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Newsletter
April 2016
Transfer of Wealth - It's Happening!
Understanding Your Opportunities
For 15 years, the Center has been providing Transfer of Wealth™ Opportunity Analysis to states, counties and regions. Our latest study, sponsored by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, was just released. The 2016 analysis provides an update of our original 2008 analysis and shows that there are "significant opportunities for many communities to create and/or expand community foundations and endowments capable of supporting community improvement work." We encourage you to take a look at the statewide study and individual county wealth profiles produced as part of the analysis.
 
Rural communities in particular feel a sense of urgency to capture some small portion of their wealth transfer to fund community and economic development efforts, especially as many public development funding streams are diminishing. Here are two articles that show how some places are using our Transfer of Wealth Analysis to create funds for the future:
  • This article shares some ways in which Montana is working to capitalize on the Transfer of Wealth opportunity, drawing on research the Center completed in 2006 and updated in 2012.
  • And, check out this article in Sarasota Magazine describing the potential wealth transfer impact on that region, a haven for retirees. As Don Macke notes in the article, the region stands to benefit substantially from this transfer and those resources, if captured by community based philanthropic institutions, could be used to diversify an economy and create better jobs, something the region needs.
To learn more about the Center's Transfer of Wealth™ Analysis, visit our webpage or contact Don Macke ([email protected]).
Other Center News 
 
The Foundation for Appalachian Ohio has released their 2015 Regional Opportunity Scorecard. According to FFAO, the Scorecard tracks "eight indicators of prosperity, selected to help us all track progress in areas of significance for our region's growth and development." It provides a way to see how the region's investments are translating into prosperity. The Center continues to work with FFAO, providing supportive research and indicator data for their annual Scorecards. We encourage you to look at this great measurement and communication tool.
 
Check out the Center's new Get Started Tools that provide empowering research to help you better understand your communities starting point:
Learn more on the Get Started page of our website.
 
A recent issue of Ruralite magazine focuses on entrepreneurs as "The Backbone of Rural America", including input from Deb Markley, Center Board member Shawn Winkler-Rios and Center Senior Fellow Dick Gardner.

Deb Markley will lead this year's North County Symposium April 25 at St. Lawrence University, New York, where she will share the Center's experience building strong entrepreneurial ecosystems. You can find more information in this Adirondack News article
 
We are sad to report that state budget cuts have resulted in the closure of the  Strom Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Dickinson State University located in southwestern North Dakota. We are proud to have worked with the Strom Center and contributed to its formation. It is ironic that in a time when massive oil severance taxes flowed into state coffers, funding was not provided to ensure the future of this important development resource. 
 
Field News 
 
The South Dakota Agricultural Foundation announced the establishment of an endowment fund within the South Dakota Community Foundation focused on investing in the future of the agricultural industry in the state. The Center had the opportunity to conduct the feasibility study for this important new undertaking. Read the press release.

 

Check out these recent entrepreneurship musings from Erik Pages, EntreWorks Consulting.

 

Great Heart and Soul community story about kids helping to overcome stereotypes: North Fork Valley Heart and Soul project.

 

Call for presenters at the 2016 Entrepreneurship Education Forum (October 7-10, 2016 in Mobile, AL). If you have knowledge, ideas or models for entrepreneurship education to share with your peers, consider submitting your idea to Gene Coulson ([email protected]). Please be certain to include:  Forum Presentation as the subject line; name, institution or organization, state, phone number and email address; best time of day to reach you by phone; brief bio; description of the topic you'd like to present; and type of session you'd prefer.

 

Check out this recent report from the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank on collateral requirements and nonbank online lenders, based on data from the Small Business Credit Survey.

 

This new Kauffman Policy Digest focuses on the role that social insurance plays in unlocking entrepreneurial opportunities and potential.

 

The Heartland Center is offering their excellent training, Helping Small Towns Succeed. Check out the link to learn more and to register. 
 

A recent report from TD Economics compares Canadian and U.S. Millennials, with Canadians doing far better than American Millennials. National policy matters!

  

The U.S. lost 3.9 million manufacturing jobs from 1970-2014 and this research report points to negative impacts on the health and well-being of midlife white non-Hispanic Americans.

 

On the Road
 
Deb Markley will be in... 
  • Raleigh, NC April 20 to make a presentation on WealthWorks to the North Carolina Rural Center REDI leadership class
  • Canton, NY April 28-29 to present and facilitate the 2016 North Country Symposium
  • Washington, D.C. May 10 to participate on a Rural Economic Vitality panel at a rural housing policy forum sponsored by the Federal Reserve Board of Governors
Don Macke will be in...
  • Nebraska City, NE April 19-21 for a Rural Philanthropy Summit
  • Des Moines, IA April 25-26 for a training workshop with the Iowa Community Affiliate Network
  • Red Cloud, NE May 26-27 for community training events and a site visit
Don Macke Deb Markley will be in...
In This Issue
Quick Links
New Video
Watch Center leaders Don Macke and Deb Markley describe how they help communities get started in this short video. Join our YouTube channel after watching to get our newest videos!

Partner of the Month
 
As local governments in Western North Dakota struggled to deal with the Bakken oil boom that was expanding at a crisis rate and fundamentally changing the region's economic and social realities, Vision West ND was founded. Today Vision West ND continues to provide a regional and collaborative approach to creating a more prosperous region in the midst of oil boom and now a little bust. We are pleased to have been a partner with Vision West ND, producing a series of informational webinars, research reports and policy papers. To learn more about Vision West ND and our work with them, check out their website and click on the Research and Resource button. 
Board Spotlight
 
Ines Polonius is CEO of Communities Unlimited, an organization created in 2014 to bring together the services of Community Resource Group and alt.Consulting. The organization is committed to achieving "deep and lasting impact in communities" as they bring together their infrastructure services and entrepreneurial growth strategies. The Center and CU have partnered on work in Arkansas Delta communities and hope to do more work together across CU's 7-state region. 
Center for Rural Entrepreneurship
(402) 323-7336 | [email protected] |  energizingentrepreneurs.org
421 S. 9 Street, Suite 245, Lincoln, NE 68508