In response to the increasing number of constraints affecting adult education, South Carolina has designed an approach to adult literacy that makes efficient use of limited resources. The program, which has been designed so that it can be adapted to conditions prevalent in local communities, centers around the development of political, social, and financial support in the local community and relies on a diversified financial base that has a mix of public and private funds. While the local adult literacy programs depend heavily on volunteers, a strong management team and a core of paid staff members are also essential to their success. The final phase of the design of local literacy programs should entail a determination of the form of service delivery that will be utilized. While the Laubach Literacy Method is presently employed by the South Carolina Literacy Association, it should be noted that several other approaches are also effective. The most important point to consider in the planning of the local literacy programs is the need to offer services that are appropriate to the needs, schedules, and social characteristics of the group to be served. Also important to the success of a program are efforts to obtain cooperative support from other community organizations. (MN)