Ask an Advisor Answers

Dear Zainab,
Please refer to Ch 8 and Section 2 of the Toolbox. 

Dear Kurt,
Please check out our grant writing toolkithttp://ctb.ku.edu/en/writing-grant-application

Dear Alicia, 
Please check out following resources: 
http://www.vawnet.org/summary.php?doc_id=3542&find_type=web_sum_GC
and research from Dr. Lauren Cattaneo at George Washington University. 

Dear Sophia,
Please send your inquiry directly to facutly affiliated with Community Toolbox at toolbox@ku.edu

Dear Nelson
I would suggest checking out the resources avaible at Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. www.civicyouth.org

Dear Maggie,
I would suggest reading Ch. 3 and 17.
 
 

You raise great questions about the pros and cons of pursuing a masters versus a PhD in order to be able to achieve your goals. You mention that you do not intend to work as an educator or conduct research in an academic setting. You also mention that your interests are in the important areas of human rights, policy, and advocacy). You are likely to get different responses from different people to this question so I encourage you to talk to a variety of people about this issue.
 
My view is based on holding a PhD and teaching students for three decades who were pursuing masters degrees in community psychology. Most of these students were mid-career professionals who had discovered that a masters would assist them in their positions. Many of these positions (but not all) were in nonprofits and my students often reported that in order to do their jobs better or move up in their organization, they needed a master's degree. The graduate course work emphasized many skills that the students reported as finding helpful to the work they were pursuing. I noted above that they were midcareer because this seemed to be relevant to the value they found in the program. They brought considerable experience to the graduate program and this helped them know what their work setting required.
 
Most of these graduate students did not expect to pursue a PhD and did not anticipate that such a degree would be helpful for the work they intended to do. This is where things have become interesting, however, in recent years. Various funding agencies (federal, state, and foundation) increasingly are encouraging partnerships between nonprofits and academia or are increasingly expecting that program development and implementation will be evaluated or based on best practices (often based on research). I'm hearing from leaders of nonprofits who say that they are finding that having a doctorate can be very helpful in building these partnerships and strengthening their work. Some branches of the National Institutes of Health, for example, fund centers that include partnership elements (such as community outreach and engagement elements) and, again, people who primarily engage in practice are finding that a PhD can be asset in this work. So, the answer to whether a doctorate is helpful or needed outside of teaching or research is becoming more complicated.
 
Recently, SPSSI (the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues--Division 9 of the American Psychological Association) hosted a national conference ("The Road Less Traveled") in Washington DC on social policy and how the work of psychologists can have a greater impact on policy. Many of the attendees were people who work in policy arenas outside of academia. They were amazing people making a difference in bringing together bodies of research to try to ensure that research makes a difference. Some of the speakers had doctorates and some masters. People were asked directly about what level of education they saw as important. They repeatedly said that from their perspective what was important was the content of program and whether it was largely theoretical in its focus or whether an emphasis was placed on solutions-focused work. The latter, in their estimation, prepared people for a broader range of careers.
So, you asked a great question that opens up lots of possibilities.

It is great to hear that your organization uses the Community Toolbox and that you have found the toolbox helpful. As you look to expand your offerings on community organizing, you will likely find that the internet is becoming a great resource in bringing together community organizing training materials. In addition to the materials at the Community Toolbox, you will find other resources that may be helpful depending on who you hope will participate in the training, how much experience they have had with community organizing, whether the training will be "live" or will use the web/internet, and what topics will be the focus of the organizing. Below are a few suggestions that might be helpful.
1. The website of the Center for Community Change (comm-org.wisc.edu/papers97/beckwith.htm) includes a paper "Community Organizing: People Power from the Grassroots" by David Beckwith with Christina Lopez. The paper does a great job of summarizing key issues under the headings "Four Strategies," "What is Community Organizing?", "The Principles of Community Organizing", "The Ten Rules of Community Organizing", and "Developing an Action Strategy."
2. Community Organing Toolkit (found at organizinggame.org) describes the game (available in Spanish and English) as a "set of resources that supports face-to-face training for residents and leaders. Lots of interesting info here.
3. www.buildthewheel.org/compilation/organizing-101-workshops: This website includes eight workshop curricula (they look interesting!) designed to introduce youth to community organizing.

It is great that you are planning to include the Community Tool Box in your reference list. Others have also asked this question. Here is what we recommend:
 
      * If the writer is citing the Tool Box as an entire document, the reference form would simply be: 
 
                      Community Tool Box  (n.d).  http://ctb.ku.edu.
 
                           [n.d] because there is no single publication date for the Tool Box as a whole. 
 
 
     *  Perhaps more commonly, if the writer is citing a particular section or chapter in the Tool Box, the reference form would contain these elements, in order:
 
                Name of Contributor(s) 
[n.d.]  
Title of section or chapter 
Retrieved from [give URL of section or chapter]
                on  {retrieval date] 
 
 
               The name of the Contributor(s) can be found at the end of the relevant section. (n.d.) is used since the sections are not individually dated.  The section or chapter title should be as given on the web site.  The URL can be pasted in the reference citation from the way it appears in one's web browser. 

Best of luck on finishing the modified version of your book "Starting and Sustaining Groups that Thrive." You asked about some of the figures included in the Community Tool Box about the number of self-help groups and support groups around the country. That number cited was 500,000 and you asked about the source and date of that statistic. We are doing some searching to see if we can find out if there is updated information. We do know that the number cited is not recent but don't at this time have additional information about source or any updated information. 
 
 

Your question is an important one: about developing policies around youth workers using their own money to buy personal items for the youth they work with who may be in urgent need. Several chapters in the Community Tool Box include general information around policies and support for workers. These chapters include Chapter 10: "Hiring and Training Key Staff" and Chapter 12: "Providing Training and Technical Assistance."  The chapter provide general recommendations.
With regard to your specific question, you might find the following website of value: http://www.socialworker.com/feature-articles/ethics-articles/Client_Rela...  This is an article about "Client Relationships and Ethical Boundaries for Social Workers in Child Welfare."  Your staff might not be social workers but the information here can be valuable for thinking through the challenge of how to meet the needs of the youth while maintaining boundaries that might at first appear to the youth to be a rejection but in fact may help avoid situations that will complicate rather than improve the opportunities for youth.
 

    You have asked two interesting questions: (1) are there any online courses about mental health in the community, and (2) in the area of ecology are there any organizations or websites that bring together the diverse, scattered information that is available.
    With regard to your first question, an effective way to find out what is available in terms of online courses about mental health in the community might be to "google" the topic using terms such as online courses on mental health in the community or free online courses on this topic. If you were to do this you would find many possibilities. For example, one of the websites that comes up is https://alison.com/courses/mental-health. This describes a free course they offer on mental health in the community. The challenge, of course, will be to assess the content, cost, quality, and assumptions about culture that the course might make. Thus, the assessment of whether the course is a good fit for what you need or what you see others as needing will be the challenge.
    Your second question notes how dispersed the information about ecology and the environment is and you asked whether there might be any website or organization that brings the information together. You are certainly correct that the information can be a bit difficult to find. You note that Tellus and 350.org organize some of this information and you ask whether it would be a good idea to organize such a site? I would encourage you to investigate, if you have a chance, two website that are not on the environment but have been built to do exactly this task of bringing together key information in one place. These sites are the Community Tool Box and the Community Campus Partnerships for Health. Studying them with an eye to how to bring diverse information together can be very helpful. They suggest what might be involved, what strategies work (or perhaps don't), how to envision possible users, and what level of work and resources might be needed to bring a site onboard that has wide usefulness.

     Your project sounds like a very important one: "trying to connect multiple groups, across professional sectors as well as community members, in an effort to reduce recidivism/enhance community stability for individuals and families after incarceration." You hope to develop a resource guide/reference guide that would assist people and are looking for examples. You have probably already checked out resources such as:
     https://csgjusticecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/ReducingRecidivism_StatesDeliverResults.pdf: “Reducing Recidivism: States Deliver Results”
     https://csgjusticecenter.org/youth/publications/juvenile-justice-white-paper/: “Reducing Recidivism and Improving Outcomes for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System”
     http://www.ncsc.org/topics/problem-solving-courts/mental-health-courts/resource-guide.aspx: “Mental Health Courts: Resource Guides
    They probably aren't quite what you are hoping to put together but they are interesting examples of how people are putting together information. I wonder if the "Toolkits" part of the Community Tool Box might be a starting point for thinking about how you might organize your resource guide: what "skills" do people need to come together and work on this issue, what challenges are they likely to confront, and how can they work to overcome these challenges. The content of the Toolbox is directly focused on recidivism but you might find it useful to think about which parts would be helpful for your customized resource guild. 
    Best of luck on this important problem.

You ask the interesting question, “When does a gathering become a community?” This question is intriguing because built into it are issues about how to make a one-off event something that can be continue. Many people have struggled with this issue and you will find much in the Community Toolbox that is relevant: Chapter 3: Assessing Community Needs and Resources, Chapter 6: Communication to Promote Interest, Chapter 9: Developing an Organizational Structure, and Chapter 18: Deciding Where to Start.
So, if I might, let’s “take apart” this question. A gathering is presumably something that occurs with the idea that it will happen at least once. What takes place at that gathering and how the gathering is put together will likely influence whether there is a continuation. For example, is the gathering where people just happen to come together? Or was thought put into how to ensure that certain people are there (“at the table”)? The amount of prework to decide who should be there and why can shape the likelihood that what happens will be continued. In addition to who is there, it can also be important to have a plan for what will happen at the gathering. Has attention been given to activities, discussions, and processes? The best gatherings often have a spontaneous quality that, paradoxically, isn’t spontaneous--lots of planning may have gone into designing what will happen at the gathering so there is forward momentum to create a community.
Now, back to the issue of when a gathering becomes a community. Communities have continuation. They often involve shared goals, collaborations, and resources. Getting from a gathering to a community may entail putting into place activities that help participants see some of the ways that they share goals and by working together they have a better chance of achieving those goals.
Here’s an example. In Canada and the U.S., the musical instrument the ukulele (a funny little instrument with origins in Hawaii and in Portugal) has become very popular in recent years. There are frequently gatherings in which people come together to play together, show each other their tiny instruments, and have fun. What has been intriguing is that increasingly these gatherings are turning into communities. People have begun to think about how children aren’t having opportunities to learn music and about how elders in nursing homes aren’t having chances to find a connection to music. In other words, there are challenges that uke players see in their towns that they believe can be addressed through making ukes more available. And that is what they are doing. All over. With deliberation and thoughtfulness they are moving from gatherings to communities and using this seemingly insignificant instrument as a means for making connections and solving problems. Uke players are so enthusiastic about their instruments that they convey this excitement in ways that can help others.

Hello Meghan, Thank you for reaching out to us with this request. It can be overwhelming at times bringing information from different sources and putting them into use. We have several tools and guidelines that can be really helpful to you. Section one (Developing a Logic Model or Theory of Change), in chapter 2 (Other Models for Promoting Community Health and Development) explains step by step how to develop the model, and has several tabs that can ease the process, from an example tab, to tools and resources tabs that you can visit for more information.
Please follow the link below that will direct you to section one of chapter two.
http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/overview/models-for-community-hea...
Good luck with your project,

Hello Celinda, thank you for coming to us with this question. It will all come down to your needs, what you hope to achieve, and the foundation’s objective and target. The foundations usually have a set of guidelines and criteria for their grants, some focused while other broader, that you can find on their websites and applications. Therefore, it is extremely important to do your research about the foundation before contacting them; about their objective, target group, type of funding, past projects, and criteria/guidelines for their grants. You may, then, contact the foundation with any unanswered question or concern, if the information was not available on their page.
We provide more information about grant writing, grant resources, searching for and contacting foundations, as well as examples and other resources and tools. The links bellow can assist you highlighting some points on the topic:
Chapter 42: Section 4. Applying for a Grant: The General Approach : http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/finances/grants-and-financial-res...
Toolkit 14. Writing a Grant Application for Funding: http://ctb.ku.edu/en/writing-grant-application
Good luck with your grand, let us know how it goes. 

Hello Stacey, such an interesting question to ask. It is important to use modern tools  to reach the youth and gain their interest. In my experience both methods can be effective. The pictures can be shared on a website or an online platform such as Instagram or facebook. In that way the youth's pictures can be exposed to the group as well as  the rest of the local and international online community. That can be a great boost of moral for the youth, motivating them to take more pictures and be more involved. We used this approach once for a social cohesion project between refugee and local youth, and the outcomes were positive; each picture  included a small phrase of what that picture represent to the youth. While the Digital more traditional allows the youth to have more human interaction. the digital/traditional required the youth to be physically there, which can help in boosting their confidence and improve their communication skills, with the right guidance. You can find more about Youth Mentoring inChapter 22. Youth Mentoring Programs and  communication tools in Chapter 6. Communications to Promote Interestif you are interested.
Good luck with the project, let us know how it goes.
 

Hello Mary Ann, thank you for coming to us with this initiative. You can find several chapters in our archive that address issues concerning youth mentoring, social marketing, developing a strategic planning, promoting Community Health, among other topics available in our table of contents...

• Chapter 1. Our Model for Community Change and Improvement
• Chapter 2. Other Models for Promoting Community Health and Development
• Chapter 5. Choosing Strategies to Promote Community Health and Development
• Chapter 6. Communications to Promote Interest
• Chapter 8. Developing a Strategic Plan
• Chapter 22. Youth Mentoring Programs
• Chapter 45. Social Marketing of Successful Components of the Initiative

Good Luck

Hello Erica, glad to see you are interested in our materials. You will find a list of different resources used to gather the information at the bottom of every section. You can find more information about te use of CTB materials in the Use Policy Section. Good luck with your assignment.

Hello Steve, Thank you for coming to us with this. I found it helpful to have visuals, such as website/facebook page/leaflets, while explaining more to people about the cause, how it relates to the community, what it means to me to work on it. this mixture of visualization, personal experience, effect on community, and how they can help (solution) have been effective in gaining peoples interest in the cause, to ask more questions, and often have a list of interested volunteers. We actually have a detailed chapter on volunteerism, please follow the Hyperlink for more information.
Chapter 11. Recruiting and Training Volunteers
Good Luck,

Hello Chanelle, glad to see you are interested in our materials. You will find a list of different resources used to gather the information at the bottom of every section. You can find more information about te use of CTB materials in the Use Policy Section. Good luck .

Hello Melissa,
Thank you for reaching to us. Chapter 27. Cultural Competence in a Multicultural World might be of help for you. This chapter visits many topics concerning prejeduce and racism, diversity, cultural differences. It might be helpful in the development of the survey.
Good luck,
 

Hi Tracey,
Thank you for submitting your most excellent question to Ask an Advisor, I hope we can be of help.  Your question is not uncommon to those preparing funding applications and we've found that over the years funders really want you to carefully consider (i.e., assess) how you're spending their money so that you are maximizing the impact of your project or program (i.e., consequences) and they are maximizing the return on their investment.  Fair enough, we live in the age of accountability so it's to be expected.  That said, let's think about your question from the perspective of your program or project's logic model.  You've going to use funds to purchase resources (i.e., inputs such as an evidence-based curriculum, program dedicated staff, transportation, etc.), allowing you to carry out specific program/project activities (i.e., outputs) that will help you effect some sort of community change or improvement for your target population (i.e., outcomes). Purchasing these resources and then carrying out activities is a direct consequence of funding that can be tied directly to your program/project budget (i.e., financial resources -> inputs -> outputs -> outcomes).  Does that make sense?  I hope so.  Now, assessing the indirect financial consequences requires a bit more finesse and thought.  You might consider indirect consequenes as being unintended, things that your funding doesn't necessarily buy (in a manner of speaking).  For example, your program might leverage other community resources that have some sort of financial value.  These resources would be considered to be indirect financial consequences because you didn't use direct funds to "purchase" them, rather they were unintended, but have value.  Does that make sense?  I hope so.  If my answer is not clear let me point you to some outstanding resources we have here in the Community Tool Box.  Specifically, click on Learn a Skill (how-to information) in the upper left corner and click on the Table of Contents.  I think Chapter 31 - Section 6 including on-line resources (scroll down to the bottom of the page) "Tools and Resources for Assessing Social Impact"; Toolkit 10; Chapter 42 - Section 5; and Toolkit 14 will provide what you're looking for.  Thank you again for your question and we hope we've helped or at least pointed you in the right direction.
Ask an Advisor
                 

Cheers Renee,
Thank you for stopping by Ask an Advisor and for your great question.  I think this is the type of deliverable that sends shivers down the spines of even the most stalwart of NFP consultants so not to worry you're not alone.  To begin, let's unpack what you've been tasked with in the RFP in terms of "creating assessment tools/methods for evaluating outcomes, goals, strategies, and programs."  What the RFP is asking you to do is write an evaluation plan as part of the strategic plan that is more detailed and specific than a one page assessment and more along the lines of a multi-page document as you correctly surmised.  This evaluation plan will be determined by talking with your NFP clients about what elements need to be evaluated, what the client wants to know about each element (i.e., the evaluation questions), what instruments (i.e., tools) are needed to answer those questions, what design might be used (e.g., qualitative, mixed-methods, quasi-experimental), whether you might be able to use existing evaluation plans and tools from previous evaluations (most NFPs have evaluations on hand), and the like.  That said, and let me be clear, if you don't feel comfortable in the evaluative domain ask your clients whether it is feasible to bring in an external evaluation consultant (ideally your client has one they've worked with and trust or there is someone on staff who has some evaluation chops) to augment the good work that you're already doing.  Renee, please don't feel bad about asking and believe me there's no shame  because it's better to bring in someone who does evaluation all the time than to fumble around in an area that is not well suited to your talents and skill set.  If, after meeting with your clients it is not feasible to bring in an external evaluator or there isn't anyone you can work with in the organization then let me steer you to the resources we have in the Community Tool Box regarding evaluation - and let me say as someone who is trained in applied research and evalation, what you'll find here is really solid and pretty awesome (yeah, it's awesome).  If you go to our home page you'll notice the Learn a Skill (how-to information) button in the top left corner.  Click it on and the click on table of contents and scroll down to "Evaluating Community Programs and Initiatives." Take a deep breath.  Voila, this section provides you with information about developing a plan for evaluation, evaluation methods, and using evaluation to understand and improve the initiative.  You will notice there are four chapters (36 - 39) and one toolkit (12) dedicated to evaluation.  There is enough information contained therein that is directly applicable to what needs to be done as specified by the RFP.  I hope you find this useful.  Again, if you don't feel comfortable with the evaluative enterprise then ask about bringing in someone to help, there is no shame at all.  Let us know if you have any other questions and thank you for sharing your question with us; you are never alone!
Ask an Advisor