Why Economic Development Fundraising Matters More Than Ever with Brian Abernathy and Clint Nessmith

About this episode

Dane Carlson discusses the importance of economic development fundraising with Brian Abernathy and Clint Nessmith, focusing on evolving strategies and the need for clear value propositions.

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show Podcast, Dane Carlson talks with Brian Abernathy of Convergent and Clint Nessmith of Resource Development Group, now RDG, a Convergent Company, about the merger of two major economic development fundraising firms and what it means for chambers, EDOs, and community organizations. They discuss why economic development fundraising is becoming more critical, how campaigns are evolving beyond traditional jobs and investment metrics, and why organizations must make a clearer case for their value. Brian and Clint also explain how data, disciplined campaign execution, feasibility studies, and strong public-private partnerships can help communities fund the work required to compete. Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! 10 Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers Make the value case clearer. Investors need to understand what your organization does, why it matters, and what outcomes their funding supports. Do not rely only on past success. A good track record helps, but each new campaign needs a fresh, specific, forward-looking reason to invest. Use data to strengthen your story. Fundraising works better when your…

People in this episode

Host: Dane Carlson

Guests: Brian Abernathy, Clint Nessmith

Topics covered

• economic development
• fundraising
• community organizations
• data-driven strategy
• public-private partnerships
• campaign execution

Keywords

• economic development
• fundraising
• community impact
• data analysis
• campaign strategy
• feasibility studies
• public-private partnerships

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Convergent, Resource Development Group, RDG

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