Tourism Coalition of South Dakota

Services Provided:

Administration

Managed board meetings (scheduling, agendas, minutes, action items)
Updated key organizational documents (Articles, registered agent, etc.)
Facilitated smooth transitions (new financial institution, Secretary of State filings)
Developed a sustainability calendar for annual tasks
Oversaw membership communications (newsletters, surveys)

Financial Management

Handled member invoicing and dues collection
Collaborated with a CPA for accounting, finance tracking, and reporting
Managed fundraising activities
Identified and pursued new funding opportunities

Legislative Affairs

Kept the board informed of legislative actions and scheduled updates

Marketing & Communications

Developed a full suite of marketing materials aligned with the new brand (one-pagers, infographics, swag, etc.)
Created branded templates for emails, newsletters, presentations, and other documents
Established and managed social media presence (research, platform selection, content creation)

The Challenge

The Tourism Coalition of South Dakota (previously the South Dakota Visitor Industry Alliance) underwent strategic planning in 2023 to expand their presence and membership. The organization, though established in 1995, had reached a point of stagnancy and needed to revamp or disband. They were entirely volunteer-run by a board of invested members of the tourism industry and had never had a staffed position. They did not feel ready for a formal Executive Director, so approached us for help building the organization to a point of readiness.

The Solution

Through intensive meetings with the board of directors and input from the entire membership, we devised a three-pronged approach to strengthening the organization as a whole. First, we did a thorough audit of their paperwork, processes, procedures, and bylaws. We were able to reconcile past records that were necessary in the future filing of their first extensive 990. Then, we created a comprehensive marketing strategy including building their online presence through social media and publishing a quarterly newsletter. Lastly, member engagement grew via consistent communication, additional scheduled meetings, appearances at partner groups’ functions, and planned networking events.

The Outcomes

The organization reached confidence in the structure we created in advance of the formal end of the contract and appointed a full time Executive Director ahead of schedule. We were able to grow membership and establish their social media routines, connect them to audiences via Constant Contact, and overall increased their footprint.