Defining Sustainability

If we are to eradicate benevolent oppression then we must set a goal that everything we do with partners around the world is designed to be sustainable. In order to accomplish this we need a simple definition of sustainability.

On a trip to Kenya to set up future projects my host and brother in Christ, Daniel, had arranged meetings with various ministries. The goal was to learn what they were doing and see if there were any meaningful ways in which we could help them advance their ministries. Daniel told me about a leader of one ministry who, when he heard an American was coming to visit his ministry, insisted that I pay a certain amount of money to visit and agree to purchase food for all his staff. Daniel firmly declined and we never visited that ministry.

When crafting a sustainability strategy the simple question that must be answered is this, "Would this project continue unchanged if not another charitable dollar was given and no one from the outside ever came back to visit?"

That may seem like a very high bar. I mean, let's face it, what ministry in the United States could claim they are sustainable if all donor dollars dried up and outside volunteers stopped coming? Crafting a sustainability strategy for U.S. ministries is a topic for another time but one that needs to be addressed (teaser: I believe every ministry should develop a 'for profit' side that can fund the ministry side).

As we work with our partners in developing countries we should always be moving toward self-sufficiency. This means developing solid, realistic business plans. It means making accurate revenue projections, doing cost/benefit analysis, considering return on investment (ROI), and determining how much time it will take to reach profitability. These are just a few things to be considered as you determine how much capital investment will be needed to get a venture off the ground. This model engages savvy business people in missions because this cannot happen without their expertise. These models must be based in the culture in which they're set and primarily assembled by partners in that culture. While some best practices are universal, we must be certain that everything we propose fits within the cultural context where we're working.

While I can't envision a day when our partnership with and support of ministries in other countries would disappear entirely, we must have such a day in mind when building a sustainable model. We must proceed as if our partners will one day be able to function without our help. If we don't then we'll never be able to fully withdraw support and invest in the next project or ministry.