1. Mitigating the Economic Impacts of an Evolving Energy System: Comprehensive Rural Wealth and Rural Collective Impact
Presented to the
Energy Transitions and Rural Communities Conference
University of North Carolina Center for Climate, Energy, Environment and Economics
Friday, November 9, 2018
University of North Carolina Law School
Chapel Hill, NC
Charles W. Fluharty
Founder & President Emeritus
Rural Policy Research Institute

2. Systems Thinking Re: Rural Advantage

3. 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

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

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

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

7. Transitioning Where?

9. 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

10. 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

13. 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

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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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