The comprehensive development sought by Southern is fundamentally a local institution-building process that requires the emergences of community organizations with sufficient capacity and structure to provide for (i) a broad and inclusive vision for community change, (ii) creation of sufficient planning systems and structure that ensure sustainability of the community vision and development of reasonable action steps, (iii) financial capacity, and (iv) staff talent to manage long-term and multi-faceted development processes. 

The process of strategic planning allows residents to come together, communicate with each other, identify common needs and priorities and then agree to implement them together.  If used properly, the process also stimulates social change.  Southern believes that social change evolves through hands-on experience, program activities, and personal interaction between people of different backgrounds. 

Once strategic community plans are adopted, Southern begins a concentrated effort to obtain local, state, and national endorsements for the plan.  These endorsements, in conjunction with Southern’s own resources and Southern’s existing relationships with various philanthropic foundations, corporations, and state and federal government agencies, allow Southern to assist the community in attaching financial capacity to the action steps of the strategic community plan.  The totality of this process is designed to produce results—tangible results that revitalize communities. 

For details of community planning processes that Southern is facilitating, follow the links below:

• Delta Bridge Project
• Clark County Strategic Plan
• Small Cities Technical Assistance