NCDS ProViews

Posted on:
May 22, 2020

The Multi-Year Strategic Initiative: An effective model for funding and implementing economic development - Because it takes time to build.

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The multi-year strategic initiative is a proven approach to ROI fundraising that is different from the transactional model that heavily relies upon dues and annual sponsorships. While the transactional/membership model works, it requires a significant sales effort without a guarantee of increasing revenue. This makes it difficult to implement economic development strategic plans that call for additional capital. Multi-year strategic initiatives are the answer. Instead o...

Category: White Papers

Posted on:
Mar 18, 2020

Chamber and EDO Mergers: Pros, Cons, and Unintended Consequences

Golden Shovel and National Community Development Services released a white paper exploring many of the issues related to the ongoing trend of organizational mergers / consolidation in the Chamber and economic development world. Tom DiFiore, President of National Community Development Services (NCDS), highlighted in this webinar the findings and recommendations from leaders who have been through the merger process. If you – or your community’s leader...

Category: Webinars

Posted on:
Sep 11, 2019

To Merge or Not? What Chamber and Economic Development Pros Have to Say About This Recurring Question

This trend is often driven by another important trend – regionalism and the desire to maximize the economic impact. For example, the Four Flags Area Chamber of Commerce and the Southwestern Michigan Economic Growth Alliance merged in 2019 to form the Greater Niles Chamber of Commerce – an organization that will execute an economic development strategic plan in a region that spans two states. Independently, they advocated fo...

Category: White Papers

Posted on:
Jan 16, 2019

Bringing Success to Small Towns

Category: Webinars

Posted on:
Nov 01, 2018

Investors vs. Members. What’s the Difference?

For most chambers of commerce and economic development organizations, members and membership dues are the lifeblood of the organization. Dues typically fund the majority of operating and overhead costs such as rents and mortgages, salaries and benefits, utilities, equipment, supplies, etc. Sponsorships, total resource capital campaigns, affinity programs and other non-dues revenue are also important sources of chamber of commerce fundraising that help chambers provide mor...

Category: White Papers

Posted on:
Oct 31, 2017

5 Keys to Making Sure Your Strategic Plan Gets Funded: You Have One, Now it’s Time to Use It.

Now that you have invested the time, capital and energy in creating an economic development strategic plan – it is time to put this plan into action. Whether you are about to embark on the planning process, have recently completed a plan, or have one gathering dust on the shelf, we have the strategies you need to take these well-researched ideas and use them t...

Category: White Papers

Posted on:
Sep 26, 2017

Expert Webinar: How to Put Funding Muscle Behind Your Strategic Plan

Strategic plans and the strategic planning process are vital to organizational relevance and value. And they often create new energy and enthusiasm among staff and volunteers. But without new resources to implement them, these plans often fail to meet heightened expectations, or risk becoming the dreaded binder gathering dust on a shelf. Tom DiFiore, President of National Community Development Services (NCDS) shares in this webina...

Category: Webinars

Posted on:
Sep 26, 2017

Lead Forensics: Giving Golden Shovel Clients the Data Advantage

What can Lead Forensics do for your organization? Imagine if you could take control of your lead generation activity and convert sales-ready prospects, before your competitors even get close? Lead Forensics is the software that reveals the identity of your anonymous website visitors, and turns them into actionable sales-ready leads. In real-time. For this webinar, we have also invited Justin Sommer, Executive Director of Grow Piqua Now...

Category: Webinars

Posted on:
Sep 26, 2017

Expert Webinar: Business Retention & Expansion, The Foundation to All Economic Development Work

In a 21-year career serving as the chief executive of a Main Street program, rural county economic development organization, and two metropolitan economic development organizations and chambers of commerce, Joe Raso used his Business Retention & Expansion program as the foundation for all his work. In that time, he discovered the four essential challenges all economic development staff and organizations face in their work an...

Category: Webinars

Posted on:
Sep 26, 2017

Expert Webinar: Organic Economic Development and Permitting Assistance

Each year more than half a million new businesses are formed. These new employers are a key element to creating strong communities, but often their first interface with local government relies upon the tools of a different era. Those tools are costing cities too much money, and too many opportunities. In this webinar, presented by Peter Koht, Co-Owner of OpenCounter, we’ll share statistics and cas...

Category: Webinars

Posted on:
Sep 26, 2017

What Your ED Board Needs to Know About That Cost Benefit Report

This session is intended to help economic developers, their boards, and other stakeholders cut through the jargon, identify the hallmarks of a high-quality cost-benefit report, and utilize the cost-benefit report to its fullest potential.

Category: Webinars

Posted on:
Aug 01, 2017

ProView: Approval vs. Ownership

One of the benefits of hiring consultants or “experts,” including fundraisers, is avoiding common mistakes and pitfalls that are often caused by following conventional wisdom or “armchair quarterbacks” within your organization or community. One such mistake is the notion that approval and endorsement of a new program or project - and a campaign to fund it - by an executive board or committee will foste...

Category: ProView

Posted on:
Jul 07, 2017

White Paper: ROI Fundraising

By their very nature, fundraising campaigns for Chambers of Commerce and Economic Development Organizations differ from traditional philanthropy campaigns in one key regard: donors do not necessarily experience the “warm glow and satisfaction of helping a good cause” that they get from other nonprofits. This is precisely why we prefer the term “investor” over “donor.” And by definition, an investor expects a return on his...

Category: White Papers

Posted on:
Feb 23, 2017

Nsight News, February 2017

In 1977, a young Chamber of Commerce executive named Howard Benson saw a need to help communities raise big money for bold initiatives that couldn't be funded through membership dues, sponsorships, or other traditional sources. He founded NCDS, which has helped establish the multi-year strategic initiative and public-private partnerships as customary and preferred approaches for community and economic development organizations. Having raised over $1.7 billio...

Category: Newsletter

Posted on:
Jan 24, 2017

ProView: Four Lessons from Forty Years of Fundraising

2017 marks our 40th year of raising money for community and economic development organizations. In the course of conducting over 700 campaigns in communities of all sizes across the U.S. we’ve seen many changes. We’ve also seen a handful of core principles of success validated year after year and campaign after campaign.

Category: Reports, ProView

Posted on:
Nov 16, 2016

Nsight News, November 2016

When the Forward Sioux Falls 2021 campaign launched late last year, NCDS had previously raised over $37 million for six successive multi-year strategic initiatives since 1987. This joint venture of the Sioux Falls Development Foundation and the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce has been an unquestioned success, creating jobs and economic growth, and elevating Sioux Falls to consistently high rankings on "best places" lists...

Category: Newsletter

Posted on:
Nov 07, 2016

ROI Infographic Clarksville, TN

A one page info graphic showing the ROI of the Aspire Calrksville program

Category: ROI Infographic

Posted on:
Nov 07, 2016

Martin County FL Health Systems Economic Impact Analyis

Projected Economic Impact of hospital expansion project, used to secure county board approval.

Category: Economic Impact Analyses

Posted on:
Nov 07, 2016

Mobile Scorecard Info graphic

One page info graphic of Mobile, AL Partners for Growth program ROI, 2013-2016

Category: ROI Infographic

Posted on:
Nov 07, 2016

Raleigh Wake County NC Economic Impact Analysis 2014-2016

Scorecard Economic Impact Analysis for Raleigh. Wake County NC Edge 5 program - 2014-2016

Category: Economic Impact Analyses

Posted on:
Aug 26, 2016

Remaking Economic Development: THE MARKETS AND CIVIC S OF C ONTINUOUS GROWTH AND PRO SPERITY

The lackluster U.S. economy is delivering a humbling lesson about economic development: Top-line growth doesn’t ensure bottom-line prosperity. The potential of economic development is to do what markets alone cannot do: influence growth through action and investments. Leaders in cities and metro areas have an opportunity to remake economic development—to adopt a broader vision of economic development that can deliver continuous growth, prosperity, and inclusion i...

Category: Reports, White Paper

Posted on:
May 10, 2016

Nsight News, May 2016

Workforce & Talent As human capital is increasingly recognized as a key determinant in community and economic development success, we continue to see more strategic plans (and fundraising campaigns) focused on education initiatives and talent attraction. While there is no shortage of research, advice, and best practice examples available, many communities and organizations still struggle with how to approach the issue. We hope the following link...

Category: Newsletter

Posted on:
Apr 14, 2016

ProView: Raising Money vs. Raising ENOUGH Money

Since we first began raising money for chambers of commerce and economic development organizations almost 40 years ago, what we call the multi-year strategic initiative approach to funding community and economic development has become an accepted practice for communities and organizations of all types and sizes. The concept has become generically referred to by some as “superfund,” or “capital campaign” with a proliferation of consultant...

Category: Reports, ProView

Posted on:
Apr 14, 2016

ProView: Do We Really Need a Feasibility Study?

You’ve been through a lengthy strategic planning process. Dozens of stakeholders have participated in committees or task forces and given their input. The board has unanimously endorsed the new plan or project. Everyone acknowledges the need to raise additional funds and has pledged their support. Do you really need to spend time, effort, and money on a fundraising feasibility study?

Category: Reports, ProView

Posted on:
Apr 14, 2016

ProView: Sustained Funding for Economic Development

The compelling aspect of a five-year funding initiative is that investors provide larger financial commitments to assure accomplishment of specific goals. Troubling to some CEO’s, however, is that the payments committed for five years will one day come to an end, while more challenges remain. To simply state the obvious dilemma: What is to be done when the money runs out? A better question is...

Category: Reports, ProView

Posted on:
Mar 26, 2016

Nsight News, July 2014

Clarksville, TN: Aspire V campaign nears $4 million In 1996, NCDS helped create and fund the Aspire Clarksville program. Since its inception as a $1.6 million marketing fund, this program, thanks to focus and direction from its private sector leaders, has evolved into a comprehensive approach to economic development and has delivered notable wins and progress to Montgomery County. NCDS' Russ Leach recently concluded his assignmen...

Category: Newsletter

Posted on:
Oct 31, 2009

The Evolution of Chamber Capital Campaigns

As long as four years ago, data suggested that the “capital campaign” concept in the chamber world had reached the tipping point. Evolving since 1960 when the Metro Atlanta (GA) Chamber launched the first modern “superfund” campaign called Forward Atlanta, the capital campaign has morphed from trend to accepted practice in chamber funding. A 2005 ACCE “Quick Poll” showed that nearly 40 percent of chamber...