National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention
 

Sustainability Capacities Resource List
 

The National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention intends to change fundamentally the way 

youth violence is addressed in cities across the country. To achieve its mission, site leaders must 

work to sustain and embed core Forum strategies of creating multidisciplinary partnerships, 

coordinating resources, and sharing data in day-to-day policies and practices at the federal, state, 

and local levels. 

Working with local partners, the Forum has defined the sustainability of its effort as the 

endurance of systems, policies, and practices that prevent youth and gang violence and 

promote positive youth opportunities in our communities. Notably, sustainability will require 

both public and private partners—including law enforcement, education, public health, private 

philanthropy, juvenile justice, and faith-based organizations—to change the way they do 

business and improve outcomes for youths and their families. Moreover, the perspectives of 

youth and community residents affected by violence will be critical to determining how the 

community systems, policies, and practices must improve. 

Eight capacities are necessary for sustaining the Forum’s work in communities. These capacities 

will help site leaders implement the complex, multidisciplinary collaboration necessary for 

success. The Forum federal partner agencies, and other public and private funders, will need to 

intentionally work with sites to build and strengthen the sustainability capacities. 

Following is the list of the eight capacities with a few selected resources to help sites begin the 

capacity-building process. 

1) Develop and Articulate a Shared Vision of Success, Including the Scale and 

Scope of That Vision 

U.S. Department of Justice Collaboration Toolkit: Shared Vision and Common Goals 

This resource outlines five steps to developing a shared vision: a) plan a vision statement 

meeting, b) invite stakeholders, c) identify a facilitator, d) conduct the meeting, and e) keep the 

vision statement visible. 

http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/html/cd_rom/inaction1/pubs/Collaborationtoolkit/Section4SharedVisi 

onandCommonGoals.pdf 

How to Partner for Impact: The Nuts and Bolts of Aligning Collective Impact Initiatives 

This blog discusses how to get started when aligning community initiatives, including 

considering why you are considering alignment, discussing a range of alignment options, being 

clear on what it takes to manage aligned initiatives, and documenting decisions and anticipating 

their impact. The blog links to a more extensive Webinar and other resources. 

http://collectiveimpactforum.org/blogs/1616/how-partner-impact-nuts-and-bolts-aligningcollective-impact1 
	 	

 

 

 

 

 

 

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STRYVE Strategy Selector 

The STRYVE Strategy Selector is a fully functional, sortable database that offers access to 

strategies that reflect the best available evidence in preventing youth violence. 

http://vetoviolence.cdc.gov/apps/stryve/strategy_selector.html 

Create a Common Agenda and Shared Measures 

This guide describes how to create a common agenda and shared measures, including developing 

a concrete action plan that specifies the measurable outcomes the initiative wants to achieve and 

the major interventions required to reach them. 

http://www.collaborationforimpact.com/the-how-to-guide/phase-3-organise-for-impact/createcommon-agenda-and-shared-meausures/ 

Scope, Scale, and Sustainability: What It Takes to Create Lasting Community Change 

This article examines success factors that relate specifically to the ability of a comprehensive 

community initiative to achieve the scope and scale required to generate community-level 

outcomes and sustain those positive impacts over time. 

http://www.communityscience.com/pdfs/TFRIssue1-ScopeScaleandSustainabilit_1.pdf 

2) Clearly Define the Desired Results, and Measure the Impact of Their Efforts 

Five Simple Rules for Evaluating Collective Impact 

This article briefly describes five simple rules for measuring collective impact: a) using 

evaluation to enable strategic learning, b) employing multiple designs for multiple users, c) 

sharing measurement when necessary, d) seeking out intended and unintended consequences, 

and e) seeking out contribution rather than attribution. 

http://www.collaborationforimpact.com/five-simple-rules-for-evaluating-collective-impact/ 

Guide to Evaluating Collective Impact 

This three-part guide offers detailed advice on how to plan for and implement effective 

performance measurement and evaluation activities in the context of collective impact. 

http://collectiveimpactforum.org/resources/guide-evaluating-collective-impact 

Using Data in Multi-Agency Collaborations 

This report taps evaluating and managing collaborative initiatives to offer practical advice about 

collecting and using data in a multi-agency environment. 

http://www.readyby21.org/resources/report/using-data-multi-agency-collaborations-reportchildtrendsppv 

EvaluACTION 

EvaluACTION is designed for persons interested in learning about program evaluation and how 

to apply it to their work. In addition to providing helpful information, the site features an 

interactive Evaluation Plan & Logic Model Builder that helps create customized s. 

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http://vetoviolence.cdc.gov/index.php/evaluaction/ 

Learning in Action Evaluating Collective Impact 

This article describes how successful collective impact initiatives embed evaluation in their DNA 

and use it to make better decisions about the future. 

http://ssir.org/articles/entry/learning_in_action_evaluating_collective_impact 

Youth Participatory Evaluation 

This resource describes youth participatory evaluation (YPE), an approach that engages young 

people in evaluating the programs, organizations, and systems designed to serve them. Through 

YPE, young people conduct research on issues and experiences that affect their lives, developing 

knowledge about their community that can be shared and put to use. 

http://www.actforyouth.net/youth_development/evaluation/ype.cfm 

Education Development Center: How Do We Build for Success? Implementation & 

Sustainability Checklist 

This two-page checklist lays out measures for preparation, implementation, and sustainability. 

http://www.promoteprevent.org/sites/www.promoteprevent.org/files/resources/How%20Do%20 

We%20Build%20for%20Success%20-

%20Implementation%20and%20Sustainability%20Checklist.pdf 

OJJDP National Gang Model Implementation Manual (Chapter 3 Planning for 

Implementation) 

Planning and implementation must encourage input from a wide variety of community members 

to build commitment to the plan. This resource includes six steps for an effective program 

implementation planning process. 

https://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/Content/Documents/ImplementationManual/Implementation-Manual-Chapter-3.pdf 

3) Authentically Engage Youth in All Aspects of the Work 

Youth–Adult Partnerships for Change 

Based on research, as well as work with policymakers and practitioners, these resources will be 

helpful to audiences with a range of experience supporting youths and adults in partnership. 

http://www.actforyouth.net/youth_development/engagement/partnerships.cfm 

Core Principles for Engaging Young People in Community Change 

The principles described in this paper can help build the capacity of organizations and 

communities to ensure that all youths, particularly those least likely to succeed without help, 

believe they have the responsibility and resources needed to make their communities better 

places for themselves, their families, and their peers. 

http://forumfyi.org/files/FINALYouth_Engagment_8.15pdf.pdf 

Building Effective Youth Councils 

This guide is designed to help states and localities create or strengthen their own youth councils. 

It synthesizes theory and practice and provides a framework for thinking about youth councils, 

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explaining the principles for youth action and the importance of youth engagement. It also 

incorporates advice and lessons from people in the field who have started or currently staff youth 

councils across the country. 

http://forumfyi.org/content/building-effective-you 

Youth–Adult Partnership in Public Action: Principles, Organizational Culture, and Outcomes 

This study focuses on how organizations translate principles of youth engagement into practice 

and build a culture of partnership, as well as the outcomes—for young people, institutions and 

communities—that can result when they do. 

http://www.readyby21.org/resources/youth-adult-partnerships-public-action-principlesorganizational-culture-and-outcomes 

Incorporating Strategies for Engaging Young People: A Guide for Grantees of the Office of 

Adolescent Health and the Administration on Children, Youth and Families 

“Three elements are essential for effective youth engagement: establishing a youth-friendly 

environment, building a sense of belonging, and nurturing a sense of self-efficacy. This 

document looks at ways that all three elements can be put into place.” 

http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/oah-initiatives/teen_pregnancy/training/tip_sheets/youthengagement-508.pdf 

Say Y.E.S. to Youth: Youth Engagement Strategies 

“Successful youth engagement emerges from a mutually beneficial relationship between adults 

and young people. In this type of relationship, adults not only coach young people through 

projects but also learn from young people while working with them.” This document discusses 

strategies for sustaining youth interest in community teams and decision-making boards. 

http://extension.psu.edu/publications/agrs-098 

4) Create a Leadership and Governance Structure to Support the 

Multidisciplinary Partnership 

Collaboration for Impact: Build the Collaborative Governance Structure 

This resource discusses how collaborative governance structures can come together, the role of 

the convener, and the importance of building trust. 

http://www.collaborationforimpact.com/the-how-to-guide/phase-3-organise-for-impact/buildthe-collaborative-governance-structure/ 

Leadership and Race: How to Develop and Support Leadership That Contributes to Racial 

Justice 

This publication explores the ways in which our current thinking about leadership often 

contributes to producing and maintaining racialized dynamics, and identifies a set of core 

competencies associated with racial justice leadership. Recommendations are included for 

helping leadership programs develop and support leadership that furthers racial justice in 

organizations, communities, and the broader society. 

http://leadershiplearning.org/system/files/Leadership%20and%20Race%20FINAL_Electronic_0 

72010.pdf 

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Powering the Future: High-Performing Partnerships 

This report identifies the characteristics of a high-performance partnership and how the approach 

differs from more traditional cross-sector relationships. It describes how a high-performance 

partnership works in practice and why many communities are striving to implement one. 

Through this effort, public, nonprofit, and civic organizations can achieve better and more 

collaborative outcomes in the delivery of public services. 

http://www.napawash.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/03_03.pdf 

How Do We Work Together? Building Capacity of Your Partnership 

A partnership must develop certain capacities and strengths as a group, to be able to take on the 

tasks of implementing shared activities and interventions and resolving the problems that 

inevitably arise. This tool outlines best practices and steps for implementing effective 

collaborative leadership. 

http://www.promoteprevent.org/sites/www.promoteprevent.org/files/resources/How%20Do%20 

We%20Work%20Together-Best%20Practices%20of%20Collaborative%20Leadership(M)_0.pdf 

At the Table: Making the Case for Youth in Decision-Making 

This resource draws on the 60-page report Youth in Decision-Making and highlights principal 

findings on the powerful and positive effects of involving young people in the governance of 

youth organizations. 

http://www.theinnovationcenter.org/store/109 

5) Consistently and Effectively Engage Community Stakeholders in the 

Collaboration 

Community Tool Box: Encouraging Involvement in Community Work (Chapter 7) 

This resource addresses how to increase participation from the community, how to involve the 

people most affected by the problem, and how to promote diversity. 

http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/participation/encouraging-involvement 

Action Brief: Building a Broad Stakeholder Group 

This action brief provides simple, guiding principles for building a broad stakeholder group. 

http://collectiveimpactforum.org/sites/default/files/Stakeholders%20Wheel%20Action%20Brief_ 

0.pdf 

Ten Principles of Authentic Community Engagement 

This one-page overview provides principles for authentic community engagement. 

https://uwba.org/files/galleries/10_Principles_of_Authentic_Community_Engagement.pdf 

Cross-Sector Partnership Assessment 

This free, 10-minute survey helps those engaged in cross-sector partnerships think through the 

development and progress of their partnership and provides immediate, tailored feedback, tools, 

and resources to help partners get better results. 

https://www.livingcities.org/resources/300-cross-sector-partnership-assessment 

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An Assessment of Program Sustainability in Three Bureau of Justice Assistance Criminal 

Justice Domains 

Interaction (including face to face) with stakeholders (public officials, including mayors) is 

important for building trust and rapport and for securing state and local funding. 

http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR500/RR550/RAND_RR550.pdf 

SAMHSA’s Strategic Prevention Framework: Step 2, Build Capacity 

“You will need to make a strong and compelling case for why they should devote their time, 

energy, and resources to the problems you have identified. Increasing community awareness 

often involves collaborating with key stakeholders who can influence whether your prevention 

initiative will succeed.... When thinking about collaboration, consider including a variety of 

organizations or individuals. Champions... may be found in the local media, the legislature, and 

in faith or business communities. Foster relationships with those who support your prevention 

efforts as well as with other stakeholders who may not be ready to accept your program.” 

http://www.samhsa.gov/capt/applying-strategic-prevention-framework/step2-build-capacity 

University of Minnesota’s Communicating Evaluation Results: Involving Stakeholders 

“It is important to keep in mind the interest and needs of stakeholders when creating, developing, 

and communicating your results. Additionally, stakeholders may assist the evaluator in 

communicating and disseminating results.” This link leads to another resource on “participatory 

evaluation,” which is a framework based on the active participation and partnership of 

stakeholders. 

https://cyfernetsearch.org/involving-stakeholders 

Building Effective Community Partnerships 

This toolkit is designed to provide ideas and linkages to other resources that will increase the 

capacity of demonstration projects engaged in systemic reform efforts to bring together 

organizations and individuals, develop shared goals, and implement strategies to achieve them. 

http://www.ojjdp.gov/resources/files/toolkit1final.pdf 

Model Programs Guide iGuides: School-Based Bullying 

Getting Stakeholder Buy-in 

Without support from those involved in the effort, there may be barriers to the implementation 

process that are hard to overcome, and a program may not have the desired impact. This resource 

includes five “Steps to Take” to garner support from various stakeholders to implement program 

efforts successfully. 

http://www.ojjdp.gov/mpg-iguides/topics/bullying/StakeholderBuyin.html 

6) Effectively Manage the Operations of a Diverse Community Collaboration to 

Achieve Shared Goals 

Understanding the Value of Backbone Organizations 

This series of articles provides an in-depth review of what it takes to be a backbone organization, 

and how to evaluate and support its work. 

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http://ssir.org/articles/entry/understanding_the_value_of_backbone_organizations_in_collective_ 

impact_1 

Collective Impact Forum: Tools for Backbones 

This toolkit includes several tools for establishing the infrastructure of a Collective Impact 

Backbone, such as a list of sample backbone activities, a working group meeting planning and 

execution checklist, a sample request for proposals for a backbone organization, and sample 

backbone position descriptions. 

https://collectiveimpactforum.org/resources/tools-backbones 

From Vision to Implementation 

This article discusses how collective impact initiatives have effectively created an infrastructure 

that can discover and execute strategies that lead to positive, sustained change. 

http://www.frbsf.org/community-development/publications/communityinvestments/2014/march/collective-impact-vision-implementation/ 

Community Toolbox: Cultural Competence in Multicultural World (Chapter 27) 

This toolkit provides information on understanding culture and diversity and addresses what it 

means to be a culturally competent organization, why it’s important, and how to create one. 

http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/culture/cultural-competence 

Building Prevention Capacity Through Collaboration* 

“Working across agencies is an effective means of building capacity for prevention efforts. 

Collaboration can not only increase a program’s impact but [also] make it more sustainable.” 

http://www.samhsa.gov/capt/tools-learning-resources/building-capacity-through-collaboration 

7) Secure and Leverage a Broad Range of Financial Resources to Support the 

Capacities and Functions Needed to Achieve and Sustain the Vision 

How Public Policy Can Support Collective Impact Efforts 

This paper outlines and provides examples of current policies, governmental structures, and 

processes that help partnerships achieve collective impact. 

http://collectiveimpactforum.org/sites/default/files/How%20Public%20Policy%20Can%20Suppo 

rt%20Collective%20Impact.pdf 

Financial Sustainability for Nonprofit Organizations 

This literature review identifies key themes and findings that may inform operations and 

decision-making related to improving sustainability in such organizations. It discusses key 

challenges of financial sustainability for nonprofits, such as overreliance on external funding 

sources, demonstrating value and accountability to funders, and promoting community 

engagement and leadership, as well as promising practices for meeting these challenges and 

achieving financial sustainability. 

http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR121.html 

*A video resource. 

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Building Capacity for Better Results: Strategies for Financing and Sustaining the 

Organizational Capacity of Youth-Serving Programs 

This strategy brief discusses four approaches that leaders of youth-serving nonprofit 

organizations can pursue to help support and strengthen their organizational capacity: a) build 

accurate overhead rates into contracts and grants, b) access funding to directly support capacity 

building, c) access technical assistance to support or improve organizational capacity, and d) 

form partnerships to share administrative services. The brief highlights the experiences of youthserving nonprofits in using these strategies to build their own organizational capacity. 

http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED512332 

Community Toolbox: Generating, Managing, and Sustaining Financial Resources (Chapters 

42–44) 

This toolkit addresses how community organizations can develop a financial sustainability plan 

and improve their ability to garner financial and other resources. 

http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents 

Recommendations for Administrative Flexibility: Supporting Interagency Efforts to 

Reconnect Disconnected Youth 

This White House paper outlines some of the existing barriers to comprehensive efforts to 

support disconnected youth. It also offers some sensible steps federal policymakers can take to 

make it easier for providers in communities. 

http://www.readyby21.org/resources/policy-paper/recommendations-administrative-flexibilitysupporting-interagency-efforts 

OJJDP National Gang Model Implementation Manual (Chapter 10 Evaluation and 

Sustainability) 

It is a common perception that evaluation occurs after a project ends. In reality, data collection 

should be built into the project design and should be ongoing for evaluative purposes so it can 

shape sustainability for the life of the project. This resource outlines the kinds of data 

communities should plan to collect, and how data can be used to show project effectiveness and 

to ensure that the project is serving the proper target population. 

https://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/Content/Documents/ImplementationManual/Implementation-Manual-Chapter-10.pdf 

8) Nimbly Adapt to and Strategically Influence the Changing Context in Which 

You Operate 

The Strategic Plan Is Dead; Long Live Strategy 

In today’s fast-changing world, why freeze your strategic thinking in a 5-year plan? This article 

discusses how to be strategic within a constantly changing environment. 

http://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_strategic_plan_is_dead._long_live_strategy 

Ready by 21: Policy Alignment Series 

National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention Sustainability Capacities Resource List 8 
 

The Ready by 21 Policy Alignment Series helps policymakers ensure that new child and youth 

policies align with existing efforts to create a seamless system of supports. The series can be 

used to inform any policy that creates a funding stream related to children and youth, no matter 

what specific topic it addresses (e.g., education or youth employment or juvenile justice) and no 

matter what form it takes (e.g., a legislative statute, an executive order, or an agency or 

foundation Request for Proposals). 

http://www.readyby21.org/sites/default/files/Policy_Alignment_Series_Introduction_0.pdf 

The Policy Scan in 10 Steps 

This guide briefly describes the process used to conduct the policy scan in Connecticut and how 

it can be replicated in other states and organizations. Those who can benefit from conducting a 

policy scan include not only public health professionals but also policy advocates, nonprofits, 

and community organizations from different sectors. 

http://collectiveimpactforum.org/resources/policy-scan-10-steps 

How Public Policy Can Support Collective Impact 

Drawing on interviews with policymakers, extensive secondary research, and experiences in the 

policy sphere, this article discusses public policies that support the five conditions of collective 

impact and ways that government structures, processes, practices, and mindsets can enable and 

sustain those ”collective impact friendly” policies. 

http://collectiveimpactforum.org/resources/how-public-policy-can-support-collective-impact 

Community Toolbox: Organizing for Effective Advocacy (Chapters 30–35) 

This toolkit provides information on advocacy principles, advocacy research, providing 

education, direct action campaigns, media advocacy, and responding to opposition. 

http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents 

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