New Guide Star Survey Finds that Recession Continues to Hurt Nonprofit Sector
GuideStar USA, Inc., a leading source of nonprofit information, on August 16 announced the results of its first economic survey of public charity and private foundations in 2010. Over 7,000 nonprofit organizations (NPO’s) were surveyed (31 in West Virginia) and it was determined that the nonprofit sector continues to experience the effects of the recent economic downturn. The survey showed that 40% of respondents have seen a further decline in contributions in the first 5 months of this year compared to the same period in 2009. During this decline, 63% of the NPO’s have seen an increase in demand for their services.
Is Land Banking an Answer for Shrinking Cities?
There is a new planning concept circulating now that attempts to describe the multiple decades of decline and population loss that many old industrial cities have been suffering from – shrinking cities. These are areas with severe and persistent population decline that are also characterized as old, small and poor for the most part. One hundred and fifty American cities, the majority of which are in the rust belt of the Midwest, meet these criteria. The planning challenges in such areas are not the typical management of growth and expansion but rather issues like abandoned and blighted properties, stagnant economies, dispersed populations, and too much infrastructure
Growing Smarter in Rural Communities
The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) recently released a report titled “Putting Smart Growth to Work in Rural Communities”. The piece is intended to provide rural communities with information on how to balance competing demands by supporting rural landscapes, helping existing places thrive, and creating new places.
Debate Over The Creative Class
We recently came across this thought provoking article about Richard Florida’s work and the notion of a “Creative Class”. Most professionals in the economic development field will tell you that there is no silver bullet for turning around local economies and that many of today’s approaches become tomorrow’s fads. There is no one-size fits all approach.
Protecting Land Through Conservation Easements
TEA has been fortunate to have the West Virginia Land Trust (WVLT) as a client for many years now. Our role has been to help support and further the mission of the organization to protect special places in WV through voluntary conservation easements. The WVLT is a private non-profit organization that actively works to conserve land by undertaking or assisting with direct land transactions – primarily the acceptance of donation of conservation easements or land. There are several land trusts currently operating in WV which vary greatly in scope and scale, but the WVLT is the only statewide land trust. All land trusts, however, share the common mission of working cooperatively with land owners to protect and conserve land for its natural, recreational, scenic, historic, or productive value.