Tax Referendum Increases Interest In Public Sector Fundraising; Equals Two New STELLAR Clients

A recently passed Tax Limitation Referendum in Florida has generated new interest among municipalities in raising funds to support public services. Amendment One, which passed with nearly 65% voter approval, provides tax relief to homeowners in Florida but will also reduce the amount of property tax revenues paid to communities.

STELLAR is already seeing the effects of this new law as we have already been retained by the cities of Arcadia, FL and Jacksonville, FL to explore fundraising initiatives that will offset the reduced tax revenues.

The City of Jacksonville has instituted new fees to make up some of the difference, is cutting some spending, but still has a revenue shortfall. In an attempt to find creative ways to raise revenue, city officials with the Parks and Recreation Department have selected STELLAR Fundraising to develop a master fundraising plan to meet the city’s many needs in its parks and recreation facilities. STELLAR will interview key stakeholders and develop an appropriate fundraising strategy for the Parks and Recreation Department, which STELLAR hopes to implement.

The Arcadia All-Florida Championship Rodeo is a non-profit organization that was established in 1952 by the Arcadia Rodeo Association, which evolved from a group of American Legion Members who held the first rodeo in 1929. It is the oldest rodeo organization in the state of Florida and has provided tens of thousands of dollars to local and national charities and scholarships to local deserving high school students.

On August 13th, 2004 the arena was severely damaged by hurricane "Charley" and rendered unusable. The Association has developed plans and cost estimates on repairing and enhancing the existing facility. In addition, the Association has developed an alternative plan to replace the entire existing facilities with new state-of-the art facilities that would allow the Association to expand its entertainment, economic development and youth development activities.

The city has engaged STELLAR to conduct an in-depth Feasibility Study to assess fundraising opportunities, as well as to identify project support at the local and state levels. STELLAR Sr. VP and Former Florida State Senator George Stuart will lead the study to rebuild this Florida treasure.

STELLAR Founder to Moderate ED Panel at ACCE

STELLAR Founder, CEO and SME Terry J. Cusack will moderate an important panel discussion on Economic Development at the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) upcoming Annual Convention in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

ACCE’s expanding programming role in economic development will be front and center at the conference as part of the overall program, as has been called for by much of the ACCE membership for years. “I’m honored that ACCE would reach out to the STELLAR Team and me personally to moderate such a cornerstone session as economic development marketing. That’s most certainly the underpinning for most of the Chamber and ED programs we raise big money for across the country for organizations both large and small,” said STELLAR Founder, CEO and SME Terry J. Cusack.

Special thanks to Chris Mead and Mick Fleming for the opportunity and for all the hard work they put into the ACCE conferences, we’re not sure how they do it, but the ACCE conferences truly get better and better each year! Way to go guys and to all the ACCE staff.

This year’s conference promises to be on of the most informative ACCE conferences ever. In 2008, ACCE is offering engaging educational workshops, first-rate keynote speakers, more networking opportunities and more time to visit exhibitors. You will also experience more diverse ways of learning from the experts and your peers at the Destination: Innovation Hall — much more than an exhibition hall, this exciting new setting will serve as the hub of the convention! Here you can:

• Visit the largest gathering of chamber exhibitors in the world.
• Participate in small-group meetings with site location consultants.
• Attend active learning programs in three theatre settings; pick from nine different sessions each day.
• Connect with your peers working in every discipline of chamber management from communications to membership to economic development. • Learn about new products and technologies in demo rooms.
• Meet with ad-hoc committees in conference rooms.
• Gather in specially outfitted casual lounges.

The convention is being held in Pittsburgh which is currently ranked as the #1 most livable city in the United States. Its success embodies the ideals that chamber leaders strive for every day. Join us in celebrating the city’s 250th anniversary, bring your best ideas, and open yourself up to the possibilities. Make plans now to join STELLAR and your peers in Pittsburgh, July 30 – August 2, for ACCE Convention 2008! Register online at www.acce.org/convention.

The Best of the Economic Development Blogs

Our friends at Development Counselors International, (DCI) recently joined the blogosphere and identified others worthy of a look by professional economic developers.

DCI’s staff of 42 "place marketing" professionals post continuing commentary on new trends and best practices in both economic development and travel marketing at DCI Dialogue. It also offers "The Just In", an alert to economic development-related stories in top tier publications like The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Time and The Economist. You can sign up for the RSS feed or simply ask to have your name added to their email distribution list.

"There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other ED Pros who are doing it.” That's how Ed Morrison, a seasoned consultant now associated with Purdue Center for Regional Development, designed "ED Pro" which also offers a paid “Premium Content” section.

Economic Development Marketing has been providing a unique forum for place marketing discussion since 2006. It has a knack for picking out the news pieces that pique the interest of ED ers everywhere. By bringing together articles from such a wide variety of sources, it has created a comprehensive resource that is quickly becoming a ‘must read’ for any place marketing professional. You can also sign up to receive Place Marketing, a leading source of timely information on the latest trends and practices in marketing places. Click here to begin receiving your personal copy delivered to your desktop.

Thanks to DCI for sharing the best of the blogosphere's with STELLAR!

STELLAR Adds New Team Member

STELLAR is pleased to announce the appointment of Thomas E. McKeon, JD to the position of Vice President and Senior Consultant. With thirty years of experience, Thomas has an outstanding record of leadership in bringing people and organizations together.

As an on-site campaign director, Thomas will be responsible for designing and administering feasibility studies, developing strategic plans, and then implementing a focused campaign. Throughout the process, he will work directly with clients, volunteer leaders, major investors and individual donors.

Thomas started his career in the financial management side of an investment brokerage firm in Boston, Massachusetts. He later moved to Hartford, Connecticut to establish a money management business. On return to metropolitan Boston, Thomas used his financial systems knowledge in serving the customers of both banking and software organizations. In addition to introducing new management processes and technology to organizations, Thomas excels in bringing the diverse interests of businesses and their clients together.

Thomas holds a BSBA degree from (Business Administration and Economics) from St. Louis University and a JD from the Massachusetts School of Law. He has worked in progressively responsible positions in the financial services and computer industries. As an entrepreneur, he created and managed a successful service industry business.

Thomas has spent much of his life in the northeast and maintains many close personal relationships within the region. He makes his home in metropolitan Boston, Massachusetts and is involved in a number of community and civic organizations. Welcome, Tom!

Arms race’ for Economic Development Money Underway Among Midwest States

According to a six-state study of spending patterns by the Hugo Wall School of Urban and Public Affairs at Wichita State University, Oklahoma and Iowa are spending a lot more on economic development than state governments in Kansas or Missouri.

“Oklahoma and Iowa have been leapfrogging everyone else the last two years,” said John D. Wong, a professor at the school.

The study found that between 1989 and 2007 state government in Oklahoma spent more than $230 million on expanding its economy and enhancing the business climate. During the same period, Iowa budgeted $222 million, Kansas allocated more than $98 million and Missouri budgeted $113 million.

On a per-capita basis, Iowa was first at $74.52 while Kansas was third at $35.69, behind Iowa and Oklahoma. Missouri was fifth in per-capita spending at $19.37, just ahead of last-place Nebraska.

Wong described such spending as an “arms race” among the states. “If you don’t spend the money, you won’t be competitive,” he said. He said small states such as Kansas need to focus their economic development money on areas where they have an advantage already.

NOTE: These results come as no surprise to the STELLAR Team. We’ve been very busy in Iowa over the last couple of years, STELLAR recently completed two very successful campaigns in Iowa, One in Iowa City, Iowa for ICAD and its President Joe Raso. The other was for The Cedar Valley Alliance and its President Steve Dust, and both campaign’s exceeded their goals and the organizations are led and staffed by extremely competent professionals who are focused on growing their part of Iowa.

STELLAR Attends IEDC Leadership Conference

Congratulations to Jeff Finkle, Jeff Stone and the entire International Economic Development Council (IEDC) team for another outstanding event at the 2008 IEDC Leadership Forum in Orlando, FL. STELLAR was proud to once again sponsor this great learning and networking event. STELLAR Founder, CEO and SME Terry J. Cusack was on hand to answer questions and lend a hand to STELLAR clients in attendance, as was new STELLAR President Laurie Traynor.

The 2008 Leadership Summit offered senior managers and Certified Economic Developers (CECD's) three days of high-level networking, professional development, and insight from thought-provoking speakers on the role of partnerships between economic development leaders and the communities with whom they work.

Based on the feedback that we heard, some great ideas surfaced in the sessions or from networking during the conference. Like most people, though, we all need funding to implement those great ideas. STELLAR can help bring those ideas to life. To learn more about the STELLAR team, and what we can do for your organization, visit our website at www.stellarfundraising.com, or give us a call at the number below.

In the meantime, all of us at STELLAR look forward to seeing you again at this year's IEDC Annual Conference in Atlanta, Georgia October 19th to the 22nd, 2008.

And remember: MAKE NO SMALL PLANS!

To receive your free STELLAR Info Kit, email us at info@stellarfundraising.com or call me personally at 888-897-4667 to discuss what good things you could do for your community with two, three or four times more budget! In the meantime, please be sure to check out our brand new interactive web site at www.STELLARfundraising.com and see which of your peers have chosen STELLAR as their fundraising counsel.

Please Remember, Make No Small Plans.

Terry J. Cusack

Founder & CEO
STELLAR Fundraising Executives, Inc.