Strategic Planning for a Focused, More Effective Organization – $3,000
The Community Foundation of Teton Valley was honored to award this grant to Teton Valley Community Recycling (TVCR) and is enthusiastic to support this organization as it moves to its next iteration as a nonprofit. Given the importance of limiting waste in our small community and the need for Teton Valley Community Recycling to be an integral part of coordination with other agencies, the Foundation felt the need for this funding was well-founded.
Since 2014, the population of Teton Valley has grown by 1,486 (a 12% increase) and is projected to increase by another 1,072 by 2025 (an 8% increase). In the past seven years alone, Teton Valley’s overall waste stream has almost doubled! But as part of the waste diversion “team” (Teton Valley Community Recycling, Teton County, and the contracted waste hauler, RAD), the County’s diverted waste (recycled, reused, or otherwise diverted from the landfill) has more than doubled in that same time period, hitting a waste diversion rate of 34%, equal to the national average, in spite of a truly challenging time for recyclables. With this change, Teton Valley Community Recycling has seen their role in the community shift from merely advocating for recycling to the bigger picture of overall waste reduction.
While there is an abundance of information available, many valley residents do not fully understand the current constraints of recycling and waste diversion in our rural, mountain town. Having a local resource such as TVCR available for the community to turn to with their questions is critical in helping our community stay involved in waste reduction solutions. However, Teton Valley Community Recycling has struggled with identity issues as some people think of it as either part of the Transfer Station (the waste processor), or of RAD Curbside (the waste hauler). Teton Valley Community Recycling recognizes that people have changed the way they receive information and that their organization needs to evolve to be able to effectively respond to the demands of the coming decades.
Teton Valley Community Recycling grant funds will be used for a professionally facilitated Strategic Planning session to help focus its efforts on how to best serve the needs of the growing community. Teton Valley Community Recycling will work with Leadership At Play, who similarly helped Teton Valley Community Recycling through an effective Strategic Planning session in 2016. The session will include an immersive two-day Board Strategic Planning Retreat that will include pre-session preparation and interviews, the sessions themselves, and follow-up to craft a viable Strategic Plan that will focus Teton Valley Community Recycling’s efforts within its capacity.
Teton Valley Community Recycle has been a vital part of waste reduction and recycling in Teton Valley. As the need to coordinate between private and public agencies becomes more essential, TVCR can build on its years of experience and relationships to help define a strategic path moving forward. The Foundation wholeheartedly supports this growth and focused endeavor.
