INTRODUCTION 7

A Word About Words 10

SECTION I – UNDERSTANDING THE TERMS 11

Principles and Values 12
What is Community Development? 12
Community Development Resources 14
What is Community Capacity Building? 18
The Impact of Building Capacity 19

SECTION II – WHEN DOES COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT HAPPEN? 21

Responding to a Challenge or Opportunity 21
Community Awareness – The Power to Act 24
The Desire to Build on Diversity and Find Common Ground 26
Understanding Change 29
Checking the Readiness of Your Community 31
The Need for a Catalyst 33
Who are Likely Catalysts? 33
Can You Take on the Role of Community Catalyst? 34

SECTION III – DEVELOPING A PROCESS 38

Building Support 40
Who Should Be Involved? 42
Creating a Valued Local Process 46
Developing Buy-In 48
Making a Plan 49
The Benefits of a Community Plan 51
The Seven Steps in a Community Planning Process 51
Factors That Contribute to Successful Planning 54
Implementing and Adjusting the Plan 57
Possible Roles 57
Sharing the Load 58
Maintaining Momentum 61
Leadership 61
Partnerships 64
Building Community Capacity 68
Funding Community Development 71
Reviewing and Adapting the Community Development Plan 75
Motivation and Commitment 76
Communication 78
Using Technical Support and Expertise 81

SECTION IV – ATTITUDE, KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS 84

Attitude 84
Knowledge 86
Skills 87
Communication, Facilitation and Team-Building Skills 87
Research, Planning and Evaluation Skills 88
Problem-Solving and Conflict-Resolution Skills 88
Management Skills 89
Organizational Design and Development Skills 89
Building on Skills and Responding to Skill Gaps 90

SECTION V – COMMON PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS 93

Not Understanding Your Community 94
Getting From Planning to Action 96
Failing to Evaluate Results 97
Lack of Financial Resources 99
Role Confusion and Power Struggles 101
Unresolved Conflict 102
Not Applying Tools and Techniques Effectively 103

SECTION VI – CONCLUSION 106

Evaluation Form 108