Communication

Purpose: Communicate why Stillwater’s development is important. Not what but why.
Pride: What are Stillwater’s strengths? What community development opportunities can leverage existing strengths?
Passion: We can no longer survive on the efforts and generosity of few. Community development will require mobilization of more than the usual suspects.

Governance

Define Expectations: Establish measurable goals for key projects. Extensive projects require persistence achieved through accountability-creating goals.
Empower: Establish community development parameters. Engaged leaders will achieve within the parameters.
Measure Results: Community development success must be realistic. It will never fulfill all expectations. Focus on the greater good.

Entrepreneurship

Learn from Failure: Determine why past efforts failed. Use failure as a learning experience and improve.
Embrace change: Without a willingness to embrace change, Stillwater’s future is uncertain.
Build the team: Being highly-skilled team builders is critical to community development success.

Investment

Articulate long-term benefits of community development projects. If businesses will “invest” in community development projects today, they will reap the benefits in the future.
Identify projects that when completed will create momentum for additional community development and generate reciprocal funding.
Focus on strategic partnerships that will provide the opportunity to leverage federal and state funding sources.