We launched our New Connected Countryside crowdfunding campaign last week and I am pleased to report that we are already at 33% of our goal with 55 days left to go. We really appreciate the early signs of support – but we need much more.

Funding this project will let us create an online platform where rural community leaders, residents, institutions and businesses from around the world can connect, exchange advice, share resources and build a global network of peers.

Year round, they will share their discoveries, their successes, failures and lessons learned with each other. Once each year, they will come together for a Virtual Summit featuring mayors, CAOs and CIOs, county executives, technologists, educators, investors and all the other players in the new rural economy. We plan to have simultaneous events in dozens of communities around the world, connected by the online platform and addressing the same set of topics together.

Please take a moment to check it out at www.connectedcountryside.com. If you like what you see, make a contribution. We offer rewards for your generosity at a wide range of donation levels. In any case, share the news among your colleagues and friends and give them a chance to support this vital work.