Creative Placemaking, Comprehensive Rural Wealth, and Rural Collective Impact: The Importance of County Leadership Presented to the New Hampshire Association of Counties 2018 Annual Conference and Tradeshow September 16-18, 2018 Sunapee Lodge at Mount Sunapee Resort Newbury, New Hampshire Melissa Levy Principal and Owner Community Roots LLC & Charles W. Fluharty President & CEO Rural Policy Research Institute

Systems Thinking Re: Rural Advantage

The Framework for Regional Rural Innovation New Narratives & Networks Quality of Place Collaborative Leadership Knowledge Networks & Workforce E-ship & Innovation Critical Internal Considerations Wealth Creation, Intergenerational Wealth Retention, and Appropriate Wealth Distribution Youth Engagement, Retention, and Leadership Development Social Inclusion and Social Equity Considerations Specific Attention to Social Mobility and Inequality

Three Questions: Innovating What? Diversifying How? Transitioning Where?

Innovating What? How “We” Consider “Us” How We “See” Our Region How We “Consider” Our Options How We Support The “Connectors”

Diversifying How? In Our Vision of the Future In Our Sense of Possibility In Our Actions and Alignments In Our New Collaborations

Transitioning Where?

Five Conditions for Collective Impact Success Common Agenda Shared vision for change Mutually Reinforcing Activities Differentiated, but still coordinated Backbone Organization Serves entire initiative, coordinating participating organizations, firms and agencies

Five Conditions for Collective Impact Success (cont’d) Continuous Communication Consistent, open, unmediated Rigorous and Shared Measurement Collecting predictive indicators, regional data: then measuring ongoing results consistently

Eight Forms of Comprehensive Rural Wealth/Distribution Physical Financial Natural Human Intellectual Social Cultural Political

Policy Implications A superior basis for assessing economic performance Considers benefits and costs of non-market effects Considers the returns to investment in the environment, education, health, intellectual property and social capital Clarifies the concept of sustainability Sustainability is growth in comprehensive wealth Recognizes the complementarity among types of capital Environment and health, natural capital and intellectual capital, for example

GDP measures everything except that which makes life worthwhile. - Robert F. Kennedy

White House Meeting on Energy Sector Transition Presented to the White House Meeting on Energy Sector Transition October 23, 2014 Charles W. Fluharty President & CEO Rural Policy Research Institute

SOAR History / Rationale Context, Challenge, Opportunity Framework for Action Working Group Mandates Necessity of a Collective Impact Approach

2014 SOAR Program of Work Plan the Work: I. SOAR Summit (December) Goals: Renew Hope and Commitment Build Regional Identity and Collaboration Surface Ideas and Innovations II. SOAR Development (January-May) Goals: Build an Organization Create a Leadership Commitment / Common Vision Seek Resources Frame a Program of Work

Plan the Work: SOAR Working Group Process (June-August) Goals: III. SOAR Working Group Process (June-August) Goals: Enhance Citizen Engagement/Dialogue Craft Specific Recommendations Present Collaborative Action Opportunities to the Region IV. SOAR 2025 Futures Forum Goals: Use Working Group Report to Begin Long Term Visioning Identify Ten Year SOAR Goals Create Metrics to Assess Progress Yearly

Working Group Mandates Dispersed Regional Dialogue Identification of Regional Priorities Alignment, Wherever Possible Suggestions to Enhance Collective Impact Recommendations Regarding the Future Course of SOAR

Work the Plan: Goals: Priorities Discussed/Aligned Where Possible I. 2015 Year One Priorities (September-November) Goals: Priorities Discussed/Aligned Where Possible Founding Executive Director Hired Region’s Leaders, Organizations, Institutions and Governments Asked to Engage

Work the Plan: II. 2015 SOAR Summit and Action Teams (January- Ongoing) Generate Regional Buy-In and Responsibility For Recommended Action Leadership/Teams Established, Work Begins Year One Priorities Now Being Addressed Goals:

Next Steps: 2015 Year One Priorities Today: Region Receives Report September/October: Regional Input (Speakers Bureau?) November: Board/Working Group Chairs Retreat November/December: Board Announces Priorities Invites Regional Engagement/Support January: Summit – Action Team Formation

Five Conditions for Collective Impact Success Common Agenda Mutually Reinforcing Activities Backbone Organization Continuous Communication Rigorous and Shared Measurement