Abstract
As important as community indicators projects can be to a region’s health and prosperity, they do not come with built-in revenue streams. This chapter explores how operations can be sustained based on the model established in Twin Cities Compass, a regional project covering the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area in Minnesota, USA (population 2.8 million). The model consists of grant-funded “core” operations, supplemented by project-related contractual work. The case study presents budgetary information, discusses eight strategies used to develop and maintain an audience, provides examples of project-related contractual work, and closes with lessons learned while developing the model.
This chapter was written by the staff of Twin Cities Compass at Wilder Research, a division of the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation: Craig Helmstetter, Ph.D., Consulting Scientist, Paul Mattessich, Ph.D., Executive Director (and Compass project director), Andi Egbert, Research Associate, Susan Brower, Research Associate, Nancy Hartzler, Communications Manager, Jennifer Franklin, Communications Specialist, and Bryan Lloyd, Associate Information Technology Manager. An earlier version of this chapter was presented at the Community Indicators Consortium’s 2009 International Conference in Bellevue, Washington, USA. Contact: Craig Helmstetter (craig.helmstetter@wilder.org; 651-280-2700).
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Notes
- 1.
- 2.
See http://www.bostonindicators.org/IndicatorsProject/ (Last accessed 2009, December 16). Also see Kahn (2006).
- 3.
Brookings Institution (2005).
- 4.
For example, Editorial: Charting a course – with facts (2009, November 18)
- 5.
See http://www.mnplan.state.mn.us/mm/ (Last accessed 2009, December 16) or Minnesota Planning (1998).
- 6.
- 7.
- 8.
- 9.
- 10.
Midmorning on Minnesota Public Radio (“The measure of poverty,” 2009, September 11). Commentary: Helmstetter (2009).
- 11.
Close the Gap (based on Sohmer, Jackson, Katz, Liu, & Warren (2005)), produced by Twin Cities Public Television in partnership with the Itasca project and Challenging Expectations produced by Twin Cities Public Television in partnership with Travelers Foundation.
- 12.
For a detailed discussion of printed community indicators reports, including costs and revenues, see Holden (2006, pp. 184–188).
- 13.
The Executive Summary http://execsum.blogspot.com/
- 14.
- 15.
- 16.
- 17.
Hennepin County (2006).
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Helmstetter, C. et al. (2011). Sustaining the Operations of Community Indicators Projects: The Case of Twin Cities Compass. In: Sirgy, M., Phillips, R., Rahtz, D. (eds) Community Quality-of-Life Indicators: Best Cases V. Community Quality-of-Life Indicators, vol 3. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0535-7_3
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