Sustainable Growth: 4 Considerations for Associations
After a few volatile years, membership rates are on the rise for associations. In 2022, 43% of associations reported new member growth, a hefty increase from 2021’s metrics of 29%. In the wake of this new trend, associations must work to secure more members and drive growth. Some of the keys to reaching and recruiting […]
Tom’s Takeaways in 2023: A Year of New OVP’s
It’s been quite a year for Convergent and we are rolling into 2024 with a full head of steam. As some of you know, for all of our more traditional campaigns, we develop what we call an Organizational Value Proposition®, or OVP. For clients engaged in economic development activities, we move to a more straight […]
Nonprofits Turn Focus to Housing Crisis
Nonprofit organizations exist to provide a benefit to local communities and the public, often associated with charitable, educational, religious or scientific intentions. As stakeholders and significant drivers of community development in their areas, nonprofit organizations have begun to hone in on housing shortages. Individuals and families are finding the ability to afford suitable housing more […]
Address Housing Shortage through Economic Development Strategies
Putting plans in place requires the actual fundraising itself. Chambers of Commerce and Economic Development Organizations (EDO) can pursue numerous avenues to meet fundraising goals. Most economic developers can utilize the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program to access grants to develop viable communities by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment and expanding […]
Webinar “Innovative Solutions to Address the Growing Housing Crisis” hosted by SEDC
Housing is critical to successful economic development in all communities. According to the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development housing starts in August fell 11.3% from July 2023. Meanwhile, the Federal Government has raised interest rates to combat inflation, which has compounded our housing affordability crisis. #American South leaders will convene on […]
6 Actionable Tips to Improve Your Website’s Accessibility
In today’s digital age, the popularity of online giving is skyrocketing, and your nonprofit can’t afford to have an inaccessible website. A WebAIM study of the top 1 million websites found that 96.3% of homepages had WCAG 2 failures, and if your nonprofit falls into this category, you could be missing out on traffic and […]