Council Readiness

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Council Readiness

• National Forum Against Poverty
• April 22-23, 2002
• Tunica, Mississippi

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Dual Roles

• RCD, the program
• RCD, the nonprofit corporation
• Your RCD nonprofit is a business!

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Clinch-Powell RCD Programs

• Education
• Economic Development
• Infrastructure
• Emergency Services
• Affordable Housing
• Conservation
• Community Capacity (wealth, training, leadership)

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Success as a Nonprofit

• Entrepreneurial
• vision
• urgency
• mission-based
• Attention to detail
• powerful enough structure organization
• organization and governing body in sync
• changes anchored in corporate structure

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Position and Direction

• Strategic decision making
• Results oriented plans and goals
• Understanding comparative edge
• Mission-based operations
• Proper structure and excellent governance
• Financial management and accountability
• Responsiveness to publics

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Looking at Three

• 1. Comparative Edge
• 2. Structure
• 3. Strategic Decision-making

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1. Comparative Edge

• What do we do uniquely well?
• How do we stack up?
• Why do we exist?
• Where do we make a difference?
• Who cares?

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Clinch-Powell Edge

• Programs built on public input
• Board membership built on needs
• Regional focus
• Can do reputation, politically neutral
• 501C3 status
• Conception to completion
• Development environmental focus
• Dont duplicate or compete
• Work on things in the gap
• Unique public/private relationship

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2. Board Structure Questions

• Are we structured right?
• Are we the right size?
• Do we represent the community?
• Do we have the skills and knowledge we need?
• Do we have the ability to recruit those we need?
• How is attendance at meetings?

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3. Strategic Decision-Making

• What is the need?
• Public input
• Environmental scan
• Emerging knowledge

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• What is the current situation?
• Who are the existing players?
• What is our appropriate role - our added value?
• What can we learn from others (mentors) in like
  situation?
• What are the potential impacts - pros and cons?

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• How will our organization be impacted?
• What would happen if we did it?
• What will happen if we dont do it?
• Do we have the board expertise we need?
• What changes will we have to make?
• Purpose, structure, staffing, finance, etc.

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• How will we define success?
• Milestones
• Impacts
• Evaluation

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• What are the costs/benefits?
• Financial
• Organizational
• Programmatic
• Existing resources

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• How does it feel?
• Intuition
• Review of data
• Board buy in
• Staff buy in
• Are the pay offs worth it?
• Who will be for us?
• Who will be against us?

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• Is this a sound business decision?

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Ready, Set, Go

• Board ready and set
• Staff ready and set
• Organization ready and set
• Team ready and set
• Now GO!

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Lindy Turner Clinch-Powell RCD
865/828-5927 lindy_at_clinchpowell.org www.clinchpow
ell.net click Whats New click Council Readiness