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Newsletter
September 2015
Partnership for Advancing Community Development Philanthropy
The Center and Aspen CSG Together!
Last March, the Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group and CRE launched a partnership to advance community development philanthropy (CDP). Our first joint event was Advancing Economic Success: Community Foundations Building Family, Community and Regional Prosperity, a peer exchange gathering in Washington, D.C. Over the past few months, we've been organizing the content from that exchange. In September, we are launching a monthly newsletter and new website to share the content with a broader audience. We'll also use the newsletter to provide updates on new partnership activities and to let you know where we're heading to talk about CDP so you can connect with us. If you'd like to join the newsletter list, click here. For more information about our CDP work, contact [email protected] or [email protected]
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Entrepreneurial Communities 
Charting Your Course to Greater Prosperity

Pursuing Prosperity.
The tagline for our most recent book, Energizing Entrepreneurial Communities, is A Pathway to Prosperity. According to dictionary.com, prosperity is "...a successful, flourishing, or thriving condition." We believe the ultimate goal of our work is increasing the prosperity of all communities by helping them invest in their civic, social and business entrepreneurs. We are currently working with the University of Nebraska Extension's Community Vitality Initiative to help them use their resources, in partnership with rural communities, to increase prosperity. To learn more about this work, contact Don Macke at [email protected]. For more information on crafting your optimal Entrepreneurship strategy, check out our e2 University Strategy package.

Tools You Can Use... Increasing Economic Diversity. Our Community Prosperity Change Model argues that growing entrepreneurial talent in your community is the key to increasing both economic and social diversification. Greater diversification, in turn, creates the capacity for resilience - the ability to adapt and thrive through challenging events and times. This resiliency is a necessary condition for creating a more prosperous community over time. We welcome your questions, ideas and even push back. Let us know what you think and help us create a strong practice in support of building community prosperity. For more information on our Community Prosperity Change Model, contact Don Macke at [email protected].
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Community Development Philanthropy 
Building Philanthropic Capacity and Resources 

The South Plains of Texas.
The South Plains of West Texas, anchored by the city of Lubbock and Texas Tech University, is a slice of America. Hundreds of mid- to small-size rural communities shape the culture and character of this region. For the past three years, and hopefully more to come, we have been working in this landscape with our partners the Lubbock Area Foundation and the Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group. We have used two resources effectively in this work - our own Transfer of Wealth™ research and a great resource provided by Headwaters Economics, Economic Profile System.

Tools You Can Use...Community Conversation Report. Our work with the Lubbock Area Foundation has included conducting community conversations in many parts of their multi-county region. Partnering with Tami Swoboda and Michelle Tosi-Stephens with the Foundation, the Center and the Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group have brought empowering research into these conversations. To see how we marry research with community engagement, check out our South Plains and Terry County reports. 
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New Generation Partnerships 
Engaging with America's Youth
 
Nurturing Entrepreneurial Behavior.
The pipeline of entrepreneurs in any community doesn't begin with existing business owners; it should begin in the schools. Entrepreneurship education programming works best when it happens consistently across grades K-12. This includes the kinds of apprenticeship opportunities for high school students that Craig Schroeder describes in his latest newsletter as well as opportunities to align entrepreneurship education curricula and content with national education standards, encouraged and facilitated by the Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education. The Consortium's director, Gene Coulson, is a tireless advocate for exposing every student, every year to entrepreneurship education programming. Learn more about this approach here. To learn more about the Center's approach to youth engagement with entrepreneurship, contact [email protected] or [email protected].
   
Field News 

Communities Unlimited is offering free online training - Launch Your Business - beginning September 29th. If you are an aspiring entrepreneur in the rural south - or work with one - consider registering for this 7-week course. Register here 
 
Norris Krueger, a thought leader in the field of entrepreneurship, has a newblog post in Boise Urban Magazine 

A new piece from the PEW Charitable Trust, The Complex Story of American Debt, is a useful read as you consider how your development efforts can help create wealth and reduce debt among America's families.
 
Millennials, Student Debt and Lower Start-up Rates? Check out this piece from Scott Shane, Professor at Case Western Reserve University, in Entrepreneur.

Are Young American Entrepreneurs Becoming Extinct? What do you think? Check out this article to learn more.

Check out this newly launched resource to help inspire young women entrepreneurs - Legacy Out Loud.

The August 2015 issue of Entrepreneurship Insights, the Startup Owl's newsletter, is all about women entrepreneurs. You might want to share this resource with the entrepreneurs you serve.

If you are working with entrepreneurs in a place served by the Delta Regional Commission, you might want to register for an informational webinar to learn more about the Delta Entrepreneurship Network. Click here to learn more.
 
On the Road

Deb Markley will be in...  
  • Washington, D.C. September 9-10 for meetings with the Appalachian Regional Commission related to their strategic plan

  • Athens, OH September 15-17 for a WealthWorks Peer Learning Gathering

  • Raleigh, NC October 6-8 conducting the kick off training for the NC Rural Center STEP for Small Business Initiative

  • Somerset, KY October 14-15 for an Appalachian Regional Commission conference

  • Kalamazoo, MI November 9-10 for a presentation on Generational Diversity at the Council on Michigan Foundations Conference

 

Don Macke will be in... 

  • Las Vegas, NV September 29 for a presentation on attracting residents with the Nevada Association of Counties
  • Raleigh, NC October 6-8 conducting the kick off training for the NC Rural Center STEP for Small Business initiative
  • West Wendover, NV October 15 for the second presentation on attracting residents with the Nevada League of Cities
  • Lincoln, NE November 4 conducting a webinar for Texas Economic Development Council focused on accelerating entrepreneurial activity in communities through an established framework
  • Memphis, TN November 13-16 for a workshop on community engagement & entrepreneur-focused economic development hosted by Communities Unlimited
In This Issue
Quick Links
Visit our store for new resources today! 
 
 

Our latest e2 University package focused on Outreach, Intake, Screening and Referral is available now! Check out the free information sheet or visit the OISR page on our website to find out more!
 
As Nebraska's Land Grant University, the University of Nebraska at Lincoln has played a transformative role in improving the lives of people all across the state. The "Land Grant Way" brought the power of research and science into every day life through applied research, education and technical assistance. Today the University is sponsoring the Rural Futures Institute to create a strategic spotlight on ensuring a more prosperous future for rural communities and people. 
 
In 1981, the Lubbock Area Foundation was created to serve the community of Lubbock, Texas and ultimately the South Plains Region of West Texas. One of more than 700 community foundations in the U.S., the Foundation has recently committed to establishing a community affiliates' strategy, working with rural communities across their region. Community foundations have a powerful tool to work across a region like South Texas - their ability to create a "foundation within a host foundation."  This affiliate model is a powerful first step in advancing community development philanthropy in a place. 
The Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education has been an advocate and facilitator of entrepreneurship education since the 1980s. It is a resource for teachers and others who want to access ideas, curricula and inspiration to bring back to their classrooms, youth groups, scout troops and other venues. The annual Forum is a great networking and learning event for entrepreneurship educators at all levels. To learn more, spend some time exploring their website.
Youth Engagement
Read our latest youth news, issued monthly! Link


Meet Our Board
Tim Putnam is Director of the Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center at North Iowa Area Community College. The Center, one of five in the state and the only one located at a community college, offers a comprehensive set of services to entrepreneurs, including a range of entrepreneurship education programs including Entrepreneur for a Day for 5th graders.

Center for Rural Entrepreneurship
(402) 323-7336 | [email protected] |  energizingentrepreneurs.org
421 S. 9 Street, Suite 245, Lincoln, NE 68508