Fractional Rural Development & Association Management Services

Issue date: November 4th, 2026 | Proposals due: January 31st, 2026

Anticipated start: April 15th, 2027

Organization and Opportunity

Wisconsin Rural Partners (WRP) is a statewide, nonpartisan nonprofit and Wisconsin’s federally designated State Rural Development Council. Current activities include the Annual Rural Summit, Small Community Forums, and Top Rural Development Initiative Awards.

WRP seeks an independent contractor or small team to provide affordable, fractional organizational management and help expand WRP’s reach and impact. Existing, aligned organizations with unallocated staff capacity who are interested in a shared staffing arrangement are welcome to apply.

Individuals, firms, and collaborative teams are welcome.

This is not only an administrative, association management engagement: demonstrated knowledge of rural community and economic development, Wisconsin’s rural landscape, or collaborative statewide networks is central to selection. WRP seeks a practical partner who can sustain core operations while helping identify and execute achievable new activities.

Fractional Rural Development & Association Management Services Request for Proposal

Submission and Questions

Email a proposal to mbarry@RWHC.com with subject “WRP Management Proposal” by January 31st, 2027.

Questions are welcomed and can be sent to mbarry@RWHC.com. WRP reserves the right to request clarifications, negotiate scope, reject any or all proposals, and make no award. WRP welcomes qualified respondents from across Wisconsin.

News Release – For Immediate Release                                                                       March 24, 2026

Contact: Megan Purtell | (608) 358-8458 | assist@wisruralpartner.org

Wisconsin Rural Partners Announces 2026 Top Rural Development Initiative Award Recipients

Madison, WI — Wisconsin Rural Partners (WRP) is proud to announce the recipients of the 2026 Top Rural Development Initiative (TRDI) Awards, recognizing innovative projects that strengthen and sustain rural communities across the state.

This year's honoree is the East End Revitalization Initiative | Village of Ellsworth

For more than 25 years, the TRDI program has celebrated the partnerships, creativity, and local leadership driving rural Wisconsin forward. Since its inception in 1998, over 150 initiatives have been recognized for their impact on economic development, community vitality, and quality of life.

East End Revitalization Initiative | Ellsworth, WI

The East End Revitalization Initiative represents a comprehensive, community-driven approach to rural economic development, focused on Ellsworth's eastern commercial corridor—home to the village's primary tourism district.

In 2025, the Village of Ellsworth secured a $1.57 million Agricultural Roads Improvement Program (ARIP) grant from the State of Wisconsin. This significant investment provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reconstruct a critical corridor that supports agricultural transportation, local businesses, and regional tourism.

The initiative is the result of years of intentional planning and public engagement. Foundational efforts—including Design Ellsworth (2018), the updated Comprehensive Plan (2022), and the Strategic and Redevelopment Plans (2025)—all identified the East End as a top priority. Through community input such as town halls, surveys, and listening sessions, residents consistently emphasized the need for reinvestment, connectivity, and place-based identity.

Award Presentation

The 2026 TRDI award recipients will be formally recognized at the Wisconsin Rural Partners Annual Rural Summit on April 30, 2026, in Prairie du Chien.

About Wisconsin Rural Partners

Wisconsin Rural Partners is the state's federally designated rural development council. Dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in rural Wisconsin, WRP serves as a nonpartisan forum for identifying key issues and advancing collaborative, locally driven solutions.

Through partnerships with local, county, state, tribal, and federal governments—as well as businesses, nonprofits, and community members—WRP supports innovative strategies that strengthen rural communities statewide.

This marks the 26th year Wisconsin Rural Partners has recognized Top Rural Development Initiatives.

Learn more: www.wiruralpartners.org

###

2026 Nominations for the TRDI Award are OPEN!

Do you or know of a program or initiative that has have made a significant impact through collaboration.in a community?

The Wisconsin Rural Partners seeks to uncover and share the great things happening in rural Wisconsin with our Top Rural Development Initiative Awards.

Nominations are open through Friday, February 27.  

What are we looking for?  All types of projects!

Past award winners have been recognized with projects in:

• ​agriculture
• community development
• business
• education
• health
• energy
• the environment
• philanthropy
• tourism
• community resiliency

More information and nomination form, click here. 

Wisconsin’s Top Rural Development Initiatives (TRDI) is an annual recognition program that seeks to discover and highlight the great things happening in rural Wisconsin. This award, sponsored by Wisconsin Rural Partners, Inc. (WRP), fosters and celebrates local collaboration and partnership and promotes sustainable rural community stewardship. Since 1998, more than 150 initiatives have been recognized and profiled as TRDI.

The Wisconsin Rural Partners board of directors is pleased to announce that Capital Access Clinic at UW Eau Claire and Savor the River Valley are this year's recipients of the Top Rural Development Initiative honor.

The Capital Access Clinic (CAC), established in 2021, is an economic development initiative to address challenges accessing capital faced by aspiring and existing small business owners. Through its outreach efforts, the CAC identified a significant need among entrepreneurs for financial knowledge and expertise to support their businesses better. Many small business owners, especially in rural areas, lack the resources to effectively create and understand their own three-year financial projections, which are essential for accessing capital and strategic business planning.

Savor the River Valley is a grassroots food tourism initiative encompassing the River Valley School District, over 300 square miles inside the Lower Wisconsin Riverway valley. It includes over forty farmers, food processors, food retailers, and restaurants

 “Wisconsin Rural Partners applauds all these initiatives nominated for the 2025 TRDI as outstanding examples of the many efforts across the state that improve the lives of citizens in rural Wisconsin,” said Kenyon Kies, WRP president. “They are excellent collaborative models for serving our rural areas.”

The programs will be presented the Top Rural Development Initiative award at the Wisconsin Rural Partners Annual Summit in Fort Atkinson on May 1.

About Wisconsin Rural Partners: Wisconsin Rural Partners is the state’s federally designated rural development council.  Committed to improving the quality of life in rural Wisconsin, WRP is a non-partisan forum for identifying, discussing, and addressing rural issues.  Through collaborations with various partners, including local, county, state, tribal, and federal governments, for-profit businesses, non-profit organizations, and rural citizens, WRP fosters and promotes locally-based solutions to rural needs and issues. 

This is the twenty-fifth year WRP recognizes Wisconsin’s Top Rural Development Initiatives.

Additional information about Wisconsin Rural Partners and the Top Rural Development Initiatives can be found at www.wiruralpartners.org. 

###

Showcase your projects, programs, or best practices at the 2025 Wisconsin Annual Rural Summit.

The 2025 Wisconsin Rural Summit will be held on April 30 & May 1 in Fort Atkinson. Submit a proposal to present to attendees from around the state.

Topics of interest may include:

• Rural Transportation Challenges and Solutions
• Technology in Rural Areas, including AI
• Entrepreneurship
• Municipal Financing Strategies
• Redevelopment of Area Buildings for Housing, Health, or Other Opportunities

SELECTION PROCESS

Please submit your proposal by Friday, December 20.

The conference planning committee reviews proposals. Notification of acceptance will be made by January 9, 2025. The speaker will receive a complimentary two-day conference registration if your session is accepted. Travel and lodging expenses are the speaker’s responsibility.

Wisconsin’s Top Rural Development Initiatives (TRDI) is an annual recognition program that seeks to discover and highlight the great things happening in rural Wisconsin. This award, sponsored by Wisconsin Rural Partners, Inc. (WRP), fosters and celebrates local collaboration and partnership and promotes sustainable rural community stewardship. Since 1998, more than 150 initiatives have been recognized and profiled as TRDI.

The Wisconsin Rural Partners board of directors are pleased to announce this year’s recipient of the Top Rural Development Initiative honor is to Encompass (Oconto Falls Location).

Through a joint initiative between OCEDC, Encompass, and Oconto County Public Health, they successfully secured a 13,400 square foot building situated on nearly 4 acres of land in the City of Oconto Falls. To ensure the project's success and longevity, it was crucial to minimize Encompass's overhead expenses. As a result of an RFP process and a unanimous decision by the Oconto County Board of Supervisors, a grant of $250,000 was conferred upon Encompass. The family who previously owned the building acknowledged the long-term impact this early education center would have on the county, generously reducing the building's selling price by an additional $250,000. This facility is projected to provide education and care for 140 children, marking a significant 67% increase in childcare capacity in Oconto County.

Encompass stands as a distinctive provider of early childhood education services. With a history dating back to 1919, Encompass has mastered the art of offering a broad range of quality, affordable services. They are known for compensating their teachers fairly and adopting a comprehensive approach that caters to the needs of the entire family, not just the children.

“Wisconsin Rural Partners applauds all these initiatives nominated for the 2024 TRDI as outstanding examples of the many efforts across the state that improve the lives of citizens in rural Wisconsin,” said Kenyon Kies, WRP president. “They are excellent collaborative models for serving our rural areas.”

The award will be presented at the Wisconsin Rural Partners (WRP) 2024 Rural Summit in Ashland on May 15.

About Wisconsin Rural Partners Wisconsin Rural Partners is the state’s federally-designated rural development council.  Committed to improving the quality of life in rural Wisconsin, WRP is a non-partisan forum for identifying, discussing, and addressing rural issues.  Through collaborations with a wide array of partners, including local, county, state, tribal, and federal governments, as well as for-profit businesses, non-profit organizations, and rural citizens, WRP fosters and promotes locally-based solutions to rural needs and issues. 

This is the twenty-fourth year that WRP has recognized Wisconsin’s Top Rural Development Initiatives.  “The program is designed to identify, highlight, and share innovative models, practices, and programs that have a positive impact on rural Wisconsin communities,” said Sandy Decker, WRP past-president.  “WRP created the program to provide a mechanism for rural communities to learn from each other and we are pleased to report that many of the award winners are still actively operating to benefit our rural communities.”

Additional information about Wisconsin Rural Partners and the Top Rural Development Initiatives can be found at www.wiruralpartners.org. 
###

The board of directors would like to hear from you - Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and share your thoughts on what types of programming you'd like to see from Wisconsin Rural Partners.

The Survey initiative is equally important, as it will help the board better understand the needs and preferences of Wisconsin rural community leaders like you. By completing the survey, you'll have a direct impact on shaping the future of the organization.

Please take a few minutes to complete our survey.

Wisconsin’s Top Rural Development Initiatives is an annual recognition program sponsored by Wisconsin Rural Partners, Inc. The program seeks to uncover and share the great things happening in rural Wisconsin through a process of open nomination, review by a panel of judges from diverse backgrounds, and a public awards ceremony.

This is the twenty-sixth year that WRP has recognized Wisconsin’s Top Rural Development Initiatives.  “The program is designed to identify, highlight, and share innovative models, practices, and programs that have a positive impact on rural Wisconsin communities,” said Sandy Decker, WRP past-president.  “WRP created the program to provide a mechanism for rural communities to learn from each other and we are pleased to report that many of the award winners are still actively operating to benefit our rural communities.”

Over the past 25 years, more than 174 initiatives have been recognized and profiled for community leaders to learn from. Nominations consist of a 700-word-or-less essay describing an initiative’s background, innovation, spirit of partnership, impact, and potential use as a model for other rural Wisconsin communities.

This annual recognition initiative program is sponsored by Wisconsin Rural Partners, Inc. This is open to all rural areas of Wisconsin.

What is "rural"? There are many definitions, but generally an area with a population under 10,000 that is not adjacent to an urban center is considered rural.

What are we looking for?  All types of projects!  Past award winners have been recognized with projects in:

​Agriculture, community development, business, education, health, energy, the environment, philanthropy, Tourism, community resiliency

What makes a winning nomination? Strong partnerships, Collaborative decision‐making, Widespread and long‐term positive impact, Innovation

Deadline for submissions is 5:00 pm on February 23, 2024. Winners will be announced at the Wisconsin Rural Partners Annual Rural Summit in May 2024. Nomination and more information www.wiruralpartners.org/TRDI/

About Wisconsin Rural Partners Wisconsin Rural Partners is the state’s federally-designated rural development council.  Committed to improving the quality of life in rural Wisconsin, WRP is a non-partisan forum for identifying, discussing, and addressing rural issues.  Through collaborations with a wide array of partners, including local, county, state, tribal, and federal governments, as well as for-profit businesses, non-profit organizations, and rural citizens, WRP fosters and promotes locally-based solutions to rural needs and issues. 

Additional information about Wisconsin Rural Partners and the Top Rural Development Initiatives can be found at www.wiruralpartners.org. 

###

Contact:  Megan Purtell, telephone - (608) 358-8458; email – wisruralpartners@gmail.com

Four projects, Wisconsin Women in Conservation, Antigo Child Care Center, UW-Eau Claire Small Business Clinics, and The Meadows in Darlington, have been selected to receive Wisconsin Rural Partners’ 2023 Top Rural Development Initiative awards. The awards will be presented at the Wisconsin Rural Partners (WRP) 2023 Rural Summit in Mauston on April 27.

Wisconsin Women in Conservation (WiWiC) is a collaborative project that established a community of women landowners/farmers in the state interested in land stewardship. Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, Renewing the Countryside, Wisconsin Farmers Union, Marbleseed, and USDA-NRCS Wisconsin partnered to create WiWiC. The organization provides a safe space to share, connect, learn and network among women peers. Since its inception in 2020, more than 2000 women have engaged in program elements, including in-person gatherings, a Listserv, e-newsletter, and webinars. The organization’s goal is development of individual land conservation plans by the women. To date, 44 conservation plans have been completed and 60 are in the pipeline.

The Antigo Child Center was established by a mom who had lost daycare necessary for her employment. Working with the Langlade County Economic Development Corporation, Antigo Housing Authority, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation and Childcaring, the building was secured and renovated. A community-supported Go Fund Me campaign helped purchase playground equipment and supplies. A serious issue for childcare programs is the long-term financial sustainability of the business. The Center addressed this problem by putting together a Tiered Partnership agreement with employers. Businesses support the Center with a monthly stipend, providing discounts to partner employers’ workers, as well as some funds for staffing/attraction of childcare workers, a farm to table nutrition program, and savings for future school-age programs and Center expansion. The Center is at full capacity and is currently considering expansion.

UW-Eau Claire Small Business Clinics are an in-person rural outreach initiative developed and run by student consultants at the Small Business Development Center at UW-Eau Claire. The Clinics provide one-on-one technical assistance and resources to Wisconsin rural business owners in the areas of QuickBooks, finance, marketing, general business startup, legal and cybersecurity, among others. Clinics were held in Rice Lake and Abbotsford in 2022 and served 52 clients. Additional clinics are being planned in nearby counties in 2023.

The Meadows is a new affordable housing community designed to support farm workers. A collaboration of Southwest Wisconsin Community Action Program (SWCAP), USDA-Rural Development, Cinnaire Solutions, Wisconsin Housing & Economic Development Authority (WHEDA), Wisconsin Department of Administration and United Migrant Opportunity Services resulted in construction of a 32-unit complex dedicated to agricultural employees. Utilizing CDBG funding, an adjacent community building is being built with space for childcare, a free health clinic, and a WIC nutrition program to support Meadow residents and their families.

“Wisconsin Rural Partners applauds these initiatives as outstanding examples of the many efforts across the state that improve the lives of citizens in rural Wisconsin,” said Sandy Decker, WRP president. “These are excellent collaborative models for serving our rural areas.”

Wisconsin Rural Partners is the state’s federally-designated rural development council. Committed to improving the quality of life in rural Wisconsin, WRP is a non-partisan forum for identifying, discussing, and addressing rural issues. Through collaborations with a wide array of partners, including local, county, state, tribal, and federal governments, as well as for-profit businesses, non-profit organizations, and rural citizens, WRP fosters and promotes locally-based solutions to rural needs and issues.

This is the twenty-third year that WRP has recognized Wisconsin’s Top Rural Development Initiatives. “The program is designed to identify, highlight, and share innovative models, practices, and programs that have a positive impact on rural Wisconsin communities,” said Errin Welty, WRP past-president. “WRP created the program to provide a mechanism for rural communities to learn from each other and we are pleased to report that many of the award winners are still actively operating to benefit our rural communities.”

###

For More Information

Contact: Megan Purtell, telephone - (608) 358-8458; email – wisruralpartners@gmail.com

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

Contact: Sandy Decker, President, Wisconsin Rural Partners
wisruralpartners@gmail.com

Wisconsin Rural Partners Announce 2022-2023 Board of Directors

Madison - The Wisconsin Rural Partners (WPR) proudly announces the 2022-2023 Executive Committee and board members.

Executive Board Members - The WRP Executive Committee was approved by the board of directors for a one year term of President, Sandy Decker, and Vice President, Kenyon Kies. For a two-year term, Treasurer, Kyle Kuntz; and Secretary, Marie Barry.  Board of Directors Board Members elected to a second 2-year term are Seth Hudson, Rebecca Giroux, Errin Welty and Todd Johnson. The WRP welcomes new board members, Kelly Borchardt and Deborah Reinbold to two-year term.

2022-2023 Board of Directors

• Sandy Decker, Retired Mayor, Evansville, WI - President
• Kenyon Kies, Retired, Kies Consulting – Vice President
• Kyle Kuntz, Vice President Loan Officer, WBD - Treasurer
• Marie Barry, Director of Community Economic Development, Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative - Secretary
• Kelly Borchardt, Executive Director, Childcaring, Inc.
• Rebecca Giroux, Community and Economic Development Officer, WHEDA
• Seth Hudson, E.D.F.P. Executive Director Corporate Relations and Economic Engagement, UW-Stout Discovery Center
• Todd Johnson, Land Use & Community Development Specialist, University of Wisconsin River Falls (Extension)
• Deb Reinbold, Interim Executive Director, Thrive
• Donna Walker, Senior Economic Development Specialist, Dairyland Power Cooperative
• Errin Welty, CEcD, Senior Director of Downtown Development, WEDC

USDA Liaison: Jillian Lindholm, Area Director, USDA Rural Development

About New Board of Directors
Kelly Borchardt is the Executive Director of Childcaring, Inc., a nonprofit child care resource and referral agency. She has worked for the agency for 17 years, promoting positive outcomes for young children and their families in 10 Central Wisconsin counties. Her current focus is on connecting families with child care services, developing child care professionals, and collecting data that impacts communities. She works to develop solutions to the complex child care challenges in her service delivery area.

Deborah (Deb) Reinbold is the Interim President of ThriveED. She joined the organization in June of 2020 as Managing Director of Business Development. During her time at the organization, Deb has been an active participant in several business and community organizations, including the Dodge County chapter of SHRM, NAIOP, CARW, Bread Basket Food Pantry and Leadership Watertown. In 2021, she served as a member of the planning committee for the Dodge County SHRM Diversity, Equity and Inclusion conference.

About WRP: Wisconsin Rural Partners, Inc. (WRP) serves as a network hub for organizations, government agencies and people working to make rural Wisconsin a better place. ​​We strive through our work to build leadership for the communities of rural Wisconsin.  ​​Through our annual Rural Summit, Small Community Forums, Top Rural Development Initiative awards and other events, we communicate the needs and successes of rural Wisconsin to policy-makers at the local, state and federal levels.

##