Blog | Resource Development Group

Jan 20
3 min

RDG's Interview Series

RDG's INTERVIEW SERIES A Conversation with Dr. Anna Lebesch about Talent Development By RDG Principal Clint Nessmith Resource Development Group's relationship with JAXUSA Partnership dates back to the early 1990s when eventual RDG co-founder, Mike Trubiano, managed the first funding campaign for the organization that was then known as Cornerstone. Since then, we have had the pleasure of witnessing first-hand as this organization has become one of the top-performing economic d

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Does the Rising Tide Really Lift Everyone’s Boat?

Rob Radcliff

Jun 24, 2020
3 min

Does the Rising Tide Really Lift Everyone’s Boat?

These are truly unique times in which we are living: global pandemic, renewed focus on systemic racism and economic disparity, generational economic upheaval and the ensuing instability and uncertainty about our future. It reminds me that many of our problems are not new and the solutions are long overdue. Just today I read an article highlighting a report issued this past week titled, “White Supremacy as Pre-existing Condition: Eight Solutions to Ensure Economic Recovery R

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The COVID-19 Wake-Up Call – Is it all Bad?

Rob Radcliff

May 26, 2020
4 min

The COVID-19 Wake-Up Call – Is it all Bad?

This week we are expanding our normal commentary on the intersection of life and economic development funding to look a bit more broadly at how our behavior impacts the world in which we live. Our interests span much more than raising money and with many of us trying to figure out the new normal, we are all searching for the positives that may come from this mess in which we currently find ourselves. The COVID-19 Wake-Up Call – Is it all Bad? By Doug Radcliff, RDG Director of

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Lotteries, Risk, and Infectious Diseases.

Beth Pulliam

May 14, 2020
3 min

Lotteries, Risk, and Infectious Diseases.

By RDG Principal Beth Pulliam A few weeks ago, an organization known as Stop Predatory Gambling requested lottery betting to be immediately shut down in the US until at least 30 days after stimulus payments are received. Reported in the Wall Street Journal, the ARTICLE reminds us that humans like to take risks. Think about it: speeding, dating, stock trading, sitting underneath a tree hosting birds (current situation as I write this). If you are not convinced of our proclivit

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Rob Radcliff

May 4, 2020
3 min

WHY DOESN’T CONGRESS LIKE THE 501(c)6?

If your corporate structure happens to be as a 501(c)6, that headline probably got your attention. In a recent POLL RDG conducted, 70% of the organizations surveyed were structured solely as a 501(c)6. More surprisingly, only 10% had both a 501(c)6 AND 501(c)3. Admittedly, this was not a scientific survey, however, the results are still instructive given one of the current issues facing Chamber’s and EDO’s today; namely, the exclusion of 501(c)6 organizations from the Paychec

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LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE GREAT RECESSION

Rob Radcliff

Apr 24, 2020
3 min

LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE GREAT RECESSION

Do you read The Hustle? It’s an online subscription news service that offers an edgier dive into the topics of the day. Mike and I have been subscribers for a number of years and recently were interviewed as part of an article on small businesses that made it through the great recession (LINK HERE). Admittedly, that’s a time we try to forget most days, but the exercise offered an opportunity to think about some very important lessons learned that still apply today. We thou

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Funding Your Work In Uncertain Times – Part Two!

Rob Radcliff

Apr 14, 2020
3 min

Funding Your Work In Uncertain Times – Part Two!

First off, I hope everyone is healthy and safe right now. This is an uncertain time for us all and the most important thing we can do is take care of ourselves. I for one am “sheltering in place” in our home near Hendersonville, NC; up in the beautiful Western NC mountains, somewhat isolated from the major urban areas. Not immune by any means but in a place where let’s just say it’s easier to shelter in place. Too busy to read it all? I get it. Here’s the nutshell: In this

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Rob Radcliff

Apr 10, 2020
1 min

Panoptic or Myopic?

I recently heard a comment that really stuck with me: We see what we dare to see. When I first heard this, I wasn’t exactly sure what the speaker was trying to convey, but then it hit me; our own optics limit or expand our respective views of the world. How positive or negative we tend to be – confidence versus pessimism, encouraging versus discouraging – all flow from our individual lenses. We see what we dare to see! The statement is profound in its simplicity. If we can’t

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Rob Radcliff

Apr 10, 2020
2 min

Collaboration Pays Off BIG!

Earlier this year, JP Morgan Chase announced the winners (see here) in their most recent round of Advancing Cities funding, which included five recipient communities receiving a total of $15 million. It’s an impressive display of a corporation putting their money where their mouth is when it comes to encouraging innovative and collaborative approaches to problem solving in major urban centers around the country. What does this latest round of funding (stay positive, there wil

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Rob Radcliff

Apr 1, 2020
2 min

Funding Your Work In Uncertain Times

As EDOs look to their budgets over the next few months, determining the proper course of action will be challenging to say the least. We believe real answers are going to come from experience and creativity, not necessarily process and fundamentals. We also believe that once we maneuver our way through triage, this will become an incredible time for industry innovation so the companies and organizations thinking that way now, will be better positioned to prosper in the futu

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Rob Radcliff

Jun 12, 2019
2 min

We Can All Learn Something From Tiger

Tiger’s back! That was the headline a little over a month ago when Tiger Woods won the Masters, his first major championship since 2008. His struggles, both professional and personal, have been well documented over the past decade as has his quest to reinvent his golf game via physical and mental resets. While I am not a huge golf or Tiger Woods fan, I do have a deep appreciation for the work ethic and intestinal fortitude required to be a world-class athlete so I was intrigu

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RDG Celebrates Economic Development Week 2019!

Rob Radcliff

May 6, 2019
2 min

RDG Celebrates Economic Development Week 2019!

Happy fourth annual Economic Development Week! Economic Development Week was created by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) in 2016 to bring awareness to the industry and its critical role in the success of communities large and small. RDG has the privilege of engaging with many of these organizations throughout the country and we see first hand the work being done to educate their communities on what they’re doing to create jobs, bring growth to their regio

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Rob Radcliff

Apr 15, 2019
3 min

One Size Does Not Fit All

In my role as behind-the-scenes design “expert” for RDG, I am the chief Principal responsible for making our proposal responses to RFPs look the part. I am also involved in many of RDG’s projects simultaneously. As a result, I see just how different each engagement develops over time and ends up serving our respective clients, each sharing similar tenets, but in the end, taking shape as its own unique case. I’ve thought a lot about this over the last few months as we have tru

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Infrastructure, Transportation and Housing, Oh My…!

Clint Nessmith

Mar 12, 2019
3 min

Infrastructure, Transportation and Housing, Oh My…!

I live in Statesboro, GA, a small college town close to Savannah. Despite our relatively small size, Statesboro’s most pressing challenges mirror the issues that I see the communities of RDG’s largest major metro clients grappling with. This was hammered home over the weekend when my amazing wife and I attended the Mayor’s Ball where our mayor, a host of community volunteers, and Chamber leadership offered a call to action for addressing inclusive economic development, transp

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Planning Now Translates To Future Fundraising Success

Rob Radcliff

Dec 14, 2018
3 min

Planning Now Translates To Future Fundraising Success

A few months ago, I had the pleasure of joining a panel at IEDC’s Annual Conference in Atlanta where my role was to speak about the preparation work that Chambers and EDOs should undertake BEFORE launching a funding campaign. I focused on the importance of taking the time to develop a multi-year strategy that casts a vision for the organization and the community in collaboration with private and public sector investors and partners. The plan developed should offer strategies

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“That Which We Share In Common Is Stronger Than Our Differences”

Rob Radcliff

Nov 27, 2018
2 min

“That Which We Share In Common Is Stronger Than Our Differences”

I wish I had said that, but I didn’t. It’s a quote from Chris Bradley, a long-time Columbus, Ohio weatherman who is dying of leukemia. A dog loving husband and father of two, he is now on hospice care and yet continues to inspire with his deep faith and positive outlook for the future. Let that be a lesson for all of us. I know it is for me. Chris is worth knowing (Learn more here) as he has touched the lives of so many in C-bus for over two decades. He’s a testament to u

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How Do We Prepare For The Next Recession?

Rob Radcliff

Oct 16, 2018
2 min

How Do We Prepare For The Next Recession?

From the most recent Economist: “The world should start preparing for the next recession while it still can” We are ten years removed from the global downturn of 2008, and while we have experienced unprecedented economic growth in the decade since, those words sent a chill down my spine when I read them earlier today. Clearly, the next recession is not an “if” but a “when”. As I watched the market tank for yet another day, I asked myself three questions: How soon? How ready a

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Investor Retention: The One Thing Everyone Must Do

Rob Radcliff

Sep 19, 2018
2 min

Investor Retention: The One Thing Everyone Must Do

So you just raised a bunch of money to fund your organization for the next three years. Or maybe you raised a new pot of money to use towards special projects. You spent at least half of your year meeting with current investors and new investors asking them for their participation and you poured a lot of energy into creating a program of work that they could buy into, that promises a strong future for your community. Hooray! We’re done, right? Absolutely not. I hate to break

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Michael Trubiano

Jun 13, 2018
3 min

Hidden Talent

You never know what you might discover in your backyard. I’m a Bruce Springsteen fan. Recently my wife and I went to NYC to see him on Broadway. Maybe 1,000 people in the theatre and he was fantastic. It wasn’t a full-blown concert but rather Bruce alone on stage for the most part, walking you through his life, story telling and offering the impetus to many of his songs lyrics……and of course playing his music. He is quite a story teller and he talked about the good times and

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Rob Radcliff

Apr 4, 2018
5 min

My Birthday Wish

Today is the 30th anniversary of my 30th birthday! Another milestone; one step closer to the next phase of my journey. So, I apologize in advance if this is too long, too random, too much free-flowing stream of consciousness and not your normal feel good about everything kind of a blog. Bear with me, there is a point! Birthdays are always interesting for me. No longer a big celebration they are more a time to reflect and project — reflect on where I’ve been and project whe

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