The informative report on “Philanthropy’s Rural Blind Spot” by Robert Atkins, Sarah Allred & Daniel Hart, in the Spring 2021 Stanford Social Innovation focuses on the lack of philanthropic support for rural areas in New Jersey. It also rightly acknowledges that that imbalance exists nationwide. The pandemic has intensified the challenges that many of our nonprofit organizations face in funding local programs and services for residents already struggling with social and economic needs. Other nonprofits involved in community and business development have seen traditional funding sources dry up as events and other revenue-generating programs no longer exist. To help Appalachian ...
Read More

There seems to be a lot of advice about what to do when life throws you a curveball. And for someone like me, who is a planner, the unknown - and subsequent uncertainty of what the next month or year holds - can be unsettling. While vaccination is certainly providing hope to overcoming the pandemic, we certainly aren't out of the woods yet - and many organizations across the country still face closures or are at risk of survival. The pandemic, and other crises, taught me that information is power. It helps us to navigate uncharted waters and make better ...
Read More

The current COVID-19 crisis has elevated the question about how organizations should be funded to market destinations, particularly in the U.S. Typically, destination marketing organizations (DMOs, sometimes called Convention & Visitors Bureaus) are funded through an accommodations or occupancy tax - an amount added to each visitor's stay at a recognized lodging property (hotel, motel, Airbnb, VRBO, cabin, etc.) that is collected by state revenue offices and then dispersed back to the destination's county or city for allocation of funds to a designated DMO. As much of the world continues to shelter at home, many DMOs are turning their attention ...
Read More