Webinars on Developing a Sustainable Finance Plan for Water Organizations

Many watershed organizations could increase their impact through long-term financial planning. In order to most effectively protect America's waters, watershed organizations must develop and implement strategies to obtain, diversify, and leverage sustainable sources of funding.

This EPA training module is designed to help your watershed organization develop and implement a sustainable funding plan. This module:

• Outlines the six key steps of fundraising plan development
  
  
• Introduces a diverse set of fundraising options
  
  
• Provides case studies of successful finance mechanisms

EPA's hope is to give both established and new nonprofit watershed organizations a solid methodology for creating finance plans to ensure their own sustainability.

This module is intended primarily for nonprofit watershed organizations.

State or local governments should visit the EPA Financing for Compliance Page.

We use case studies throughout the module to provide real examples of finance strategies employed by nonprofit watershed organizations throughout the country. The title of this module may suggest a template for creating a written funding plan. While a written plan is one outcome, we hope the process of developing the plan—as outlined in six steps—is of even greater value.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Do You Need a Funding Plan?
Introduction to the Six Steps
Step 1: Establish Priorities
Step 2: Assess Capacity
Step 3: Set Fundraising Goals
Step 4: Identify Funding Sources
Step 5: Evaluate & Select Funding Sources
Step 6: Write & Implement Plan
Final Quiz
Sample Finance Plans
List of Case Studies
References & Additional Resources