Ventures are unique because they are designed to be ongoing rather than one-time projects or events. This means that Ventures have the power to make a lasting impact. Even if you do not plan to be involved with your Venture forever, it’s important to plan for your Venture’s future. Below is a list of the different aspects of Venture sustainability for you to think about.
Membership: How are you going to recruit new members? How will you keep members interested and involved in your Venture? Here are some quick membership tips:
- Make members feel needed and encouraged.
- Find out what they hope to accomplish and make that happen!
- Recognize hard work and acknowledge or reward it.
- Take advantage of what new members bring to the Venture such as energy, ideas and new contacts.
Leadership: How will you put new leaders into place when the current leaders leave? Who will be the driving force behind your Venture? Plan for sustainable leadership by:
- Giving members opportunities to gain more experience and responsibility.
- Sharing leadership roles with newer/younger members.
- Creating a system to choose a new leader. For example, your may want to hold yearly elections.
Fundraising: Youth Venture grants must be used in the first year of the Venture. How will your team raise money after YV funds are spent? You could decide to:
- Sell a product or a service.
- Request in-kind donations.
- Apply for grants.
- Hold fundraisers for your Venture.
Knowledge Management: How will your Venture stay organized? How will your successes and failures be remembered? It’s important to stay organized, so new leaders don’t have to start from scratch. Here are some strategies:
- Create a “Venture Binder” full of information on strategies, events, contacts, passwords, finances, and other relevant information.
- Record reasons for successes and failures.
- Write up short “tutorials” or guides that teach new members how to do activities central to the Venture, like updating your website.
- Create a logical organizational system that can be easily understood and used by many different people.