Community Development Tools
Number of unique resources found: 51
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Description: The Connecticut Assets Network (CAN) is a grassroots nonprofit network of citizens and organizations that promote the integration and successful use of asset-based strategies for community development.
Description: Website for the Effective Communities Project (ECP), which seeks to help foundations, donors, and nonprofits increase their effectiveness. The website provides an overview of their programs and services, which focus on program evaluation, organizational effectiveness, strategic grantmaking, and capacity building.
Author: De Reus, Lee Ann; Libby Balter Blume
Description: This journal includes theory development and empirical research in the field of
family studies. It focuses specifically on social justice, marriage inequality,
dispelling white privilege and working with urban audiences to achieve social
justice.
Resources for National Community Action Month 
Description: A "Hot Topics" compilation of resources for National Community Action month.
Social Psychology Network - Community Psychology Resources
Description: A webpage with links related to community psychology, including community building, community health, action teaching, service learning, and more.
Description: The Community Tool Box is the world's largest resource for free information on essential skills for building healthy communities. It offers more than 7,000 pages of practical guidance in creating change and improvement, and is growing as a global resource for this work.
– Evaluation –
Description: This website offers a host of tools for community building, covering over 200 topics including group management, leadership development, collaboration, the arts, and advocacy. Also included are links to other community resources and information on program evaluation.
Evaluating Comprehensive Community Change
Description: A report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation's March 1997 Research and Evaluation Conference that provides an overview of how to conduct useful evaluations of comprehensive community initiatives.
Description: An introduction to resources that can be used to evaluate the national outcomes for communities. It includes a discussion of the rationale and background for the community change approach, models for community programming and evaluation, and links to indicators for community change.
Lessons from the Field: Community Anti-drug Coalitions as Catalysts for Change
Description: This report provides analytic insights into the organization, operation, sustainability, and impact of community anti-drug coalitions across America. The study involved in-depth case studies of eight highly-effective community coalitions and a cross-site analysis that examines characteristics shared among them, such as leadership, outcomes, planning, institutionalization, and diversification of funding sources.
Measuring Community Success and Sustainability: An Interactive Workbook
Author: Flora, Cornelia (1 more by this author); S. Ratner, & J. Topolsky; M. Wall, S. Odell,; M. Kinsley, V. Luther,
Description: This resource provides an interactive web-based community assessment guide. It is based on a hard-copy publication of the same title that was published in 1999.
National Network for Collaboration Training Manual
Author: Borden, Lynne (4 more by this author); Dan Perkins
Description: The goal of community collaboration is to bring individuals and members of communities, agencies and organizations together in an atmosphere of support to systematically solve existing and emerging problems that could not be solved by one group alone. Understanding the complexities of collaboration and applying the key elements involved in collaboration increases the likelihood of achieving shared goals and outcomes. To assist citizens and practitioners in their collaborative efforts, the National Network for Collaboration created a Collaboration Framework. A training manual that discusses collaboration and standards of practice. The manual includes a section with evaluation tools.
The Community Development Capacity Index: Measuring Change
Description: This website provides information regarding an assessment tool (the CDCI) designed to provide a framework for communities to evaluate the impact of community development initiatives. The measure allows for the exploration of community characteristics that relate to community and economic development practices. The page includes information about the survey and the survey itself, as well as goals for effective community benchmarking. It also provides a link to an interactive measurement tool.
The Community Development Toolbox
Author: Fesenmaier, Julie (3 more by this author)
Description: The COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TOOLBOX offers an online environment where people pursuing community development goals are empowered to make better decisions as they solve problems facing their community now! Tools in the COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TOOLBOX include online community surveys to teach the fundamentals of survey design and implementation. The online survey tool includes a databank of questions where users (communities) can build their own survey instrument; it provides guidelines for determining sample size and helps document the results of the survey. The online benchmarking tools can be used to assess organizational strength and social capital in communities. It provides users with an immediate score that reflects a degree of community cohesiveness related to community and economic development. The Telecommunications Readiness Inventory provides communities with worksheets as they negotiate the Internet connectivity puzzle. The eGovernment Readiness Index does the same by providing a baseline and then benchmark by which a community can measure progress toward adopting eGovernment practice.
– General Information –
Catalytic Community Development
Description: This issue brief from the Rural Sociological Society presents a community development model referred to as "catalytic community development." As described by Kenneth Pigg and Ted Bradshaw (2003) emphasis in catalytic community development is on bringing together and mobilizing local people and resources to create change in and of communities.
Community Coaching for Guiding Sustainable Community Change
Description: Need to jump start community change? Have you considered Community Coaching? Sports coaches work to keep groups focused on a goal - winning a game. Life coaches help focus individuals on a goal. Community Coaches partner with communities to focus and achieve goals! With the goal of putting information at the fingertips of professionals working to strengthen and build sustainable community change efforts, these and many more resources are available on CYFERnet.
Community Health: What You Need to Get Started
Author: Remenschneider, Mary; Kathleen Tajeu; Bonnie Carew; Barbara Garland
Description: What does the health scene look like these days? Where does your community fit? This Power Point presentation provides an overview of a CYFAR workshop session that shared information from the Southern Extension Region AssociationÂ’s Health Institute that can be used to develop health programs in your community. You will learn about the health system on a national, state, and local level, public health terms and concepts, and the community health assessment process.
GroupWorks: Effective Communication
Author: Franck, Louise (1 more by this author)
Description: This fact sheet is a tool to be used by individuals who wish to engage others, share their ideas and feelings or to get clarification regarding specific issues or topics.
GroupWorks: Effective Communication
Author: Haskell, Jane
Description: Differences can either disrupt or strengthen groups. This 4-page bulletin guides facilitators through steps to assess a group and ensure an inclusive climate that fosters effective group work. Provides an understanding of differences, disabilities, thinking and learning styles, and the concept of "people first." 2004.
GroupWorks: The Art of Great Meetings.
Author: Babkirk, Doug
Description: This fact sheet is a tool to be used by individuals who are responsible for conducting effective result-based, goal oriented meetings.
Description: Provides links to national and state contacts in the area of rural community develoment associated with the National Rural Develpment Partnership. Information only.
Nonprofit Center: Useful Links
Description: This website hosts a number of links that provide a wealth of information for and about nonprofit organizations. It includes links to advocacy resources, career development resources, fundraising resources, strategic planning resources, and links to many other resources for nonprofit organizations and for people interested in nonprofit organizations.
Pew Partnership for Civic Change
Description: A website that offers research-based information on building healthy communities. The information is broken down into several topics, including building safe neighborhoods, living wage jobs, viable economics, healthy families and children, and collaborative leadership.
Pew Partnership for Civic Change: Wanted: Solutions for America
Description: An overview of a national initiative to document and disseminate what works to build stronger communities.
Center for Urban Policy Research.
Rural Development Issues in the Northeast: 2000 - 2005
Author: Goetz, Stephan
Description: This thought paper was designed to encourage discussion about issues related to rural development and community viability. While the paper focuses on trends and emerging issues in the twelve Northeastern states and the District of Columbia, some of the trends identified might be of interest to community leaders and policy makers in other rural regions of the country.
The Building Blocks of Community Development
Description: This resource presents a model of community development that focuses upon attracting high-quality jobs that add more value to communities. Through the addition of the high-quality jobs, community assets and income are increased and the overall quality of the community environment is improved.
The Community and School as an Economic Development Team
Author: Hinz, Lisa (2 more by this author)
Description: This publication outlines the major aspects of school/community economic development. It includes examples of schools and communities that are working together for economic development.
The Forum for Youth Investment
Description: This web site is the home site for The Forum for Youth Investment, an organization committed to bringing all youth serving organizations to the table to help better serve the needs of youth. The site provides information about the organizational approach of the Forum as well as a listing of partners and supporters, links to research and policy agendas.
– Professional Development –
Capturing Positive Youth Contributions using the Community Capitals Framework
Author: Baker, Barbara; Mary Emery; Sharon Kinsey; Matt Calvert; Richard Enfield; Bonita Williams
Description: Recognizing and utilizing community assets, such as social capital (bridging or bonding relationships) is beneficial to at-risk communities. A USDA research group aims to demonstrate how social capital is fostered and supported through 4-H. This presentation shares ways to document positive youth contributions through community mapping through active learning.
Author: Emery, Mary (3 more by this author); Susan Jakes; Laura Laumatia
Description: This workshop will focus on coaching as an approach to building communities and organizational capacity to create, develop, implement, and support ongoing efforts that support healthy communities and youth engagement. Participants will learn strategies, such as storytelling, and discourse-based processes that move beyond the expert model to an engagement model that leads to sustainable adult/youth partnerships.
Community Economic Analysis: A How To Manual
Description: This manual is intended for the individual interested in the analysis of a community's economy. It is designed to
assist individuals who need to bring information to a group of citizens or decision makers concerned with the
economic future of a community.
Convergence Partnership Webinars
Description: The Healthy People Healthy Places Webinar Series, which offers examples, information, tools, and connections for those creating healthy places through multi-field, equity focused environmental policy change.
The Forum for Youth Investment
Description: This web site is the home site for The Forum for Youth Investment, an organization committed to bringing all youth serving organizations to the table to help better serve the needs of youth. The site provides information about the organizational approach of the Forum as well as a listing of partners and supporters, links to research and policy agendas.
– Programming Resource –
Building a Foundation for Community Leadership: Involving Youth in Community Development Projects
Description: This handbook is designed to guide Extension agents, high school teachers, or adult leaders of youth organizations in creating and implementing their own youth leadership and community development project.
Building Communities for Tomorrow
Description: Comprehensive tool kit provides directions for a community building program involving visioning, planning, and data gathering. Includes checklists and extensive resource links. Discusses five kinds of community capital: financial, physical, environmental, human, and social. Includes tutorials and worksheets to carry out, analyze, and present a community data analysis.
Building Communities for Tomorrow Checklist
Description: A step by step guide through the model programs for Building Communities for Tomorrow.
Description: Extract and Summary of a comprehensive guidebook to a set curriculum addressing purposive community change.
Building Strong Communities Through Empowerment
Author: Ludy, Beverlie; James Scotty McTaggart
Description: This Power Point presentation provides an overview of a Share Fair training at CYFAR 2003 that addressed community leadership development programs and empowerment. Community leadership development programs that are based on an empowerment model provide opportunities and resources to enable people to take greater control of their lives and make a difference in their communities. People Empowering People is an effective program that enhances self-esteem and inner strengths, provides tools and knowledge, and develops a group bond for bringing about social change.
Description: This web site, with its tools and links to a wide range of economic development literatures, is designed to enable anyone interested in their local economy to use standard indicators to make a first cut at understanding its potential.
Description: The feature article in this publication from the American Community Gardening Association describes community garden's applications as an academic tool for teaching a
variety of subjects. The feature article also presents case studies of successful gardens and data on academic achievement gains by students who participate in school gardens.
Community Health: What You Need to Get Started
Author: Remenschneider, Mary; Kathleen Tajeu; Bonnie Carew; Barbara Garland
Description: What does the health scene look like these days? Where does your community fit? This Power Point presentation provides an overview of a CYFAR workshop session that shared information from the Southern Extension Region AssociationÂ’s Health Institute that can be used to develop health programs in your community. You will learn about the health system on a national, state, and local level, public health terms and concepts, and the community health assessment process.
Description: A website for Community Resources, which is a nonprofit organization that brings innovative ideas, tools and experience, empowering urban communities to improve their social, physical and natural environment. Community Resources works in partnership with community groups, public agencies and nonprofit organizations to develop community-based environmental programs that address the environmental, social and economic issues facing urban America.
Description: This website offers a host of tools for community building, covering over 200 topics including group management, leadership development, collaboration, the arts, and advocacy. Also included are links to other community resources and information on program evaluation.
Community Voices: Leadership Development for Community Decision-Making
Author: Yancey, Juanita; Margaret W. Bullock; John Gibson
Description: This Power Point presentation provides an overview of a workshop on Community Voices that was presented at CYFAR 2003. "Community Voices" is a leadership development program which helps people help themselves. True progress comes only from the ideas, energies land commitments of the people who live in a community. "Community Voices"nurtures grassroots leadership by empowering people with the knowledge and skills they need to become a part of community affairs.
Downtown and Business District Market Analysis
Author: Ryan, Bill; Bill Pinkovitz; Todd Barman; Matt Kures
Description: This market analysis workbook is designed to help local business leaders, entrepreneurs, developers, and economic development professionals understand the changing marketplace and identify business and real estate development opportunities that are realistic and make sense for their communities. It will introduce and guide the user through many of the analytical techniques used in analyzing specific development opportunities for a downtown area.
Description: An introduction to resources that can be used to evaluate the national outcomes for communities. It includes a discussion of the rationale and background for the community change approach, models for community programming and evaluation, and links to indicators for community change.
GroupWorks: Effective Communication
Author: Franck, Louise (1 more by this author)
Description: This fact sheet is a tool to be used by individuals who wish to engage others, share their ideas and feelings or to get clarification regarding specific issues or topics.
Lessons from the Field: Community Anti-drug Coalitions as Catalysts for Change
Description: This report provides analytic insights into the organization, operation, sustainability, and impact of community anti-drug coalitions across America. The study involved in-depth case studies of eight highly-effective community coalitions and a cross-site analysis that examines characteristics shared among them, such as leadership, outcomes, planning, institutionalization, and diversification of funding sources.
Measuring Community Success and Sustainability: An Interactive Workbook
Author: Flora, Cornelia (1 more by this author); S. Ratner, & J. Topolsky; M. Wall, S. Odell,; M. Kinsley, V. Luther,
Description: This resource provides an interactive web-based community assessment guide. It is based on a hard-copy publication of the same title that was published in 1999.
National Network for Collaboration Training Manual
Author: Borden, Lynne (4 more by this author); Dan Perkins
Description: The goal of community collaboration is to bring individuals and members of communities, agencies and organizations together in an atmosphere of support to systematically solve existing and emerging problems that could not be solved by one group alone. Understanding the complexities of collaboration and applying the key elements involved in collaboration increases the likelihood of achieving shared goals and outcomes. To assist citizens and practitioners in their collaborative efforts, the National Network for Collaboration created a Collaboration Framework. A training manual that discusses collaboration and standards of practice. The manual includes a section with evaluation tools.
Nonprofit Center: Useful Links
Description: This website hosts a number of links that provide a wealth of information for and about nonprofit organizations. It includes links to advocacy resources, career development resources, fundraising resources, strategic planning resources, and links to many other resources for nonprofit organizations and for people interested in nonprofit organizations.
Pew Partnership for Civic Change: Wanted: Solutions for America
Description: An overview of a national initiative to document and disseminate what works to build stronger communities.
Center for Urban Policy Research.
Description: Created by the Poverty in America Project, the Poverty in America website provides current information on the economic conditions in American Society. The site includes links to tools that provide statistics for individual state and county economic trends across the United States.
Poverty in America's Living Wage Calculator
Description: Created by the Poverty in America Project, the Living Wage Calculator is a tool that estimates the cost of living in a community or region. The Calculator lists typical expenses, the living wage and typical wages in the location you have selected.
Results of an Inquiry into Capacity Building Program for Nonprofit Programs
Description: A report that discusses the findings from an inquiry into organizational capacity building. The report seeks to help foundations and nonprofits understand the importance of capacity building and to help them succeed in their capacity building efforts.
Author: Gerald, Doeksen; Rural Policy Research Institute; USDA Cooperative Extension Service; Office of Rural Health Policy, Dept. of Health and Human Services
Description: Rural Health Works provides tools to rural communities to revitalize their local health care system. RHW staff provide a one day train the trainer program for professionals involved in health planning and economic development. This website provides information on how to get involved with this program.
Author: Wasteney, Sharon; Suzanne Johnston
Description: This presentation provides an overview of a CYFAR workshop in which presenters shared some concrete tools, principles and guidelines that can be the catalyst for sustainability of funding and programming.
The Asset-based Community Development Institute
Description: The ABCD Institute disseminates its findings on capacity-building community development in two ways: (1) through extensive and substantial interactions with community builders, and (2) by producing practical resources and tools for community builders to identify, nurture, and mobilize neighborhood assets.
The Community Development Capacity Index: Measuring Change
Description: This website provides information regarding an assessment tool (the CDCI) designed to provide a framework for communities to evaluate the impact of community development initiatives. The measure allows for the exploration of community characteristics that relate to community and economic development practices. The page includes information about the survey and the survey itself, as well as goals for effective community benchmarking. It also provides a link to an interactive measurement tool.
The Community Development Toolbox
Author: Fesenmaier, Julie (3 more by this author)
Description: The COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TOOLBOX offers an online environment where people pursuing community development goals are empowered to make better decisions as they solve problems facing their community now! Tools in the COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TOOLBOX include online community surveys to teach the fundamentals of survey design and implementation. The online survey tool includes a databank of questions where users (communities) can build their own survey instrument; it provides guidelines for determining sample size and helps document the results of the survey. The online benchmarking tools can be used to assess organizational strength and social capital in communities. It provides users with an immediate score that reflects a degree of community cohesiveness related to community and economic development. The Telecommunications Readiness Inventory provides communities with worksheets as they negotiate the Internet connectivity puzzle. The eGovernment Readiness Index does the same by providing a baseline and then benchmark by which a community can measure progress toward adopting eGovernment practice.
Transitions: Implementing Change Decisions - abstract
Description: An abstract that provides an overview of a training curriculum for implementing and institutionalizing organizational change.
Using Asset-Based Community Development to Build Youth Programs
Author: Street, Beth; Connie Heiskell; Chasity Rice
Description: This Power Point presentation provides an overview of a workshop presented at CYFAR 2003 in which presenters shared how to incorporate community development into future or existing programs by developing asset-based inventories, catalog assets and incorporate a youth program called Building Communities to build youth/adult partnerships.
– Research –
Author: Cook, James (1 more by this author)
Description: Discusses necessity of theory informing practice. Reviews community development theory, develops concepts and outlines assumptions.
Evaluating Comprehensive Community Change
Description: A report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation's March 1997 Research and Evaluation Conference that provides an overview of how to conduct useful evaluations of comprehensive community initiatives.
Lessons from the Field: Community Anti-drug Coalitions as Catalysts for Change
Description: This report provides analytic insights into the organization, operation, sustainability, and impact of community anti-drug coalitions across America. The study involved in-depth case studies of eight highly-effective community coalitions and a cross-site analysis that examines characteristics shared among them, such as leadership, outcomes, planning, institutionalization, and diversification of funding sources.
Pew Partnership for Civic Change
Description: A website that offers research-based information on building healthy communities. The information is broken down into several topics, including building safe neighborhoods, living wage jobs, viable economics, healthy families and children, and collaborative leadership.
Pew Partnership for Civic Change: Wanted: Solutions for America
Description: An overview of a national initiative to document and disseminate what works to build stronger communities.
Center for Urban Policy Research.
Results of an Inquiry into Capacity Building Program for Nonprofit Programs
Description: A report that discusses the findings from an inquiry into organizational capacity building. The report seeks to help foundations and nonprofits understand the importance of capacity building and to help them succeed in their capacity building efforts.
The Community Development Capacity Index: Measuring Change
Description: This website provides information regarding an assessment tool (the CDCI) designed to provide a framework for communities to evaluate the impact of community development initiatives. The measure allows for the exploration of community characteristics that relate to community and economic development practices. The page includes information about the survey and the survey itself, as well as goals for effective community benchmarking. It also provides a link to an interactive measurement tool.
The Forum for Youth Investment
Description: This web site is the home site for The Forum for Youth Investment, an organization committed to bringing all youth serving organizations to the table to help better serve the needs of youth. The site provides information about the organizational approach of the Forum as well as a listing of partners and supporters, links to research and policy agendas.