://ctb.ku.edu/tools/en/part_M.htm Your NonProfit Is Not a Business So Why Do Your Marketing Like One? (Article) http://www.help4nonprofits.com/NP_Mktg_NotBusiness_Article.htm What is Social Marketing? (Web site) http://www.social-marketing.com/Whatis.html Keeping It All Together: Ideas for Sustaining Your Initiative (Web site) http://www.mentalhealth.org/publications/allpubs/SVP- 0063/action_pamphlet_5/default.asp Sustaining Community-Based Initiatives (Module/Guidebook) http://www.wkkf.org/default.aspx?tabid=101&CID =287&CatID=287&ItemID=10658&NID=20&LanguageID=0 Successful marketing for nonprofit organizations McLeish, Barry J (1995) John Wiley & Sons. - full text not available http://library.promoteprevent.org/item.php?id=118838&catid=116372 Marketing workbook for nonprofit organizations Stern, Gary J. (1990) Amherst H Wilder Foundation. - full text not available http://library.promoteprevent.org/item.php?id=118839&catid=116372 Creating a communications plan Building NGO/CBO capacity for organizational outreach: Management and training design tools (Guidebook) http://www.unhabitat.org/pmss/getPage.asp?page= bookView&book=1091 Now hear this: The nine laws of successful advocacy communications. - With words of wisdom from more than 25 leading experts (Report/paper) http://www.fenton.com/pages/5_resources/pdf/Packard_Brochure.pdf Sustaining the benefits: A field guide for sustaining reproductive and child health services (Manual) http://www.cedpa.org/content/publication/detail/750/ Identifying your audience(s) Building business support for school health programs: An action guide (Guide) - full text not available http://library.promoteprevent.org/item.php?id=118601&catid=116374 Developing your message Measuring community success and sustainability: An interactive workbook. (RRD 180). Ames , IA : North Central Regional Center for Rural Development Kinsley, M., Luther, V., Wall, M.,Odell,S.,Ratner .S & Topolsky, J. (1999) (Article) http://www.ncrcrd.iastate.edu/Community_Success/about.html Funding Sources: Cost benefits of substance abuse prevention (Web site) http://www.northeastcapt.org/PRODUCTS/faq/faq77.html How to communicate evaluation findings (Guidebook) - full text not available http://library.promoteprevent.org/item.php?id=118772&catid=116088 How to Tell and Sell Your Story: Part2. A Guide to Developing Effective Messages and Good Stories about Your Work (Manual) http://www.communitychange.org/shared/publications/ downloads/CCCNews18.pdf Communicating with Policy Makers - Defining Who You Are (Guide) http://www.wkkf.org/DesktopModules/WKF.00_ DmaSupport/ViewDoc.aspx?LanguageID=0&CID=1&ListID= 28&ItemID=10657&fld=PDFFile Choosing strategies for reaching your audience The failure of success: Challenges of disseminating effective substance abuse prevention programs. Backer, T. E. (2000) Journal of Community Psychology, 28 (3) - full text not available http://library.promoteprevent.org/item.php?id=118615&catid=116081 Funding a full continuum of mental health promotion and intervention programs in the schools (Report) - full text not available http://library.promoteprevent.org/item.php?id=118549&catid=116373 How to Tell and Sell Your Story: Part 1. A Guide to Media for Community Groups and Other Non-profits (Manual) http://www.communitychange.org/shared/publications/ downloads/CCCNews18.pdf Generating family-school partnerships through social marketing (Report/paper) http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/projects/fine/ resources/research/sensiper.html Developing and Sustaining Prevention Programs in Tough Times (Web site) http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/topics/prevention/develop/index.cfm Keeping It All Together: Ideas For Sustaining Your Initiative (Web site) http://www.mentalhealth.org/publications/allpubs/SVP- 0063/action_pamphlet_5/default.asp Back to the Legacy Wheel








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