Outside of the Box Community Strategies

COMMUNITY VIABILITY: Innovation vs the Status Quo

• • The status quo is built upon predetermined 'boxes'
  • Foundations and agencies target 'boxes' for their grants
  • If you think outside of the box, by definition, you are ineligible for ‘box’ funding.
  • Evolution can be contained in a 'box' but real innovation, cannot be; it is unfundable.

This does not negate the great work that has been done within the silos but it does explain why some significant issues have deteriorated for y ears.

For many years, Tele-Commuter Resources has been committed to integrating the rural and urban economies and therefore restore the social support network to the farmers via revitalized small town America. It has been impossible to fit a comprehensive, Information Age concept into the narrow funding boxes available. Our deferred investment is in the millions.

Our unfunded efforts are considerable:

• • Minnesota's first comprehensive development plan which would impact 2/3 of the small towns in the five state service area
  • Community Viability Index to identify common challenges which are addressed by the IAC and then a budgeting process to coordinate funding investments to maximize their impact
  • Outreach tools to create and apply a Community Voice to restore common sense to the discussion
  • recruitment of a volunteer team of 20, mostly with master degrees
  • four patents and a book
  • and a lot more

This shift from plan development to implementation has created a fiscal crisis, which if not addressed by the community, will have serious challenges for the organization