Economic Development Strategy
River District Association Strategic Plan
Nestled along the Dan River in southern Virginia, Danville’s River District Association serves as the commercial area’s Main Street organization to support its local economy. The River District Association’s Strategic Plan outlines the organization’s goals and workplan between 2020 and 2023 to help downtown Danville prosper.
Client
Danville River District Association
Service
Economic Development Strategy
Strategic Planning
Location
Danville, Virginia
JS&A worked with Danville’s River District Association to develop a three-year Strategic Plan for the organization and guided the Board of Directors through the process to develop a new mission and vision statement. The Strategic Plan provides a framework for the organization’s decision-making between 2020 and 2023.
Project Scope
Strategic Planning
Implementation Planning
Stakeholder Engagement
Through a series of workshops, conversations, and discussions, JS&A guided the River District Association through the strategic planning process to develop a framework of goals and action steps for the next three years. JS&A leveraged this process and conversations to help the organization refresh their vision and mission statements.
Results
The River District Association’s Strategic Plan provides the framework for the organization to make clear, actionable decisions with consensus over the coming three years. The organization’s united vision achieved through the strategic planning process aligned voices and built momentum towards its growing future.
The Future of the River District Association
Programming
Looking forward over the next three years, the River District Association aims to strengthen its role as the economic development driver of the River District and greater Dan River region. RDA intends to explore opportunities to expand services to commercial areas located outside of the River District, leveraging expertise in technical assistance, grant administration, and marketing to continuously work to make Danville a great place to live, work, shop, play, and do business.
Organization
Moving forward, RDA’s Board of Directors aims to transition from a management role towards a greater orientation around strategic governance. This will allow members to focus on special projects, advocacy, and ensuring that programming aligns with strategic priorities and objectives.
Fundraising
RDA plans to strategically diversify its revenue sources, expand its budget, and grown staff capacity. By exploring new revenue-generating opportunities, better showcasing the regional economic and social impacts of its programming, and implementing a newly created Fund Development Plan, RDA is confident that it can achieve greater organizational resiliency and programmatic impacts by 2023.
The River District Association will continue moving forward in the transformation of Danville’s River District as a welcoming and lively place for all, while inspiring and influencing social and economic development for the greater Dan River Region.
Vision Statement Created During the Strategic Planning Process
