Note from Hussein Samatar: Wilder report on ADC impact
It is a rare instance for me to send you additional updates beyond our monthly correspondence, but every once in awhile a story so important and exciting comes along that warrants an extra email. If you haven’t yet seen the Front Page Story on our website, I invite you to take a moment to read about this very exciting news:
As a comprehensive community developer the most important aspect of ADC is not how many programs and activities we offer, nor is it the raw number of individual clients we serve, it’s not even the number or volume of loans that we put out into some of the most under-served neighborhoods throughout the state of Minnesota. The most import aspect of ADC is our impact. Without a clear picture of how all of these services and factors are positively affecting our state, we would just be blindly going through the motions.
Since very early on, the African Development Center has understood the importance of measuring its impact, and periodically invited outside agencies to help do just that. The most recent example of this was a partnership with the very well known and respected Amherst H. Wilder Foundation – the results of which are now available.
After months of work – creating a strategy, conducting interviews, gathering data, and analyzing an unbelievable amount of information on the work of all ADC programming – Wilder Foundation researcher, Omar Da’ar has put together a wonderful reflection of the many ways in which ADC is not only changing the lives of its clients, but bringing about change to entire regions and communities in the state.
We invite you to review this report or scan the summary of its most impressive findings – such as:
For every $1 invested in ADC – ADC Business Clients realize $6 in return
A 1% increase in an ADC Loan increases gross receipts by 12%
In 2010, ADC Businesses generated nearly $78,000 in MN tax dollars
In 2010, the estimated market value of homes purchased by ADC clients was $24.5 Million
These purchases bring about an estimated property tax value of over $250,000
As always, thank you for your time, and I hope you understand how important the findings of this report are for quantitatively illustrating how efficient and effective our efforts have become. The African Development Center is truly proud of the work it is doing and, more importantly, the impact it is having on the community and entire state of Minnesota. Keeping a keen focus on our goals and a drive toward our mission, has made us the most prominent African-immigrant-led economic developer in not only the state, but the entire nation. We intend to build on these successes of change, and welcome your support in these efforts.
