Connected Communities
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| The Connected Communities Initiative helps community leaders and citizens create a ‘roadmap’ to make southwest Minnesota communities places where growing numbers of people choose to live and work. |
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The Connected Communities Initiative is a Southwest Initiative Foundation (SWIF) program that helps leaders and teams, nonprofit organizations, and other sectors of community improve their communities through training opportunities, leadership and development efforts. The Initiative is based on the core belief that good leadership, citizen engagement, capitalizing on our local and regional assets, and connecting resources within the communities and region will make southwest Minnesota a place where growing numbers of people choose to live and work.
The Connected Communities Initiative has four components:
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Connected Communities Partnership (CCP)
CCP Purpose:
Communities that are selected to participate in the Connected Communities Partnership receive a long-term commitment from SWIF to help them plan for the future. CCP brings together a broad base of community leaders and citizens to identify and implement high impact opportunities to make their community an even more desirable place to live.
CCP Focus:
CCP is designed to achieve high impact change at the individual, team, and community levels, with an emphasis placed on tangible community outcomes. CCP aims to create compelling improvements that substantially impact the quality of community life and that are recognizable by both existing residents and potential newcomers.
CCP helps communities identify their strengths and how to build on them in the context of what neighboring communities and the region have to offer. This approach deepens the community’s sense of place and understanding of how to succeed within and beyond its surrounding area.
Eligibility:
Eligible communities are within the 18 counties of SWIF’s service area and have fewer than 6,000 people. Communities must demonstrate signs of readiness, commitment, and the ability to fulfill CCP requirements at each stage of the process. Two communities per year, one in the fall and another in the spring, will be selected as CCP communities.
SWIF Commitment:
Each CCP community is provided a SWIF staff member to guide them through the process, high quality trainers and facilitators, technical assistance, and grants up to $5,000 to cover training and convening expenses and grants up to $15,000 to implement high impact projects. (See our Program Grants page for more information.)
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Nonprofit Leadership and Development
Recognizing the value that nonprofit organizations play in their communities, we are modifying SWIF’s former Nonprofit Management Institute and Technical Assistance Program to one that provides training and educational opportunities on topics that will increase the organizational capacity of nonprofits.
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Regional Education, Training, and Networking
To prepare and equip individual leaders throughout southwest Minnesota, SWIF will host and convene networking and training opportunities on relevant community development topics such as: Leadership 101, Appreciative Inquiry, and ABCD (Asset-Based Community Development).
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Community Development and Leadership Toolbox
We are currently developing a toolbox of resources, best practices, and a list of approved consultants that will be made available on this Web site within the coming year to assist communities with economic and community development efforts.
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