Creating a New Strategic Vision for the N.C. Rural Center

MDC worked with the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center  to craft a new strategic vision for an organization that provided support to and a voice for Rural North Carolinians for more than 30 years.

MDC had helped craft the plan that created the Rural Center in the late 1980s and was invited to  help the Center at a critical point in its history make important decisions on how best to use its resources to meet the needs of those living in rural North Carolina.

MDC solicited the input of rural experts and communities throughout the state to help the Rural Center create an effective vision in response to its new circumstances. Activities included:

• A statewide survey to better understand the critical issues facing rural communities.
• A series of roundtables in rural communities aimed at soliciting input from rural residents on how the Center can best meet their needs.
• Interviews with more than 60 partners of the Rural Center.
• Convenings of experts to discuss issues of high-importance to rural communities.
• Strategic visioning sessions with Rural Center staff and the Board of Directors.

MDC  presented the new strategic vision created through the process at the Center’s annual meeting.