Sustaining a Legacy

Indicator Project

Community Indicators Consortium

2014 Impact Summit

About JCCI Core Fundamentals

Jacksonville-based civic non-profit organization

Began in 1974 – celebrating 40 years of community engagement for civic change

Bring residents together to learn about community issues, engage in problem-solving, and act to make a difference

Community improvement and quality of life

Neutral, “safe” ground for public discourse

Shared learning

Citizen leaders

Nimble process

Responsive to change in the community over time

Quality of Life Progress Report~the basics ~

Launched in 1985 in response to a request from the city’s chamber of commerce.

Longest running, most consistently published community indicators report in the world.

Process: Utilizes a volunteer committee of residents each year to review all indicators and identify key indicators that tell Jacksonville’s story.

Quality of Life Progress Report~transformation~

Report has changed from lengthy printed document, to a smaller print format. Audience is directed to data site.

Alignment with JAX2025 visioning effort. Content transformation:

Access & Transparency

What data is “important?”What do we do with the data?

Source: www.markramseymedia.com/2012/11/is-radio-relevant/

ResourcesResponsive

Results

Challenges: the 4 “R’s”

Relevance

Resources

ChallengeEnsuring

Sustainability

Obtaining and sustaining the resources needed

Staff capacity (time, knowledge, number of staff) is limited

Funding for change

• Use networks and existing community, corporate, and political leadership – as well as new media leaders

• Leverage congruent initiatives

? ✓

Relevancy

ChallengeEnsuring

Sustainability

Indicator project is no longer connected to or appropriate for the community

Lacks meaning

Has become irrelevant to or ignored by community

Institutionalize the report and publish it at the same time each year so that it’s content becomes reliable

Community stakeholders on review committee, include a marketing professional

? ✓

Results

ChallengeEnsuring

Sustainability

Project is not action-oriented; results cannot or are note translated in to action

Not achieving community buy-in

Not achieving results

Cultivate ownership

◦ “They Should”

◦ “You Can”

◦ “I Will”

Engage existing community, corporate, and political leadership in a meaningful way

? ✓

Responsive

ChallengeEnsuring

Sustainability

Not changing over time

Perceptions versus what is actually going on in the community

Not meeting the community “where they’re at”

Engage the community: what do they want to measure and why

Facilitate two-way information sharing and ongoing communications

Pay attention and be involved

? ✓

Susan Cohnsusan@jcci.org / (904) 396-3052