Community Development

The first mistake is deciding what people need without listening to the people who live there.

• ·Identify visible and less-visible problems
• ·Find who is affected
• ·Gather evidence
• ·Locate existing organizations

Residents possess knowledge about their community. Listen before designing.

• ·Interview at least five residents
• ·Avoid promises you cannot deliver
• ·Document repeated themes
• ·Surface unexpected findings

A neighborhood is more than its problems. Map its assets.

• ·Identify residents, skills, institutions, and resources
• ·Record each asset's role
• ·Collect no private data without permission
• ·Shift from deficits to assets

Not everybody has money. People may contribute time, skills, knowledge, and connections.

• ·Identify what you can contribute
• ·Find nearby organizations
• ·Complete a measurable volunteer activity
• ·Document what you learned

Young people should be developed as students, creators, leaders, and builders — not only discussed as problems to manage.

• ·Map youth opportunities and gaps
• ·Include youth voice in design
• ·Support mentoring or skill-building
• ·Identify safe gathering spaces

Community violence is not solved through one program or slogan. Examine the ecosystem of factors and emphasize prevention.

• ·Identify who is affected and where
• ·Map existing prevention resources
• ·Choose safe preventive actions
• ·Partner with qualified organizations

Distinguish availability, affordability, transportation, and nutrition access.

• ·Build a community food map
• ·Identify barriers and distance
• ·Locate existing programs
• ·Support one food action

Housing affects affordability, quality, vacancy, and displacement.

• ·Identify local housing problems
• ·Map programs and agencies
• ·Build a resource guide
• ·Avoid providing individualized legal advice

Education includes schools, tutoring, adult education, trades, and career development.

• ·Map educational resources
• ·Identify gaps and employer needs
• ·Find adult learning paths
• ·Support one education effort

Parks, sidewalks, lighting, and vacant lots shape community life.

• ·Walk and observe a selected area
• ·Assess lighting, accessibility, green space
• ·Choose a lawful improvement project
• ·Document before and after

Local businesses provide jobs, ownership, tax base, identity, and mentorship.

• ·Map up to 20 local businesses
• ·Ask owners about challenges and needs
• ·Support five businesses
• ·Build a directory if useful

Nonprofit does not mean no revenue, no employees, or no business discipline.

• ·Research a nonprofit's mission and programs
• ·Assess funding and leadership
• ·Evaluate community reputation
• ·Ask if activity matches mission

A social enterprise combines commercial activity with a defined social objective.

• ·Identify a problem with revenue potential
• ·Distinguish customer and beneficiary
• ·Define impact to measure
• ·Build a canvas

Investigate government resources before assuming nothing exists.

• ·Find at least ten legitimate resources
• ·Record agency, eligibility, and process
• ·Explain one resource in plain language
• ·Use official sources

Many community problems are too complex for one person or organization.

• ·Map who experiences, understands, resources, and has authority
• ·Identify trust, funding, and facilities
• ·Build a five-partner proposal
• ·Make partnership reciprocal

Don't only ask for money. Explain the problem, plan, people, budget, and accountability.

• ·Build a funding mix
• ·Create a case for support
• ·Set donation levels
• ·Write an impact statement

Understand funder, eligibility, need, activities, budget, outcomes, and evaluation.

• ·Write a need statement with evidence
• ·Define activities and budget
• ·Specify outcomes and measurement
• ·Draft a mock grant

Good intentions are not the same as good results. Never confuse activity with impact.

• ·Distinguish input, activity, output, outcome, impact
• ·Build an impact scorecard
• ·Measure what actually happened
• ·Never inflate results