Atwood Rawlins County

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AtwoodRawlins County

• Opportunity Retreat
• November 18, 2008

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Initiative Partners
Coaching Team
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Getting Started

• Welcome
• Handouts
• Tables Groups
• What is an Opportunity Retreat
• Receive Review Assessment Findings
• Explore Possible Development Priorities
• Share Your Preferences for Development
• Foundation for Future Strategy Building

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Retreat Agenda

• Welcome Orientation
• Presentation/Scoring of Assessment Findings
• Exercise 1 Your Assessment
• Share Back from the Entire Group
• Exercise 2 Your Preferences
• Share Back from the Entire Group
• Next Steps
• Thanks Head for Home

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About HometownProsperity

• 3 Communities Onaga, Sedan Atwood
• Move Development to the Next Level
• Eventually Changing the Trend Lines
• Assessment Priority Setting
• Strategy Building
• Capacity Building
• Action

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Time to Goto Work

• Presentation of Findings Scoring by You
• Gaining Consensus Clarifying Questions
• Identifying Your Preferences Priorities
• We will not have a plan by the end of this
  retreat, but we will have the building blocks for
  helping your community building a next generation
  development game plan.

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Scoring

• This is really important!
• Each slide will have major findings,
  opportunities, or considerations that we want you
  to score as follows
• I really agree with this statement.
• ? I have questions about this statement.
• - I do not agree with this statement.

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Organization ofthe Findings

• Over-Arching Opportunities
• Leadership
• Resources
• Youth
• Entrepreneurship

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Over-ArchingOpportunity 1

• Youth Attraction
• Over half of 150 teenagers surveyed picture
  themselves living in the Atwood area in the
  future.

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Over-ArchingOpportunity 2

• Young Adults
• The Atwood area has a number of young adults who
  are passionate about their community and want to
  get more involved in leadership roles.

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Over-ArchingOpportunity 3

• Entrepreneur Development
• There is a opportunity to build upon work that is
  already underway to create a robust
  entrepreneurship-focused economic development
  program for Atwood and the area.

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Over-ArchingOpportunity 4

• Dollars for Development
• Transfer of Wealth (TOW) creates opportunities
  for collaboration in donor development and
  training of financial professionals to increase
  endowments for local foundations.

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Over-ArchingOpportunity 5

• Leadership Development
• A leadership transition is underway and emerging
  leaders need support and mentoring by established
  leaders.

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• Leadership Findings Considerations

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LeadershipFinding 1

• Community Pride
• Residents take pride in their community as
  demonstrated by the towns appearance and recent
  improvement projects.
• Area residents have a can-do attitude and local
  institutions and organizations work well
  together.
• A significant number of residents are involved in
  a variety of leadership roles, but there is also
  some conflict and resistance to new ideas.

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LeadershipFinding 2

• Community Attitude
• Residents strongly support the school, and feel
  local businesses offer quality on a consistent
  basis and support the community.
• They feel the economic development program does a
  good job of targeting resources.
• Running for public office is viewed as a risk.
• There is general concern that Atwood/Rawlins
  County does not see itself as part of the greater
  region.

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LeadershipFinding 3

• Leadership Challenges
• Several key elders have passed that have resulted
  in a leadership vacuum in Atwood.
• Young adults are frustrated that they cant make
  headway into higher leadership positions.
• The community in general feels that new residents
  are welcome, but many young adults interviewed do
  not share this viewpoint.

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LeadershipFinding 4

• Youth Leadership Opportunities
• Many of the current leadership programs in Atwood
  are youth focused. FFA has historically been a
  particularly important program.
• Youth are actively involved through HTC efforts.
• Young adults are not as active but would like to
  be if given the opportunity.
• There are a number of area young farmers and
  spouses involved in informal ways.

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LeadershipFinding 5

• Need for Shared Game Plan
• The community has successfully completed a number
  of projects but does not have a shared
  development vision or aligned strategic plan.
• Projects are currently bootstrapped if not
  supported by established leadership.
• There is a need for more strategic thinking in
  leadership to move to a shared vision where new
  leaders can become engaged.

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LeadershipFinding 6

• Countywide Involvement
• The City, Chamber and Economic Development are
  supportive of KHP, but County government has been
  less engaged. However, residents of the county
  have been very active.
• Upcoming leadership program provides an
  opportunity to bring the county together to build
  relationships and work on shared priorities. The
  program will also help develop the skills of
  established leaders within the county.

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LeadershipConsideration 1

• Leadership Program
• Use upcoming leadership program to engage current
  and emerging leaders, youth and young adults
  including young farmers and their spouses.
• Determine a format that allows self-employed,
  students and other busy people to participate on
  a regular basis.

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LeadershipConsideration 2

• Leadership Outcomes
• Use leadership class to build trust and
  mentorships among established and emerging
  leaders, focusing on key community priorities and
  developing knowledge and skills to successfully
  address these priorities.
• Link graduates with specific leadership roles
  that will allow them to address the priorities
  they are passionate about.

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LeadershipConsideration 3

• Shared Vision and Game Plan
• Based upon relationships built in leadership
  program bring community and county together to
  develop a shared vision and strategic development
  game plan.
• Recruit youth and young adults to actively
  participate in developing the vision and game
  plan.

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LeadershipConsideration 4

• Leadership Transition
• Become more intentional and explicit about
  community leadership transition.
• Work on a community leadership succession plan.
• Recruit youth and young adults to actively
  participate in succession planning process.

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• Resource Findings Considerations

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ResourceFinding 1

• Transfer of Wealth
• America is in the midst of the largest
  inter-generational transfers of wealth (TOW) in
  our history. For Atwood/Rawlins County you have
  the following TOW opportunity
• 2004 Current Net Worth 534 Million
• 2004-2020 TOW 63 Million
• 5 TOW Capture 3.2 Million
• 5 Annual Payout 160,000
• These are very conservative estimates and the
  likely TOW opportunity is significantly larger.

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ResourceFinding 2

• Foundation Infrastructure
• For the size of your community you have
  significant foundation infrastructure with the
  Second Century Fund, the ACE Foundation, the
  Obert Family Trust and the Rawlins County
  Hospital Foundation.
• Donor development and endowment building is under
  way.
• There are significant opportunities to grow this
  infrastructure to make it more effective and get
  more from the TOW opportunity in the future.

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ResourceFinding 3

• Development Funding
• There is a clear community commitment to
  investing in the communitys development.
  According to the assessment work, nearly 300,000
  annually is being invested.
• The level of investment indicates commitment, but
  there are strong feelings that efforts may not be
  strategic and getting necessary development
  results.

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ResourceFinding 4

• Resources Team
• This community has a talented resource
  individuals with grant writers, estate planners
  and numerous successful community betterment
  projects driven by strong leaders...but sometimes
  working separately.
• The assessment findings indicate a potential lack
  of shared vision and a common strategic plan.
  There is an opportunity for better employing your
  resource individuals as a team to help grow the
  community.

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ResourceFinding 5

• Collaboration in Key
• There is pride and ownership in all the various
  resource organizations at work in your community.
  Each has somewhat different focus, style and
  history.
• This community is clearly headed in the right
  direction in mobilizing resources in support of
  its development.
• Opportunity is rooted in stronger collaboration
  among the many partners. Comments like lack of
  unity and lack of education highlight
  community awareness for the need for stronger
  resource collaboration.

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ResourceConsideration 1

• Collaboration Organization
• We believe the keys to greater success are rooted
  in setting over-arching community strategic
  priorities for your development.
• Be disciplined and challenge yourselves to focus
  on those priorities that can change your
  communitys trend lines.
• With priorities in place, then focus on which
  organizations can take a lead in mobilizing
  necessary implementation resources both
  short-term and long-term. Do this within a
  shared overall game plan to ensure coordination.

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ResourceConsideration 2

• Underwriters Endowments
• We believe your Transfer of Wealth opportunity is
  greater than the published estimates. Consider
  setting a greater TOW goal of 10 in 10 years.
  Such a goal could generate 500,000 a year for
  development.
• Focus donor development with both current and
  former residents. Develop donors through
  multi-year underwriting of key development
  priorities as a bridge to endowment giving.

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ResourceConsideration 3

• Strategic Investments
• You are very good at raising funds for community
  betterment projects. But you are really
  stretching yourselves financially.
• It is critical that you forge a shared vision and
  establish over time strategic development
  priorities or those things that will ensure your
  communitys long-term future.
• Then focus resources time, talent treasure
  on these priorities.

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Resource Consideration 4

• Field of Interest Funds
• Based on your strategic development priorities
  create a limited number of field of interest
  funds. Development and management of these funds
  can be within different organizations such as the
  ACE Foundation or the Second Century Fund.
• Focus efforts on sharing with your community why
  these areas of development are priorities and
  promote broad giving into these funds. Begin to
  explore which donors might have the capacity and
  interest to make endowed gifts.

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Resource Consideration 5

• Getting to the Next Level
• It will take time, but mapping a process to
  create a more unified vision, resource
  mobilization plan and strategic investment
  strategy can help you move to the next level. We
  suggest you focus on a common meeting, possibly a
  retreat to explore how you can create a shared
  vision and game plan. Over time, consider board
  members who link different organizations to
  ensure strong community and greater collaboration.

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• Youth Findings Considerations

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YouthFinding 1

• Youth Survey Results
• 35 of youth surveyed rank Atwood as an Above
  Average to Excellent place to live.
• 85 plan to attend college.
• 52 picture living here in the future.
• 37 would like to own their own business.
• 54 said an adult has asked their views on the
  community and what could make it better.

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YouthFinding 1b

• Spring 2008 Teen Survey Results
• 86 feel they are part of the community.
• 50 think youth have a voice in community.
• 88 see Atwood staying the same or dying.
• 98 feel safe in Atwood.
• 86 feel lucky to grow up in a small town.
• 47 plan to return to raise a family.

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YouthFinding 2

• Youth Focus Group Results
• Youth value Atwood as a safe and friendly
  community with open rural spaces.
• They feel the school and community work well
  together and appreciate opportunities to be
  involved in a number of school activities.
• They would like more recreational and youth
  activities beyond school sponsored events.

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YouthFinding 2b

• Youth Focus Group Results
• Students appreciate the Entrepreneurship Fair and
  would like additional course offerings in
  entrepreneurship and support in starting
  youth-owned businesses.
• Students see value in the local economic
  development program support of entrepreneurship
  and want to keep it funded.

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YouthFinding 2c

• Youth Focus Group Results
• Youth feel that the community does not listen to
  their input and follow through when they are
  asked. They would like to have a voice in
  decisions that impact them.
• Students proposed a Youth city council and
  representation in school and county issues.
  Involvement in school cell phone policy change
  was cited as a positive example.

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YouthFinding 3

• Young Adult Focus Group Results
• Young adults view Atwood as a friendly, safe and
  supportive place to raise a family.
• They value the school system and having health
  care services available locally.
• Young adults appreciate the variety of main
  street businesses and community events.

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YouthFinding 3b

• Young Adult Focus Group Results
• Young adults are frustrated by established
  leaderships resistance to new ideas.
• The group felt that newcomers are too often not
  made to feel part of the community.
• Key development priorities include economic
  development and jobs, housing, childcare,
  maintaining hospital and schools, recreation.

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YouthFinding 3c

• Young Adult Focus Group Results
• Young adults want to move beyond the riff among
  area towns and work together.
• They want to attract more young people to stay or
  return to the community and reduce the average
  age of the population.
• The group felt there needs to be more things for
  young adults to do, especially singles.

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YouthConsideration 1

• Develop Relationships
• Build upon existing youth engagement program
  through community projects and activities.
• Through these projects and activities develop
  relationships among youth and adults that can
  lead to youth leadership roles such as Youth City
  Council and civic organization board leadership
  involvement.

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YouthConsideration 2

• Enhance Entrepreneurship Education
• Build upon the Youth Entrepreneurship Fair to
  engage students in developing greater business
  knowledge and skills, and starting youth-owned
  businesses.
• Consider 4-H EntrepreneurShip Investigation (ESI)
  as a low-cost way to further engage middle school
  to high school age youth.

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YouthConsideration 3

• Involve Entrepreneurial Young Adults
• Expand youth entrepreneurship programs to include
  young adults who are interested in business
  ownership.
• 4-H and FFA may be a good ways to engage parents
  and young adults with youth, utilizing the ESI
  program as the bridge.

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YouthConsideration 4

• Young Adult Recruitment
• Use alumni database and Come Back Home strategy
  to take recruitment to the next level.
• Involve hospital and other area employers in
  actively recruiting youth and young adults
  interested in local career opportunities.
• Utilize scholarships and apprenticeships to help
  educate and prepare students for area career
  opportunities.

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YouthConsideration 5

• Young Adult Leadership
• Actively recruit young adults into leadership
  development program.
• Develop relationships among these emerging
  leaders and established leaders that can build
  understanding and overcome resistance to new
  ideas and development priorities.
• Actively involve young adults in leadership
  succession and transition efforts.

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• Entrepreneurship Findings Considerations

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EntrepreneurshipFinding 1

• Entrepreneurs Right Focus
• Clearly your community is focusing on
  entrepreneurs as a core development strategy.
• Between 1995 and 2005 nearly 1000 new jobs have
  been created through entrepreneurial ventures.
  However, many of these jobs are part-time and
  represent marginal incomes.
• Given your size and location, a home-grown
  development approach is most appropriate.

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EntrepreneurshipFinding 2

• Development Targets
• Entrepreneur development efforts should consider
  focusing on these important opportunities
• Local Entrepreneurs Who Want to Grow
• Business Transitions
• Startups by Young Adults
• Entrepreneurial attraction

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EntrepreneurshipFinding 3

• Stopping Population Loss
• Gap between continued population decline and
  stabilization followed by modest and steady
  growth is small. Between 2000 and 2007 net
  population loss due to deaths over births was
  just -139. For the same period, net population
  loss due to migration was just -180 or the
  difference of just over 25 persons per year.
• There are clear opportunities to change this
  trend line with a focused youth and
  entrepreneurial attraction strategy.

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EntrepreneurshipFinding 4

• Regional Development
• There is regional movement to entrepreneurship
  with very robust efforts underway in
  Phillipsburg, Oberlin and McCook. There are
  clear opportunities to partner with area
  communities on building regional entrepreneurial
  friendly programs.
• Your community is also part of the nearly 5
  million strong Denver Region which offers
  significant market opportunities for area
  entrepreneurs.

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EntrepreneurshipFinding 5

• Youth Entrepreneurship
• Your community has already made a commitment to
  youth entrepreneurship. There are clear
  opportunities to strengthen this commitment.
• Entrepreneurship represents a primary pathway for
  your communitys youth to find their way home
  permanently.

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EntrepreneurshipFinding 6

• Build on Success
• You have had success at community member
  investment in local business.
• Opportunity exists to link that method with
  e-community and micro loan programs for more
  robust bridge financing strategy for
  entrepreneurs.

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EntrepreneurshipConsideration 1

• Business Coaching
• You have already made important investments to
  build a stronger economy through entrepreneurs.
• We would urge you to consider investing in a
  business coaching program similar to the one now
  being successfully implemented in McCook.

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EntrepreneurshipConsideration 2

• Former Residents
• More people are from Atwood and Rawlins County
  than now live in your community. Many of these
  former residents care about their hometown.
• There is a clear opportunity to continue your
  work around connecting with former residents with
  a particular focus on people attraction.
• For other former residents, there are clear
  opportunities for them to give of their time,
  connections, talent and treasure to support your
  development.

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EntrepreneurshipConsideration 3

• More Integrated Approach
• Given your communitys size, there are many
  development players maybe too many. There is a
  clear opportunity to bring all development
  interests to the same table to explore how a more
  collaborative approach could enhance development
  efforts.
• We suggest a facilitated development summit
  process to deepen understanding, find common
  ground, create a shared vision and establish a
  more strategic and effective development game
  plan.

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EntrepreneurshipConsideration 4

• Youth Entrepreneurship
• Your community is already focused on youth
  entrepreneurship and you have the beginning of a
  strong strategy.
• We encourage you to go deeper and create an
  elementary age through young adults
  entrepreneurship plan focusing on those who want
  to live in your community and desire to own their
  own business.

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EntrepreneurshipConsideration 5

• Regional Collaboration
• A key to future growth for your community and
  region rests with those local entrepreneurs with
  the motivation and ability to connect with
  external markets.
• We encourage you to explore working with other
  communities in your region such as Phillipsburg,
  McCook and Oberlin to craft a game plan and build
  infrastructure to support growth entrepreneurs.

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Exercise 1Reaction to the Presentation

• On your own, review your scoring of the
  findings/considerations/opportunities.
• Identify up to 5 items you most agree with and
  believe are very important.
• Identify up to 5 items you still have questions
  about and need answers.
• Identify up to 5 items you do not agree with or
  have concerns about.

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Exercise 2Priority Setting

• Reflect on your own work and the discussions and
  presentations that have been made tonight.
• Identify up to three short-term and three
  long-term priorities you believe your community
  should focus time, talent and treasure on.
• Now, identify those priorities that you are
  personally willing to commit time, talent or
  treasure towards.

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What ComesNext?

• Summarize Retreat Worksheets (2 weeks)
• Share Back to an Expanded Steering Committee (3
  weeks)
• Strategy Building Game Plan (by New Year)
• Capacity Building Game Plan (by New Year)
• Move to Action Implementation (2009)

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• Thanks
• Be Safe Going Home