vtSDA Operational Strategy

The mission of the Vermont Software Developers’ Alliance is to promote and grow Vermont software development businesses.

To fulfill this mission, we will pursue the following strategies:

These strategies will be carried out through a variety of high-level tasks:

Be the voice of the Vermont software industry

Increase and retain membership
Identify potential members
Promote the Alliance to non-member Vermont software companies
Consistently demonstrate the value of the Alliance to our members and future members

Identify the State’s software businesses and their current and anticipated needs
Maximize the use of Vermont-based software companies by local and state government
Establish a working relationship with the State of Vermont
Introduce legislation to help attract and grow software businesses
Attend local and national trade shows to market the vtSDA members and the State’s software industry

Create opportunities and/or identify funding for employee training and skill development
Attract skilled workers to the State
Demonstrate the breadth of software development jobs available in the state
Encouraged skilled graduates of local colleges to stay in (and/or return to) the State
Create alliances with local colleges and universities to influence curriculum design and create opportunities for students to interact with our members
Work with workforce training organizations to train Vermonters for software development jobs.

Hold frequent meetings on topics relevant to starting and running a software development business
Create networking opportunities where members can learn from each other

Encourage and facilitate sharing of space, administrative assistance, hardware, and other resources
Facilitate collaboration on contracts to build Vermont’s reputation for quality software
Maintain and advertise the “Marketplace” section of the vtSDA Web site

Create marketing strategies that further the interests of member businesses
Attend the Vermont Business EXPO and similar events where members can participate in promotion
Create and promote an online venue for members to market to potential customers
Attract contracts for locally-owned software companies
Attract potential employees to the state
Improve the availability of financing to software companies

Create and promote sponsorship opportunities that generate a primary source of recurring revenue
Regularly collect membership dues as a secondary source of revenue
Identify grants and opportunities to partner with State departments that would provide additional financing
Hire full-time staff to run the day-to-day operations of the organization and maintain relationships with sponsors.