Deploying Dream It. Do It. for Success and Sustainability

1
A Quick Start Guide for Action

• Deploying Dream It. Do It. for Success and
  Sustainability

2

• Dream !t. Do !t. (DIDI) is managed by The
  Manufacturing Institute (Institute), the 501 (c)
  (3) affiliate of the National Association of
  Manufacturers (NAM). We are pleased to provide
  this guide to assist new member organizations in
  implementing the program within their counties,
  regions, or states. At present, twenty DIDI
  initiatives are operating throughout the
  countryall with different approaches and
  strategies that cater to local needs. This
  flexibility to address local demographics,
  economies, and educational systems is a key
  strength of the program. The DIDI program
  provides a national brand, infrastructure,
  support, messaging, and research to the broader
  roles and initiatives of each site, whether DIDI
  is used as a career awareness strategy, a
  platform for manufacturing education reform, or a
  driver of regional economic development.
•  
• In light of variation among deployment models,
  the Institute has identified common
  best-practices that will guide you in the process
  of implementing DIDI in your area. This guide,
  when used in combination with the Institutes
  experience-based consultative services and other
  assets and resources provided to our members,
  will enable your organization to successfully and
  expeditiously move forward on the implementation
  of its own DIDI initiative. The Institute looks
  forward to working with you on this exciting,
  challenging and critically important opportunity.
•  
• Dream It. Do It. - Purpose and Vision
• As older workers depart the workplace, businesses
  grow, and required skills advance, manufacturers
  face significant challenges in finding and
  attracting skilled and educated quality workers.
  Contributing to the problem of recruiting and
  retaining employees is the fact that young
  people, their parents, and educators often have
  an outdated, inaccurate perception of modern
  manufacturing as a career option. The DIDI
  program aims to reverse this trend by promoting
  the real image of modern manufacturing
  innovation-driven, high-tech, high-skilled, and
  critical to our economic and national security.
  The DIDI program focuses on creating awareness
  among young people of the valuable career
  opportunities that exist in manufacturing today,
  and provides referral systems for them to pursue
  their dreams and ambitions through accessible
  academic and career pathways. It is designed to
  help fill local manufacturing workforce needs and
  to assist in making manufacturing a preferred
  career option. In the areas around the country
  where the program is most successful, it serves
  as a catalyst for positive changes that are
  occurring in education, training and workforce
  development systems as well as regional economic
  development.

3
Getting Started

• Guiding Principles
• The Institute and DIDI Executive Committee
  members have identified the following guiding
  principles that have warranted good results
  across the network of DIDI programs
•  
• Partnerships created through this initiative
  represent its true power. When participating
  organizations share information, blend resources
  and think globally about possibilities, regions
  move forward.
• Local ownership and involvement are keys to
  success in all jurisdictions. They promote
  innovative ideas, approaches and sustainability.
• Ready, aim, fire. Development of program
  information, infrastructure and preliminary plans
  in advance of promoting the initiative to a
  broader public is important.

• Implementation of DIDI is a process, not an
  event. Focus on developing a solid core of
  activities that can be built on over time as the
  program matures. Successful initiatives are
  continually adding new program dimensions.
• Sustainability of the program over time is a key
  issue. As plans are put into place, available
  resources and fundraising strategies must be
  considered to promote development of a lasting
  program.

4
Pathways To Success

• Identify a small consortium of area leaders who
  are committed to a pro-manufacturing and related
  business agenda and are willing to champion the
  effort.
• They should be capable of rallying others to
  support the campaign programmatically and
  financially.
• Garner the active participation and support of
  key area manufacturers and business leaders on
  the front end of the initiative. These
  manufacturers can cut across state borders.
• Consider including leaders from a variety of
  other areas such as education, economic
  development, workforce development, and the
  political arena along with other business and
  trade organizations.
• To the extent possible, let the private sector
  drive the initiative.
•  
• 2. Define and describe the scope of the region
  encompassed by your DIDI initiative.
• Complete a demographic profile of the region
  (e.g., area description and map, current
  population, projected population growth, civilian
  labor force, unemployment rate, labor force
  participation rate, average weekly wage for
  manufacturing vs. all other sectors, educational
  attainment).
• Complete a regional manufacturing analysis (e.g.,
  number and type of manufacturing companies and
  jobs, largest manufacturers, innovative
  manufacturers, employment trends, skills gaps,
  training needs, capacity of the region to train
  workers).
• Much of this information may be readily available
  at little or no cost through various sources
  including regional and state workforce offices,
  planning and development districts, regional and
  state economic development offices and state
  institutions of higher learning.
•  
• 3. Produce an Asset Map
• Take inventory of existing recruitment and
  engagement strategies that can be leveraged or
  accelerated to support implementation.
• Take inventory of existing partnerships that may
  support the rollout of Dream It. Do It.
• Outline the regions or states connections with
  national organizations that can provide guidance
  and support.
• Research the foundation, government, or private
  funding landscape of your region or state to
  determine channels to pursue fiscal support.

5
Pathways to Success

• 4. Address organization and management
  considerations.
• Confirm the organization that will serve as
  fiscal agent and legal entity for the initiative.
• Determine the most effective and efficient option
  for staffing, office facilities and equipment.
  In most instances, a dedicated experienced
  professional with limited clerical support is
  needed to successfully launch a program. The
  program director can be regular paid staff, a
  qualified contractor or consultant, or a loaned
  executive. Recruit this individual early in the
  process.
• Establish a preliminary budget estimate for start
  up of the initiative.
• Raise initial seed capital to begin program
  activities.
• Secure your Web URL.
• Consider forming a 501(c)(3) or affiliating with
  a willing partner organization to enable receipt
  of charitable contributions.
•  
• 5. Develop your strategic plan.
• Broadly define your programs vision, goals, and
  metrics.
• This description should be short, to the point
  and define the broad objectives of the project.
  A more detailed program of work will be developed
  later by your regional partnership based on the
  parameters set here.
• Develop an executive brief that can be used as a
  marketing document containing summary information
  gathered in steps 1-5 of this Guide to assist in
  recruiting additional stakeholders.
• Consider potential target groups and uses for
  your funds.
• Determine whether your program will serve the
  entire region or be implemented on a more limited
  pilot basis at first.
• Adopt a general timeline for completing your
  program of work.
•  
• 6. Consider holding a soft launch to announce
  program to key stakeholders.
• A soft launch can be used as a marketing tool
  to generate interest in and raise the visibility
  of the program.
• Consider sending out a press release to local
  media that positions the program as a solution to
  economic and workforce development challenges, as
  well as a call to action to support manufacturing
  competitiveness.

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Pathways to Success

• 7. Form a dynamic, broad based regional
  partnership.
• Determine your working committee structure,
  responsibilities, leadership and membership.
  There are essentially two sides of the equation
  that must be dealt with in establishing the
  structure that will work best for your region -
  program development and implementation, and
  fundraising. Some regions have taken a straight
  forward approach and formed one or two committees
  to address these broad areas. In certain
  instances they have also formed subcommittees to
  address major topics such as a communications
  strategy. Other regions have established an
  expanded committee structure with an overall
  steering committee. In considering the structure
  that will work best in your locale, remember that
  more committees may lead to more process as well
  as logistical and communications issues.
• Carefully consider and recruit leaders to guide
  these areas. Emphasis should be placed on
  recruiting committee leadership from the private
  sector.
• Identify and recruit partner organizations and
  individuals including manufacturers, education,
  economic development, workforce development and
  political leaders along with other business and
  trade organizations (for example, manufacturers
  associations, financial institutions, ad
  agencies, area chambers of commerce and others).
  Approach manufacturers first to determine their
  interest and willingness to participate with the
  program. Personal visits to leading
  manufacturers and key partner organizations will
  pay significant future dividends.
•  
• 8. Conduct a partnership meeting to kick off your
  program and engage and motivate your partners.
• Consider inviting respected leader(s) from your
  region or states public and private sector to
  key note the event. Institute leadership will be
  present to extend a national welcome and
  endorsement to the region on request.
• Determine if media should be present and, if so,
  prepare a media kit with targeted messaging for
  distribution to them at the event.
• Pre-assign partners to specific committees in
  advance of the kick off meeting.
• Make sure that all partners begin with a common
  knowledge base. Provide an overview of DIDI,
  your regions program, broad goals, timeframe,
  progress to date and committee structure and
  leadership.
• Break out into individual committee meetings.
  Review committee goals and actions to be
  performed, timeframe for completion of work, and
  set future meeting dates. As time permits, begin
  deliberations and input gathering.

7
Pathways to Success

• Stress the value you place on your partners
  time, set expectations for the number of meetings
  that will be required, and emphasize the
  importance of their consistent participation.
• 9. Based on input received in steps 1-7, develop
  and implement your detailed program of work.
• This should be done based on input received
  through your partnership committee process, a
  review of Institute resources, and information
  acquired on best practices of other DIDI
  initiatives around the country. Remember that
  this is a beginning, not an end, to program
  development. You are attempting to lay a solid
  foundation for the program that will evolve and
  become stronger over time.
• Key elements of your program of work should
  include 1) actions you will take to interest and
  inform your target population(s) (and those who
  influence them) about advanced manufacturing
  career opportunities 2) how your program will
  work to support and enhance systems for
  connecting people with information, education,
  training and job opportunities in advanced
  manufacturing 3) a fundraising and
  sustainability strategy 4) a communications
  plan to support items one thru three 5) a
  deployment strategy and timeline 6) a budget to
  support the program and 7) a method for
  measuring and monitoring results.
•  
• 10. Reevaluate and improve
• Let your program evolve according to identified
  metrics of success and changing needs.
• Use network and national assets and guidance to
  revise and enrich your program.

8
National Support

• All DIDI sites operate under a partnership
  agreement with the Institute, and an Institute
  consultant is available to review all aspects of
  this agreement with your organization. The
  Institute provides a variety of services and
  support to its member organizations
• Members benefit by being part of a successful
  national effort that has a collective reach to
  nearly 100,000 manufacturers. DIDI is a national
  brand, one that is increasingly recognized as the
  program grows and more sites participate. DIDI
  and its regional partners receive recognition
  through a number of Institute publications,
  communications, and outreach.
• You will have access to professionally-developed
  creative material designs and collateral,
  grounded in over 10 years and 1 million in
  research. Collateral materials include
  brochures, art work, photographs, advertisements,
  business cards, logos, letterhead, and other
  marketing templates. These can be customized by
  your organization to meet the requirements of
  your local manufacturers and target populations
  and advance the brand of your own DIDI program.
• You will be a part of a nationally recognized web
  site (www.dreamit-doit.com) and have access to
  consultant services to assist you in establishing
  a preliminary website presence for your region.
  A website template, URL, and limited technical
  assistance is available to expedite the
  development of your web presence. DIDI also
  receives significant exposure through the
  Institute's website.
• The Executive Committee, comprised of all DIDI
  member organizations leadership, meets twice a
  year. The Executive Committee meetings provide
  opportunities to share best practices, challenges
  and accomplishments on both a formal and informal
  basis. The Executive Committee also provides
  input to Institute staff that is used to shape
  and improve DIDI at the national level.
• The DIDI network thrives as a highly
  collaborative learning community that leverages
  assets and ideas among members to strengthen the
  program as a whole. Innovative program ideas,
  tools and creative materials developed by other
  member regions are made available to the entire
  network via the DIDI website.
• There is accompanying research, organizational,
  and communications templates and guides that can
  be used in conjunction with this Quick Start
  Guide to facilitate the rollout of your DIDI
  program.