Mercer County Better Together

Through implementation of our organizational strategic plan, MCBT seeks to accomplish the following:

1) Build a countywide culture of collaboration around issues of importance across sectors and communities.
2) Engage in a planning process to develop a procedure that will identify projects for current and future funding.
3) Develop action plans and systems for leveraging resources to achieve priorities.
4) Utilize processes and plans as an engine for investment and reinvestment in Mercer County now and the future.

In short, MCBT works to provide area businesses, organizations, individuals and communities with tools to fully participate in the local economy.

Utilizing resident feedback, stakeholder input and content expert insight, MCBT developed a data-driven strategic plan, which serves as a roadmap for the organization and its work. This initial plan outlined priority work across ten sectors of community and economic development. The priority sectors and actions in this initial planning effort are at the heart and soul of MCBT's current strategic plan.

The most actionable, effective strategic plans in community and economic development are those which cover a maximum timeline of three years. In that vein, MCBT will continue to seek wide-reaching impact, diverse perspectives and collaborative benefit whenever organizational strategic plans are developed and implemented.

Prior to gaining 501(c)(3) status in July 2018, MCBT spent over two years learning the values, hopes, concerns and ideas of each of Mercer County's population centers. During this time, important relationships were built with residents, grassroots leaders and elected officials. This knowledge of people, processes and priorities informs and empowers the MCBT strategic plan.

MCBT completed a nearly two-year countywide planning process in March of 2018. The first in the nation to execute the Orton Family Foundation's "Community Heart & Soul" planning model on a countywide scale, the work of MCBT has been regarded as revolutionary by community developers across the United States. MCBT gained 501(c)(3) certification on July 3rd, 2018. Since then, MCBT has brought Mercer County businesses, organizations, individuals and communities over $17 million in project funding, program facilitation, resource attraction and revenue retention.