Strategic Direction


The Florida Alliance for Community Solutions, Inc. will be the catalyst for a strong, vibrant and effective community economic development industry in Florida. Our message is that community economic development encompasses all activities that improve financial assets for individuals, families, and communities including, but not limited to, housing development, commercial enterprise, small business incubation, health, education, job creation and workforce development. We will work to:

  • Advocate on behalf of our members and their communities for a more favorable policy environment that advances community prosperity.
  • Grow our membership and diversify our services to increase member capability for meaningful and impactful community economic development activities and advocacy work across the state.
  • Shift the mindset of policymakers, corporate leaders, philanthropists and other partners to embrace a more holistic approach to community economic development.
  • Support institutional and systemic changes that lessen the burdens of government, eliminate prejudice and discrimination and combat community deterioration.
  •  Become financially sustainable with a variety of funding sources supporting our mission.

Goals

  • Provide access to a robust continuum of programs and services that increase program effectiveness, financial viability and understanding of the work of member organizations.
  •  Make membership and active participation in the Alliance a valued, essential component of community economic development organizational success.
  • Develop an earned income strategy that creates a steady source of discretionary funding to support our strategic plan.
  • Have a strong, capable, dedicated, diverse Board of Directors and staff and efficient infrastructure.

Core Operating Values

  • Innovation & Excellence: We are a continuous source of vision, inspiration, innovation and constructive influence for the good of the entire community economic development industry, promoting the use of data- and evidence-based practices that create effective and lasting results.
  • Respect, Dignity and Courage: We treat everyone fairly, and support risk taking and learning from our mistakes in ways that set a positive example and standard for our industry.
  • Self-Reliance: We are responsible for our own success or failure and actively work to ensure our sustainability.
  • Stewardship: We operate with the highest standard of integrity and act as a model for responsible management and use of human and financial resources.
  • Strategic Partnerships: We collaborate to strengthen our work, provide a vehicle for reaching new audiences and create a cohesive voice for improving financial well-being of individuals, families and communities.
  • Transparency & Accountability: We report financial and performance data truthfully, fully disclose relationships and transactions to mitigate conflicts of interest and share our operating practices to increase engagement with our members and stakeholders.

Guiding Principles and Beliefs

  • All individuals deserve a sufficient level of financial stability.
  • Improving individual, family and community financial well-being requires a holistic approach involving many partners.
  • Change in small strategic steps leads to broad long-term results.
  • Community economic development organization agendas must be driven by the needs of people and communities that benefit most from improving their financial situation.
  • Financial support for community economic development must flow from new business opportunities for earned income.
  • Nonprofit organization success requires intentional development of strong leadership, effective management and financial acumen. Differentiated lines of business and multi-faceted investment strategies reduce risk.
  • Established industry standards provide an invaluable guiding framework for effective leadership and management of nonprofit organizations.
  • Established industry standards also provide an invaluable guiding framework for informed decision-making by funders and partners.