7. Platform for Prosperity Program Summary The Accredited Community Economic Development Organization Program Platform for Prosperity Saskatchewan Economic Development Association Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 C A P A C I T Y 1.1 Leadership 2.1 Human Resources 3.1 Partnerships & Relationships 4.1 On-Site Visitation Date 1.2 Organizational Capacity 2.2 Process Management 3.2 Communications Systems 4.2 Organizational Documentation 1.3 Financial Resources 2.3 Use of Technology P E R F O R M A N C E 1.4 Vision, Mission & Goals 2.4 Economic Development Plan 3.3 Infrastructure Capacity 4.3 Interviews 1.5 Asset Mapping 2.5 Performance Tracking System 4.4 Planning Documents 2.6 Quality of Life B U S I N E SS 1.6 Customer & Market Focus 2.7 Downtown Merchants 3.5 New Business 4.5 Tour of Community 2.8 Labour Force 3.6 Attracting New Business 4.6 Support Documents 2.9 Existing Business Retention 4.7 Marketing Materials
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20. Platform for Prosperity Resources sample surveys / examples of inter-municipal agreements / community sponsor resources checklist / free training modules / videos / sample policies / cost sharing agreement template / interactive strategic planning template / sample job descriptions / developing a strong vision / cluster networking strategies / business vitality initiative community handbook / quality of life indicators / sample planning practices / interactive mapping / community & regional statistics / investment readiness community handbook / the partnering handbook / community profiles / interactive assessment tool / visual tools for planners / sample site selection matrix www.growourregion.ca .
27. Platform for Prosperity For more information contact: Platform for Prosperity Program Celine Favreau, Project Manager Saskatchewan Economic Development Association Inc P.O. Box 113 Saskatoon, SK S7K 3K1 Ph. 306-384-5817 Fax. 306-384-5818 Email. [email_address] The Saskatchewan Economic Development Association (SEDA) The Pathfinder for Pathfinders.
Notes de l'éditeur
Good afternoon everyone, I’m happy to be here this afternoon to introduce you to Platform for Prosperity the new Accredited Community Economic Development Program which was recently launched by SEDA.
As most of you are know, the Saskatchewan Economic Development Association (SEDA) is a non-profit, member-driven provincial association of stakeholders in community economic development that was established in 19??. SEDA supports the building of sustainable communities, And we do that by providing a training program for economic development and municipal staff, including EDOs and municipal administrators; we maintain a provincial network that connects people at work in community economic development across the province; The this network gives members access to a wealth of knowledge gathered over 30 years through association with economic development organizations from across the province; And as the provincial umbrella association, SEDA strives to identify opportunities to develop strategic partnerships and investments for communities.
Being an inclusive association, SEDA members include: - municipalities with economic development departments / organizations, - First Nation communities, economic development organizations, and support agencies; - inter-municipal and regional economic development organizations; - businesses providing services and supporting the needs of economic development departments and organizations across the province; - chamber of commerce organizations; - provincial and federal departments who supply programs and service targeted at community economic development organizations; - provincial associations connected to community and/or business development. Our goal is to help our members share knowledge, foster networks, and encourage leadership.
The Saskatchewan Economic Development Association is launching this service to support municipalities in their interest to strive for excellence in the delivery of economic development services at the local level. This program is really in answer to community readiness due to the strong Saskatchewan economy and the demands at the local level by new development prospects and increased economic activity.
The program will promote the establishment of sustainable, inter-municipal community development organizations or departments mandated by council and supported with the necessary resources. This program is designed to : Help municipal leaders determine or review the level of investment they are making in economic development at the local level, and evaluate the impact of that investment; It will provide information, tools and best practices for moving a community’s economic development plan forward; And provide tools to measure that progress. Throughout the process communities will have independent, authoritative feedback on their operation, structure and procedures as a way of improving services at the local level and enhancing business and community support, by communicating tangible results to the local tax payers. .
The program is a four-tier accreditation process targeting three fundamental areas: capacity, performance and business. It is designed to compile specific information about the structure, organization, funding, staff and programs of the registered orgranization.
In building capacity, the program moves through leadership, organizational capacity and financial resources in level one to
Building or evaluating an organization’s leadership capacity through level one consists of: Assessing your organization’s support from the communities or region it serves, with active commitment from all partners; Ensuring that residents have access to a community based leadership training program; Organizational capacity is built on a formal governance structure, bylaws and policies and strong vision & mission statements. Financially an organization has adequate resources to operate an office, a sound budget, and allocates resources based on its mission and strategies.
Building or evaluating an organization’s Human Resource capacity through level two consists of: The EDO is effective at understanding and addressing the needs of prospects The organization provides opportunities for professional development and networking Building or evaluating an organization’s Process Management capacity through level two consists of: The Exec. Director has adequate control over the organization’s work process The EDO is able to respond to customers and stakeholders in a timely and effective manner Building or evaluating an organization’s Use of Technology capacity through level two consists of: The organization has access to electronic or web-based research services The organizations uses adequate communications tools for supporting staff &/or board connectivity.
Building or evaluating an organization’s Partnership & Relationship capacity through level three consists of: The organization has effective relationships with local government, community organizations, and the business community; The organization has effective relationships with other economic development organizations within the region; The organization has been able to expand its resources through relationships with alternative funding sources. Building or evaluating an organization’s Communications Systems capacity through level three consists of: The organization has a marketing plan in place; The community/organization has a website; The organization regularly updates provincial and other resource partner web sites and databases with community information; Community individuals are adequately informed on the organizations activities and projects.
Building or evaluating an organization’s Vision, Mission, Values & Goals performance through level one consists of: The organization has engaged individuals from various sectors of the community in documenting a vision, mission, values and goals; Building or evaluating an organization’s Asset Mapping performance through level one consists of: The organization has completed asset mapping at the community and regional levels, formally adopted by local government, and reviewed on a regular basis.
Building or evaluating an organization’s Economic Development Plan performance through level two consists of: The organization has a current written economic development plan that is prepared by an economic development committee, formally adopted by local government, and reviewed on a regular basis. Building or evaluating an organization’s Economic Development Strategy performance through level two consists of: The community has completed a “community profile” that includes basic information about the community; The organization has completed a Business Investment & Attraction Strategy to support business start-up and improvements; The community has completed an up to date tourism assets and marketing analysis. Building or evaluating an organization’s Performance Tracking Strategies performance through level two consists of: The organization utilizes effective performance tracking systems. Building or evaluating an organization’s Quality of Life performance through level two consists of: The organization utilizes effective quality of life tracking systems.
Building or evaluating an organization’s Infrastructure Capacity performance through level three consists of: The community / organization has completed an assessment or asset mapping of its jurisdiction; An infrastructure or capital plan is in place for the jurisdiction; The community has a database of available buildings and property for sale/ lease. The community has a comprehensive land use plan. The community has a zoning ordinance that designates an adequate supply of residential, commercial, and industrially zoned land for future development.
Building or evaluating an organization’s Customer & Market Focus success through level one consists of: The organization’s office is easy to find and centrally located within its service area; The organization is committed to acquiring professional staff effective at understanding and addressing the needs of prospects;
Building or evaluating an organization’s Downtown Merchants success through level two consists of: The organization has an active downtown program to support downtown development and revitalization; Building or evaluating an organization’s Labour Force success through level two consists of: The community has access to current labour force information. Building or evaluating an organization’s Existing Business Retention success through level two consists of: The organization has a formal BR &E strategy and / or action plan to address BR & E issues; The organization and /or Chamber of Commerce makes regular visits to business.
Building or evaluating an organization’s New Business Formation success through level three consists of: The community has an active business development program to assist new business with start-up issues; Adequate financing can be found for new business start-ups and small business expansions. Building or evaluating an organization’s Attracting New Business success through level three consists of: The organization has a marketing strategy that targets businesses most likely to locate in the community; The organization (perhaps in concert with partners) haw a business attraction program targeted towards industries that have been researched and deemed a strategic fit for the area. This is supported with an organized, trained business attraction team comprised of people from both private and public sectors.
It is designed to compile specific information about the structure, organization, funding, staff and programs of the registered organization. Once the documentational review and site visit are completed, the results of both determine whether accreditation has been earned. Participating organizations do not pass or fail the process, if a community economic development organization does not receive accreditation it is advised as to the necessary steps to be implemented, and given the information and guidance, to attain accreditation. The organization will be provided with a site team visit report with recommendations .
The program is designed to be applicable to most types of community economic development organizations whether they are a single municipal department or entity , or an inter-municipal organization . All can register for accreditation? Municipal and local economic development organizations; Regional public / private economic development partnerships; Private non-profit business associations. The program will promote the establishment of sustainable, inter-municipal community development organizations or departments mandated by council and supported with the necessary resources.
To participate in the program an organization must: Be a member in good standing with SEDA; They need to assign a contact person to the process as the single point of contact for the SEDA office; Submit a completed and signed registration form; And then submit the required documents for review upon request; Reimburse all travel and accommodation expenses of the site visit team. In alignment with the Association’s Economic Development Code of Ethics all affairs of any registered organization, and all information obtained in the course of accreditation activities, will be kept in complete confidence.
We have established links in the Platform for Prosperity materials to the Grow Our Region Website to the resources available there to assist communities to find the necessary templates or learning materials targeted in the accreditation program. Check out the site for current and future resources, it is an evolving entity, and as we learn of new materials, they will be made available on Grow Our Region, and current materials will be archived into the future.
Certificates of achievement for each level of accreditation A profile in the bi-weekly SEDA e-newsletter Links to your homepage from the SEDA & Grow Our Region websites A (what size?) profile in the SEDA Annual Membership Directory Accreditation Certification Award Plaque presented at the Annual SEDA Awards Banquet Official SEDA Press Release Exclusive use of the Platform for Prosperity logo for letterhead, promotional materials, and your website Links from your homepage to the SEDA and Grow Our Region websites
Economic development is a process, and the goal of the Accredited Community Economic Development Organization program is to outline that process, putting light on the fact that economic development is really a series of steps that build on each other to create a desired outcome. Some of the benefits of participating in the accreditation program Are recognized excellence and heightened visibility of the certified organization. And acknowledgement of the vital contribution the organization’s economic development staff are making to the economic development process. Internally the organization will see increased recognition as the lead community economic development organization, with the potential for increased public and private sector investment; Externally , certification has proven to differentiate an organization from its competitors and provides confidence in prospects that you have able leadership and active community support.
The accreditation program will: Recognize excellence in the community economic development organization. - one of the most important aspects of this program is its ability to increase the awareness and understanding of municipal leaders and volunteers involved in the economic development process to the point where they have a better understanding and ability to recognize excellence in economic development. Heighten the visibility of the community economic development organization. - Provide independent feedback on the operations of the community economic development organization. Acknowledge the vital contribution of the organization’s economic development leader/practitioner to the economic development process.
The value of accreditation internally : Increased recognition as a lead community economic development organization; - Partnerships are the foundation to a strong economic development organization, this program will help to secure new partners and raise the awareness of existing partners. Authority on economic development issues Increased public/private sector investment; - With confidence comes increased willingness to invest! Gives the community something to celebrate.
The value of accreditation externally : Differentiates the organization from its competitors; The directory profile Demonstrates mechanisms and resources; - Shows a commitment by a community that displays an understanding of the value of an investment in economic development; Provides confidence in prospects that you have able leadership and active community support. - Accreditation will not only give confidence to prospects, it raises the confidence of every member of the community and make them sales people for your organization.
we believe that there are many organizations that are likely eligible for accreditation within our membership today; The program is designed to accommodate the wide range of organizations at work here in Saskatchewan today, including newly establishing entities; Organizations do not fail or pass, SEDA will work together with a community economic development organization until accreditation is achieved; The program is designed to be flexible, parameters have been set, with our primary goal being empowering community economic development organizations to
Handouts are available including a summary of the program and a program registration form . This presentation will be made available on the Growing Sask website.
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