Hi Sarah,
Welcome to the Community Tool Box (CTB) and Ask an Advisor. Admittedly, I'm a little surprised that you are going to invite your top achievers to an awards ceremony and ask them to pay a fee to attend. If I were a top achiever and received an invitation I'd be a little incensed at having to pay for the privilege of attending the ceremony at which my achievements would be recognized; typically, when one is invited to receive an award one doesn't pay a fee, that's just the way these things work. Further, asking your top achievers to pay for their own ceremony will not do your organization any favors as far as publicity is concerned and may in fact damage your reputation. My strong advice to you is to reconsider this course of action with some of the alternatives outlined below.
That said, my guess is that you are a small non-profit with an equally small budget, yet you want to recognize people for their efforts with a nice ceremony and need $50 per person to cover your costs, is that correct? Indeed, recognizing top achievers is important on a number of levels so I understand why you want to hold an awards ceremony and applaud you for it. So, my first question to you is: have you thought about holding a modest ceremony so you don't have to ask people to pay a fee? I mean, there are other ways to recognize people other than a lavish, expensive awards ceremony. The important thing is recognizing them, not the ceremony at which such recognition is offered; remember, the ceremony is for them, not to show off your organization's ability to hold an expensive awards ceremony. As a non-profit you need to spend within your means. My second question to you is: have you thought about soliciting donations from the community or thought about seeking other forms of external funding (e.g., small grants) to cover your costs? It will require some leg work on your part, but I think if you ask your supporters to help you fund a modest awards ceremony my guess is that such a proposition would be met with favor. It doesn’t hurt to ask. Any money you don’t spend out of your operating budget can be used for programming, which is the most important aspect of your work.
Rather than providing you with invitation wording asking invitees to pay a fee to cover your costs for the reasons I outlined above, I'm going to offer resources from the CTB that will help you think through the whole recognition ceremony enterprise. We actually have a chapter and section on holding award ceremonies that offers a lot of great information to get you to think about alternative ways of recognizing people. Start on our home page and click on the "Learn A Skill" button at the top left corner of the page. Next, click on "Table of Contents" and scroll down to the section entitled "Maintaining Quality and Rewarding Accomplishments" and click it on. Click on "Chapter 41. Rewarding Accomplishments," and scroll down to "Section 4. Holding Awards Ceremonies" and read through the "Main Section." Please give this all due consideration as it will help you re-frame your thinking about your awards ceremony and awards ceremonies in general.
With that Sarah, thank you for visiting the CTB and Ask an Advisor. Again, you don't need to hold an elaborate ceremony because it's the recognition of achievements that is most important. Please consider planning a low-cost, within budget, modest ceremony or ask local businesses and other community organizations to help defray costs so you don't have to ask top achievers to fund their own ceremony. We wish you much success. Take care, be well, do good work.
Ask an Advisor
Thanks. Steph
Hi Steph,
Welcome to the Community Tool Box and Ask an Advisor, we're here to help. Not knowing where you are I Googled your URL and found out that you're in northwest Kansas, correct? Well, I have done a lot of work over the years with the Community Engagement Institute (http://www.wichita.edu/thisis/home/?u=cei) at Wichita State University and I think they can either conduct the needs assessment themselves or will likely know someone who can. Contact my colleague, Dr. Tara Gregory, Director of the Center for Applied Research and Evaluation at the Community Engagement Institute either by email: tara.gregory@wichita.edu or phone: 316.978.3714 and tell her Dr. Jeff Sheldon gave you her contact information. She and her colleagues at the Community Engagement Institute do fantastic work all over Kansas so for my money they're the go-to resource for all things related to community building and development. I hope that helps Steph. Best of success, take care, be well, and do good work!
Ask an Advisor
Hi Rola,
All apologies for the delay in replying to your query as I was on vacation, even advisors need a break every now and again. That said, thank you so much for visiting the Community Tool Box (CTB) and Ask an Advisor, we hope you'll find our advice to be timely, accurate, useful, and directly applicable to your community change effort. So Rola, if I understand you correctly, you want to start a community initiative to prevent domestic violence in the African immigrant communities, correct? Well, you've come to the right place because we have all the resources you need to do just that. However, let me be clear that undertaking such vital community work is, well, just that - work. It also takes time, persistence, resilience, patience, fortitude, and just a bit of luck to go from no initiative to community change. This is not meant to discourage your efforts, rather to give you realistic expectations.
Okay, let’s begin. The best way I think I can help you is to first provide resources available and specific to Atlanta in the form of existing domestic violence prevention programs that are likely doing what you want to do. My strong suggestion, before you develop and implement your own initiative (I'll share our CTB resources below if you decide that's your preferred course of action) is to get in touch with them and find ways in which you might be able to form working relationships and collaborations. It won't hurt to ask for a meeting to explain what you want to do and why you want to do it; I guarantee they will be more than willing to listen and more than likely to want to help. There is no reason to reinvent the wheel if there are perfectly good wheels already rolling along to which you can hitch your wagon, so to speak. Okay, here are the resources I found through a Google search:
Tapestri Refugee and Immigrant Coalition: http://www.tapestri.org/
Faith Trust Institute: http://www.faithtrustinstitute.org/index.php
Men Stopping Violence: http://www.menstoppingviolence.org
Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence: http://gcadv.org/general-resources/domestic-violence-centers/
Women's Resource Center to End Domestic Violence: http://www.wrcdv.org/
Stronghold Atlanta: http://www.strongholdatlanta.org/
Partnership Against Domestic Violence: http://padv.org/about-us/programsservices/#.V3Fyiqbn_rc
Promise Place: http://promiseplace.org/
Travelers Aid of Metropolitan Atlanta: http://www.travelersaidatlanta.org/
Again, I strongly urge you to contact each of these organizations before developing and implementing your own intervention. If nothing else they can provide insight as to how they got started and the lessons they learned in getting their respective initiatives up and running. Below are other organizations you might find helpful, including:
The Georgia Commission on Family Violence: http://gcfv.georgia.gov/
Live Your Dreams: http://www.liveyourdream.org/our-dream/ending-violence-against-women/dom...
The Feminist Majority Foundation: http://www.feminist.org/other/dv/dvfact.html
The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control: http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/ipvfacts.htm
The National Domestic Violence Hotline: http://www.ndvh.org.
As I mentioned above, the CTB has plenty of resources if you want to develop and implement your own initiative. I'm not sure how familiar you are with the CTB and what we have to offer so I want you to start with a primer on the CTB to give you a better sense of what we do and what we have to offer. We'll take them in the order in which I think they should be reviewed.
1) Begin on the CTB home page. Click on the "About" button at the top right of the page. Click on "About the Tool Box" and review this section.
2) Begin on the CTB home page. Click on the "About" button at the top right of the page. Scroll down to "How to Use the Tool Box," click it on, and review this section.
3) Begin on the CTB home page. Click on the "Help Taking Action" button at the top left of the page. Scroll down to and click on "A Model for Getting Started" and review this section. If you review no other section, please review this one.
4) Begin on the CTB home page. Click on the "Help Taking Action" button at the top left of the page. Scroll down to and click on "Best Change Processes" and review this section.
5) Begin on the CTB home page. Click on the "Help Taking Action" button at the top left of the page. Scroll down to and click on "Troubleshooting Guide" and review those sections that make the most sense to you. From my perspective, sections: 1. We need to understand the community or situation better; 2. We don’t understand the problem or goal; and 3. We don't know what to do to solve the problem will be the best sections to review at this stage of your initiative.
6) Last, begin on the CTB home page. Click on the "Help Taking Action" button at the top left of the page. Scroll down to and click on "Online Courses." If you're unsure about how to effect community change then taking a sequence of free, online courses may be the way to go.
Next, the CTB has 16 toolkits that will help you in all facets of your community work. Although it appears to be a rather daunting task to get through them all, if you take them one by one in the order in which they're presented I think this will provide you with the guidance you need to get your initiative going. First, click on the "Learn A Skill" button at the top left of the CTB home page. Next, click on "Toolkits" which help you get a quick start on key activities in community work. Accessing specific toolkits that are closest to what you are doing provides outlines of key tasks, examples, and links to more detailed instructional sections. For my money (ironically, CTB resources are free), toolkits are the best resources in the CTB. If you go with my first suggestion, collaborating with organizations already hard at work in Atlanta on the domestic violence issue, then start with toolkit 1. Creating and Maintaining Partnerships. If however, you decide on your own course of action (not recommended, but I understand why you'd want to), then begin toolkit 2. Assessing Community Needs and Resources followed by toolkits 3. Analyzing Problems and Goals; 4. Developing a Framework or Model of Change; 5. Developing Strategic and Action Plans; and 7. Developing an Intervention. You can come back to the other toolkits as needed.
So, in sum Rola, my strongest suggestion is finding collaborators and partners for your work. If that doesn't interest you then review the sections about the CTB and then work through toolkits 1 - 5 and 7; that will get you going for sure. With that, thank you Rola for wanting to effect change in your community and for visiting the CTB and Ask an Advisor as your point of departure. We with you nothing but the best of success in your endeavors. If you find that our reply doesn't quite hit the mark, please come back and visit and we'll work together to find a viable alternative. Be well, take care, do good work!
Cheers,
Ask an Advisor
Hi Suzie,
All apologies for my late reply as I was on vacation from the 23rd - 26th. That said, welcome to the Community Tool Box (CTB) and Ask an Advisor, I hope we can provide you with timely, useful, directly applicable, and accurate advice! Well, Suzie I'm not sure I'm the best person to pen such a paean primarily because I don't know this person and the contextual specifics around his contributions to your community. You know him far better than I do so the first of two pieces of advice I can give is for you to just write something from your heart; it doesn't have to be long, just heart-felt. For example if I were writing this piece I would begin by telling the community what he's done year after year after year, you know discuss his tireless efforts by citing examples of when and where he was seen collecting trash. Then I would discuss how picking up trash is such a thankless task that few people would want to undertake, but owing to his selfless character and civic-mindedness he did it without complaint. I might also note that picking up trash is just one of the ways he makes a contribution to the community and would provide examples thereof. For sure I'd want to discuss what his efforts mean to the community using quotes from other people. Writing about how he's an example and a role model for others to follow would certainly be appropriate. Last, I'd probably want to close by talking about why his work has been important to the community in the grand scheme of things. So, basically I'd write about what he's done, I'd talk about his character, and then discuss the impact he's made within the community. Again, this should come directly from your heart and the hearts of others who know his work.
That said, my second piece of advice is using the fantastic resources we have here in the CTB within chapter 41 about honoring community champions that might provide some insight into how to approach writing this piece. Begin on our home page. Click on the "Learn A Skill" button on the top left of the page. Click on the "Table of Contents" and scroll down to the section entitled "Maintaining Quality and Rewarding Accomplishments." Click on "Chapter 41. Rewarding Accomplishments" and then click on "Section 6. Honoring Community Champions." If you scroll way down towards the bottom you'll see a section entitled "How do you honor community champions?" Scroll down a bit more to "Specific Ideas." The two most relevant ideas include the very first one, "Issue a press release, detailing the person's contribution" and the fifth one, "Write or get published a newspaper article, an editorial focusing on the person 's contribution to the community, or a letter to the editor." Clicking on each one will provide you with a primer about the elements that go into a press release or newspaper article, really great stuff.
So Suzie, I think that just about covers it. Use the resources within the CTB to frame your piece, but remember, it comes from your heart. If for some reason you find our reply doesn't hit the mark, please revisit us and we'll work together to come up with a more viable solution. With that Suzie, thank you for visiting the CTB and Ask an Advisor. We wish you much success in your endeavors. Be well, take care, do good work.
Ask an Advisor
My question is: What is the best software system to use for faith-based organisations?
Thanks.
Hi Mahmud,
Thank you for visiting the Community Tool Box (CTB) and Ask an Advisor. I hope we are able to provide you with timely, useful, accurate, and directly applicable advice regarding software systems for faith-based organizations. Although this is not an area of expertise or a topic found within the CTB, I did a little Google search and noted that it seems there are two types of software for faith-based organizations: church management software and donor-management software. Regarding the former, here are two websites you can visit that provides reviews of different church management software: http://www.capterra.com/church-management-software/ and http://www.softwareadvice.com/church/. Regarding the latter, here's a website you can visit that provides reviews of different donor-management software: http://www.capterra.com/donation-management-software/. For an overview of faith-based technology resources you might try the following websites: http://forums.techsoup.org/cs/community/b/tsblog/archive/2014/02/10/some... https://www.blackbaud.com/faith-based/; and http://advsol.com/ASI/IMIS20/solutions/faith/solutions/faith-based_softw.... Again, Mahmud, I'm no expert in this area so you'll have to check out each website and do your due diligence to determine which will meet your needs, and more importantly, your budget.
With that Mahmud, thank you for visiting the CTB and Ask an Advisor. If you find that our reply doesn't quite hit the mark, please revisit us and we'll work together to come up with a more viable solution. We wish you the best of success in your endeavors and hope you find what you're looking for among the sites provided. Be well, take care, and do good work!
Ask an Advisor
Hi Dea,
Welcome to the Community Tool Box (CTB) and Ask an Advisor, we're glad you've stopped by and hope we can offer you useful, directly applicable, timely, and accurate advice regarding finding a legal entity to review your by-laws. That said Dea, I'm not too sure how much help we can be to you as your question is pretty specific to Northeast Kansas/Leavenworth. Although I personally don't know of such a legal entity in Kansas (I'm in California), I have worked very closely with the Community Engagement Institute (CEI) at Wichita State University so you might want to contact the great folks there; they work all over Kansas and have a vast network. The web site is: http://www.wichita.edu/thisis/home/?u=cei and the staff members I've worked with are Dr. Tara Gregory (Director, Center for Applied Research and Evaluation) and Bailey Blair (Behavioral Health Specialist); if they don't know of such a legal entity they'll likely know who knows (you know?); at least they can point you in a better direction than I can. Tara's phone number/email are email: tara.gregory@wichita.edu/316.978.3714 and Bailey's phone number/email are email: bailey.blair@wichita.edu/316.978.3564. Whoever you email/call, tell them Dr. Jeff Sheldon suggested you talk with them and see what they have to say, can't hurt. Dea, wish I could be of more use to you, but start with either Tara or Bailey at CEI and go from there. With that, thank you Dea for visiting the CTB and Ask an Advisor. We wish you the greatest of success in your quest. Be well, take care, do good work!
Ask an Advisor
Thank You,
Denny
Hi Denny,
Welcome to the Community Tool Box (CTB) and Ask an Advisor, we hope we're able to provide you with timely, accurate, useful, and immediately applicable information regarding a bible-based training conference for support group facilitators. Well Denny, to be honest with you we're not necessarily privy to such specific types of conferences as it's beyond our area of expertise and not a resource found in the CTB. That said, I did a Google search to see if I could track down the type of training conferences you asked about, but I'm not sure how much help the following websites will be because of the search terms used (i.e., I tried different combinations). I did find a Celebrate Recovery conference in Murfreesboro, TN (which is kind of Mid-West) in July, but unfortunately it's sold out. What you might want to do is sort through these links and then contact people from those organizations to see what they know. Wish I could give you more than that...
http://acadc.org/
http://newliferecovery.net/treatment/top-christian-conferences/
http://rurecovery.com/
http://www.facesandvoicesofrecovery.org/guide/support/resources/faith-ba...
http://www.nacr.org/referral-center/finding-a-group
http://www.cbcfortworth.org/#/biblical-counseling/resources
https://www.obu.edu/news/2015/03/13/ouachitas-christian-counseling-confe...
http://mintools.com/support-groups-facilitator.htm
http://christianrecoverycoalition.com/
http://www.evfreefullerton.com/connect/ministries/crisiscare/
http://freshhope.us/history-of-fresh-hope/
http://www.umcna.org/postdetail/equality-umc-starts-first-celebrate-reco...
http://www.aacc.net/divisions/addiction-recovery-network/
With that Denny, thanks for visiting the CTB and Ask an Advisor. If this reply doesn't quite hit the mark, please feel free to revisit us and we'll work together to find a more viable solution/answer. We wish you the greatest success in your endeavors. Take care, be well, do good work.
Ask an Advisor
Hi Catherine,
Welcome to the Community Tool Box (CTB) and Ask an Advisor, I hope you'll find our advice useful, directly applicable, timely, and accurate regarding your search for low cost focus group moderator training. Admittedly Catherine, this isn't an area in which I've had much exposure, but I remain undaunted! To answer your query I took a two-pronged approach, the first being to look within the CTB and the second to do a Google Search. What I found got me thinking about training on a budget so immediately thought of what you might be able to do on-line. I know it's not the same as sending folks to a training, but if you're on a budget it might just be a viable alternative. Speaking of which, as I mentioned I first looked within the CTB and found a whole section on conducting focus groups, the information contained therein could ostensibly be used for training; I hope you'll take this into consideration. Starting on our home page, look for and click on the "Learn A Skill" button at the top left side of the page. Click on "Table of Contents" and scroll down to the section entitled "Community Assessment." Click on "Chapter 3. Assessing Community Needs and Resources" and scroll down to "Section 6. Conducting Focus Groups." The main Section will provide you with all the information needed to conduct focus groups along with a checklist, examples, and a Power Point; in essence, this is really all you need to learn the intricacies of conducting focus groups. In reality Catherine, facilitating/moderating focus groups does not require a vast skill set and in fact, by watching two or three to see how they're run people get a sense as to whether this is something they want to do. In many respects, people who enjoy teaching, being in front of people, giving presentations, and who are outgoing seem to be the ones drawn to this type of research. I like moderating focus groups (not solely for the food) partly because in an early career I was a teacher and coach so it suits my personality. I digress. Anyway, have a look through our section on conducting focus groups to determine whether this will meet your training needs, I sure hope so.
Okay, as I also mentioned I did a Google search and to be honest with you Catherine the results were rather sparse. As you noted, RIVA and the Burke Institute came up over and over again, but are cost prohibitive. The QRCA website provides a number of resources - http://www.qrca.org/?training_discounts - but I'm not sure whether this fits the bill. I also saw that Northern Illinois University conducts focus group training as evinced by this pdf. - http://niu.edu/stuaff/aea/Resources/FY14DivisionPD_FocusGroupTraining.pdf. Maybe, just maybe if you can find out who within the Planning & Assessment Department put this presentation together she/he might be able to point you in a better direction than I'm doing. The last presentation I found - http://www.etr.org/ebi/assets/File/etr_best_practices_focus_groups.pdf - was conducted by Dr. Pam Drake (I don't know her personally) so you might want to get in touch with her, can't hurt.
So, with that Catherine I hope we've been able to point you in the right direction if not answered your query directly with useful information. If you find that our reply doesn't quite hit the mark please revisit us and we'll work together to find an suitable alternative. We wish you the best of success in your endeavors. Be well, take care, and do good work!
Ask an Advisor
Hi Maria,
Welcome to the Community Tool Box (CTB) and Ask an Advisor, I hope you'll find our advice useful, directly applicable, timely, and accurate regarding your purchase of community resource data. To be honest with you Maria, I'm not quite sure what you're asking, but I do believe that there are various sources of community resource data that is free, you just have to do a little digging. For example, I did a Google search using the search terms "community resource data" and was rewarded, for example with the "Community Resource Database of Long Island, a free, online directory of health, human service, and education agencies and programs on Long Island – services for children, teens, adults, families, and seniors in both Nassau and Suffolk counties (http://www.crdli.org/about_crd.html)." Granted I don't live on Long Island, but the point is that a simple search yielded free community resource data. Out of curiosity I did a second search using the search terms "community resource data for Monrovia, CA" which is where I live and came up with this http://www.cityofmonrovia.org/communityservices. So, my point is that community resource data is out there, you just have to do a little searching, as simple as that (yay!). To find community resource data for where you live you would do as I did by typing into your browser "community resource data for (wherever you are)" and that should do the trick.
To the second part of your query Maria, I wasn't sure what you meant by the best way to approach helplines so I did a quick search of both the 211 helpline and 311 helpline because I'd never heard of such a thing. Well, now I know and I thank you for compelling me to do a little digging to find out what they're all about. First, I typed in 211 helpline and came up with a number of 211 resources specific to certain areas of the country, for example, Mass 211 (for Massachusetts) and 211 of Salt Lake (Salt Lake City, UT) which links people to various community resources. In next typed in 311 helpline and found out that one can gain access to non-emergency municipal services specific to where one lives. As far as approaching either of these two helplines, once you find the helpline in your area it's just a matter of typing in or clicking for information. Each type of helpline will offer you multiple alternatives depending on the resources you're looking for. Again, all free. Now, that's one way of approaching either a 211 or 311 helpline, through their website and simply looking for information. If you want to talk to someone you can always look for and click on the "contact us" button which will provide multiple alternatives from departments to people to social networks. All you have to do is call them up or email them with your question and you're on your way, pretty cool I think.
So, with that Maria, thank you very much for visiting the CTB and Ask an Advisor. I'm not sure if I answered your questions accurately, if not, please revisit us and we'll work together to find a viable alternative. We wish you the greatest of success in your endeavors. Take care, be well, do good work!
Ask an Advisor
I'm interested in making this my career--to create shared value by using the community toolbox to decide on a community solution and then apply it through a community partnership or buying a small business and applying that solution strategy to the current business strategy.
creating shared value
http://www.isc.hbs.edu/creating-shared-value/Pages/default.aspx
How do you recommend that I get started? Do you have suggestions for the ideal outcome or plan? I'm thinking it may be best to pick a community to start in and then find the problem and then find a business that would be a good fit to apply it.
Thanks,
Matt
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattshark32
Hi Matt,
Thank you for visiting the Community Tool Box (CTB) and Ask an Advisor, hopefully we're able to provide you with timely, useful, accurate, and directly applicable information that will help you in your community work. First, we heartily applaud you for wanting to make a difference in your community and for wanting to make this your life's work; kudos. That said, the CTB provides all the resources you need to make that difference. The resources you use will be determined, in part, by where the community is in terms of its development and the problem (s) to be solved. As I mentioned, the CTB has plenty of resources if you want to develop and implement an initiative in partnership with community members; the emphasis being on partnership. To be clear Matt, and not to put a damper on your enthusiasm, but it is the community that will invite you to work with them, not the other way round. Before you begin, you must and I repeat you must talk with people in the community (i.e., find the key stakeholders and approach them with utmost humility) to determine whether you'll be accepted as a partner in their community building efforts, whether there are issues they're currently working on or issues yet to be resolved, and whether there are others already working with them. Before I get into the specifics of the CTB let me put you onto resources from the Asset-Based Community Development Institute at Northwestern University that I've used in my own community development work and that continues to inform my thinking about community development: http://www.abcdinstitute.org/publications/downloadable/. I offer these not as replacement to the CTB, rather as an additional set of resources.
Okay, I'm not sure how familiar you are with the CTB and what we have to offer so I want you to start with a primer on the CTB to give you a better sense of what we do and what we have to offer, then you can decide what is most suitable. We'll take them in the order in which I think they should be reviewed.
1) Begin on the CTB home page. Click on the "About" button at the top right of the page. Click on "About the Tool Box" and review this section.
2) Begin on the CTB home page. Click on the "About" button at the top right of the page. Scroll down to "How to Use the Tool Box," click it on, and review this section.
3) Begin on the CTB home page. Click on the "Help Taking Action" button at the top left of the page. Scroll down to and click on "A Model for Getting Started" and review this section. If you review no other section, please review this one.
4) Begin on the CTB home page. Click on the "Help Taking Action" button at the top left of the page. Scroll down to and click on "Best Change Processes" and review this section.
5) Begin on the CTB home page. Click on the "Help Taking Action" button at the top left of the page. Scroll down to and click on "Troubleshooting Guide" and review those sections that make the most sense to you. From my perspective, sections: 1. We need to understand the community or situation better; 2. We don’t understand the problem or goal; and 3. We don't know what to do to solve the problem will be the best sections to review at this stage of your initiative.
6) Last, begin on the CTB home page. Click on the "Help Taking Action" button at the top left of the page. Scroll down to and click on "Online Courses." If you're unsure about how to effect community change then taking a sequence of free, online courses may be the way to go.
That said, in its essence and practical applications the CTB will take you through the community change process by helping you work your way through its 46 Chapters towards providing you with practical, step-by-step guidance in community-building skills. Associated with our chapters are 16 Toolkits, which offer short outlines for key community-building tasks. By starting on our home page, you can access all 46 chapters and 16 toolkits: click on the "Learn A Skill" button at the top left corner and then either click on the "Table of Contents" for the chapters or click on "Toolkits" for, well the toolkits. I will say that the toolkits are a good place to start as they are a more concise presentation of the material in the chapters, but also contain examples, tools, and links to other parts of the CTB that can be put to immediate use. Although it appears to be a rather daunting task to get through them all, if you take them one by one in the order in which they're presented I think this will provide you with the guidance you need to get your initiative going because they will help you get a quick start on key activities in community work. Accessing specific toolkits that are closest to what you are doing provides outlines of key tasks, examples, and links to more detailed instructional sections. For my money (ironically, CTB resources are free), toolkits are the best resources in the CTB.
Let me say Matt, that the answer to your question encompasses nearly the entirety of the CTB so to frame your thinking about implementing significant change requires a fairly comprehensive understanding of everything that it takes to bring change to a community; it is a tall order, but it can be done, it has been done, and it will continue to be done, and you can do it too. I won't lie to you and tell you it's easy, but at least the CTB makes it more manageable by breaking the process down into bite-size portions if you're willing to put in the time, persistence, work, and effort it takes to make change happen.
With that Matt, thank you for visiting the CTB and Ask an Advisor, we're really pleased you want to take on the hard work of community building; there should be more people like you. If you find that our response to your query doesn't quite hit the mark, please revisit us and we'll work together to find a more suitable alternative. We wish you the greatest of success in your endeavors. Take care, be well, do good work!
Ask an Advisor
what are the ways of establishing a good relationship with the community?
Hi Nylana,
You ask a very important question, because building good relationships - including respectful relationships between participants who disagree - is fundamental to success in community organization efforts. At a practical level, that meansmaking time and opportunities within your organizing pprocess for people to get acquainted, share their hopes and also their concerns, and arrive at concensus about goals and how they will try to accomplish them. Usually, it is important to define clearly the issue of concern upon which the orrganizing effort will focus and the general result the participants hope to accomplish. Clarity and transparancy help to attract people and to build trust. Part of that trust-building pprocess is enabling people to recognize their differing viewpoints while also seing where they can work together.
If you are new to the organizing process, we suggest you review Toolkit 1: Creating and maintaianing partnerships. You will find that link under our Table of Contents, along with a summary of Our Model for Community Change and Improvement. We also suggest that you review Toolkit 8: Increasing Participation and Membership. Other chapters and toolkits will become relevant as you progress. so please feel free to brouse throughout the Table of Contents as different chapters become relevant.
I run a non-profit in Nepal that provides educational and social services to orphans in Nepal through an after-school program. In addition to academic support, we do health checkups and nutrition, mental health therapy, etc. I’m currently searching for a database that we can track our program and evaluation outcomes. Something that would help me see their grades, health records, behavioral evaluations over time, etc. I’m having a hard time finding something that would cover all the bases, so I can see a snapshot of each child but also how our program is doing over time (e.g. an entire class’ grades over the year, behavioral changes over time, etc.). Do any of you know of any kind of software that might work for this? Right now I’ve got everything in spreadsheets and I’m realizing quickly, that it’s not a good long-term solution.
Thank you so much for your help,
Jehan
Hi Jehan and thanks for asking.
Unfortunately, I can't be of much direct help, since I believe you may be searching for a relatively sophisticated relational database, and I am not very familiar with those. I do, however, have a couple of suggestions:
First, I suggest that you do a web search for "list of relational databases." That will generate several lists of commercial databases and basic information about each. It may help you narrow your search.
Second, I strongly suggest that you find and consult with a database programmer in your area who is skilled in building and and use of relational databases. That person can help you in at least two ways. First, to identify the questions you really want to answer from your data. Second, to map out how the database modules will need to be structured and linked for most clarity and efficiency.
It may be possible to transfer your current data from your spreadsheets to the database you choose to use. If, for instance, you are already using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, it is possible to link those data into a Microsoft Access database without a huge amount of complex programming. Some programming will be necessary, whatever database you choose; and you should get skilled help with that.
I regret that I can't be of more assistance, but do identify local resources who can work directly with you to develop what you need. I am very much impressed by your description of how you want to make use of your data, and I believe your efforst can be of benefit to the field.
PS: A colleague has just reminded me that CTB offers one possibility that I had forgotten:
"On the substance of the question, it seems like what the Tool Box itself offers could be a good bet. This is the (recently-renamed) Community Check Box, some details of which are found at http://ctb.ku.edu/en/community-check-box-evaluation-system.
At very first blush, this might provide what the questioner is looking for. He might be encouraged to check out the link. A caveat is that this is a cost item, and I'm not sure what if anything this user in Nepal might be able to pay, and even if so how payment details would work across borders. But if the questioner is interested, he might contact toolbox@ku.edu (this generally goes to Christina) to see what might be worked out.
Hi Aaron, and thanks for contacting CTB.
The ultimate answer to your question depends upon the purpose of having collected the data in the first place. The best general rule of thumb is to keep the data until you are certain there is no more need to retain it.
For small classroom reserach projects, that may be after you have turned in the project report and received a grade.
For ,more formal projects, keep the data for a few years after reporting or publication, because you may need to go back to it if your results are challenged. Also, it is possible that a new but related question may come up that can be answered by analyzing the data in a different way.
I learned the hard way once how important it is to keep data, when I discovered during my own belated review that I had made an error, and it was too late to revise the published report. I corrected the error and published the correction, taking responsibility for my own error.
If the data contain identifying information about subjects - especially if the subjects are patients - state patient record-retention requirements and/or HIPAA privacy laws may apply. Generally, state laws require retention for seven years, but check with an attorney to determine how many years must pass before you can be sued for malpractice. You may need the data for legal defense, should that unfortunate situation arise.
Finally, the rules of your own educational institution may dictate length of record retention.
My name is Maria, and I work for a national general contractor as a project manager. My husband also works for the same general contractor as a union carpenter. My husband suffers from addiction and we have found the work environment to be very dangerous for him. It also seems to be recognized nationally that many people who work in the construction industry, from workers to management, suffer from addiction. However with this knowledge I have not been able to find resources at the Union in which my husband is a member that help support his recovery during his return to work, and I know no resources are offered from the employers. How can I help those that I work with in their recovery journey? How can we get information to those suffering that help is available? What resources and information is available that I can bring to either my employer or the Unions to help initiate programs to help their employees and members?
Good morning, Maria, and thanks for asking a very important question.
Your question indicates that you have researched the employment barriers that may stand in the way of your husband's participating in treatment. Here are my suggestions:
First, verify that your husband's employer or health insurance provider does not offer an Employee Assistance Program. EAPs generally provide an outside evaluation and referral service on a confidential basis and can also help your husband ask the employer for reasonable accommodation time-off while he attends a treatment program. If there is an EAP, ask your husband to contact it for assistance.
The "reasonable accommodation" phrase is relevant here. An employee who voluntarily seeks treatment for alcohol or drug problems may be classified as a disabled person eligible for reasonable accommodation under laws that protect against discrimination. Ask an attorney about this; I am not an attorney.
You might also encourage your husband's union and employer to seek relevant information from authorities within the larger union or local/state government agencies responsible for administration of anti-discrimination laws.
Finally, many community-based treatment programs offer services at several different times of day, to accommodate those participants who must continue working while in treatment.
I hope this information is helpful and wish you and your husband well.
Hi Tatum,
Please submit this question to the Registrar office of your university or to your faculty advisor, who can provide the information you seek.
My name is Frank Wieman and I live in Lorain, Ohio.
I am in the process of starting a non profit foundation with as main objective "share the power of sports for underprivileged children!". Because I believe sport can help children to improve themselves both physical as mental. They can learn life long skills. That's why I am very enthusiastic about this. I am new to the non profit sector and encountered the Community Toolbox. This looks very sophisticated and well maintained! At the other hand I have difficulties about where to start, it looks overwhelming to me. Here does my question appear.
Please can you tell me how I can use the Community Toolbox or where to start? Do I need everything? If not, what do I need? If you would like to have an idea what our foundation is about please visit www.spsuc.org .
Thank you very much for your time!
Hi Frank, and thanks for contacting CTB.
Let me refer you first to A Model for Getting Started, found under the Help Taking Action graphic. That will give you an overview that will help you determine where to look next. There is a lot of information within CTB, and it can indeed feel overwhelming. Ask yourself specific questions about what you need to know next, and refer to the Table of Contents. That will lead you to relevant chapters and toolkits. Use the Search box to assist you when needed. Also, look for similar efforts under the Connect With Others graphic; knowing about other similar efforts can lead to useful idea exchange.
Paul said this would be a good place to submit my question for an Advisor to answer: I am the new Project Evaluation Associate at CHASS Center in Detroit, MI. I saw information on your toolbox when searching for more information on group facilitation. I was wondering if you have any cost/benefit analysis information available that I would be able to give my supervisor and our executive board meetings here at CHASS?
Hi Gray,
Thanks for contacting CTB, but I think you have discovered a hole in our information base. We did searches for cost benefit analysis within both our Table of Contents and Connecting With Others. Nada! The only result that was remotely relevant had to do with cost-benefit of direct mailing procedures. You may find information of limited relevance under Developing Strategic And Action Plans.
We have referred your question internally to staff and other advisors in hopes that they can be of some assistance. Thanks for helping us identify a topic that might need to be addressed more thoroughly here.
Hi Paul.
Thanks for contacting CTB, and for your compliment.
I want to refer you to two different areas of CTB.
First, click on our Connect With Others graphic and then enter "conservation" (without the quotation marks) in the Search box at upper right. That will produce a list of projects around the world focused upon conservataion of varioius resources. One is a lnk to a water conservation project in Kenya that might be a good resource with which to connect and/or collaborate.
Second, click on the Learn a Skill graphic and then on Table of Contents. Scroll down to chapters 42 through 44, with an accompanying Toolkit on grant writing.
I don't know what specific resources you are working to conserve, so I cannot suggest specific NGOs in Kenya with which you might partner, but NGOs can provide suggestions and link you with other possible funding resources.
You are doing important work. Best wishes for your success.
Hi Amanda, and thanks for asking. Unfortunately, we are not permitted to recommend consultants, so we cannot assist you.
I am a faculty member in an undergraduate social work program and I need an instrument/assessment tool, etc. to measure the multicultural competencies of undergraduate students. Are you aware of a multicultural assessment tool?
Thank you.
Hi Theresa, and thanks for contacting CTB.
We cannot recommend specific assessment tools, but we can point you to relevant information that will enable you to screen a number of multicultural competency assessment tools. Just Google "multicultural assessment tool" (without the quotation marks), and that search will introduce a large number of resources that you might consider using.
Hi Jacob, and thanks for contacting CTB.
The most accurate answer to your question is "It depends." A volunteer may not have available some of the options that a formal employee may have. That depends upon whether and how legal protections are extended to volunteers in the jurisdiction where the "firing" occurs. You might want to consult an attorney or local human resources people for the specific answer where you live.
As is often the case, prevention may be the best available option. The parties should try to identify and address the source of disagreement in constructive ways before it gets beyond solving. We suggest that the volunteer try to meet with and talk with the boss about the nature and extent of the disagreement, and about whether any mutually acceptable compromises/solutions can be identified short of termination. During that conversation, it probably wlll be helpful to determine whether the disagreement is about the desired outcome itself or about the methods proposed to reach the desired outcome. If the latter, there is often "more than one way to skin a cat," and compromise may work better for both parties. If the former, then the best decision may be to part company, hopefully on positive terms. There is no shame in agreeing to disagree and in parting company.
Realistically, getting fired, whether as employee or volunteer, hurts. The volunteer and others should recognize that a painful and/or angry reaction will last for a time. As part of the recovery process, take some time to look back and identify useful learning gained from this experience that can be applied to future endeavors. Successful entrepreneurs often have had failure experiences. One important way they cope is to take what they have learned from past failures (and also from the successes experienced within that failure) and apply it to the next effort.
You might find some relevant information in our Chapters 6 and 7 and the two related toolkits. Click on the Learn a Skill Graphic and then on Table of Contents. Scroll down to those chapters and look over their content. Portions of the Advocating for Change toolkit also may be relevant.
I found your website searching information of the position connected with cross-cultural competencies. I was dealing for years with international trade, have contacts with people from Asia, Far East, South America, Caribbean. Also worked in India. Had relations with represents of many religions - muslims, sighs, jains.
I do believe my experience could be just in a nice job. Unfortunatelly, as I like far from Warsaw (in Silesia), but there is not such an opening here.
Could you give me any suggestion, please?
With kind regards from Poland,
Grazyna Kowolik
Hello Grazyna. Thanks for contacting CTB.
I understand you to be asking about possible employment with CTB. If my understanding is correct, please click on the "About" graphic above and look under "Contact us" for the correct routing of your question.
If you are asking about leads to potential employers, we are not able to assist you. Our policies prohibit us from recommending specific persons or employers.
Hi Barbara, and thanks for asking about this support group for widows. We do not have any leads within our database to offer you. I did a web search for "to live again support group" and found several chapters of that organization listed. The best we can do is suggest that you also do that search and then contact one of the chapters for information.
Best wishes in your effort.
Hi Agness, and thanks for asking,
While we do not have information about leadership styles specific to school settings you will find information about leadership styles scattered throughout the CTB database. Probably the most efficient way to locate all of that information is to enter "leadership styles" (with the quotation marks) in the search box at upper right on the home page. That will generate a list of locations where the term appears, and you can click on each item to read the relevant information. You may also want to do a search for "team building" and see also our chapter on leadership development.
We are aware that there may be cultural or organizational factors that may require adaptation of our materials to your specific situation. We hope our information is helpful and relevant to your speciific situation
Hi Lupe, and thanks for asking.
In part, the answer to your questions depends upon what you see as the primary purpose of the empowerment group: whether to teach empowerment skills; or to treat emotional problems generated by lack of empowerment among the girls participating. I will assume the former, and if that assumption is correct than you do not need a psychology degree or license. Many people with different backgrounds and training histories teach empowerment skills in small groups or classes. Community colleges tend to offer classes in group facilitation, and they can also be a very good networking resource to find mentors.
Having said that your primary purpose is skill training, you may encounter some participants with stressful histories who do need encouragement and support to seek more formal personal couunseling or therapy. That is one of several reasons why it is a good idea for you to connect with an experienced group facilitation mentor who can:
Teach you basic facilitation skills and provide you with consultation while you learn and practice them, and
assist you in identifying and implementing appropriate referrals for other needed services, if emotional distress or other needs arise in participants.
We do have a chapter of information on Group Facilitation that can provide you with some guidance; but If you have not done so, I suggest you first participate in an empowerment group run by an experienced facilitator, to get a feel for how it works and what to expect. Written guidance is helpful, but supplementing that with actual experience works much better.
To find our chapter 16 (Group Facilitation and Problem Solving) click on the Learn a Skill graphic at the top of this page, then on Table of Contents. Scroll down to Chapter 16.
Also, there is a related Tool Kit 6 on Building Leadership that may be useful. One way to strengthen empowerment skills is to teach participants how to lead the group in specific activities, so they can experience successes and gain strengths.
We hope this information is helpful and we certainly appreciate your personal interest in learning and in empowering other girls. Best wishes for your success!
My name is George, I used to be President of a community here in Republic of Nauru. However, I am still engage with my community but in a lesser capacity.
We didn't accomplish much during my tenure for two reasons: 1. Executives members do not turn up for meetings and seemed dis interested in community matters. 2. We could not get the general community to attend community meetings to discuss anything or contemplate projects.
My question is how can I generate interest from both executive and community to take interest in meetings and to discuss community issues?
Note: Community executives are volunteers and we do not have funding but depend on our local MPs for funding. But no funding can be released unless the projects are agreed to by executives the same ones who do not show up to meetings.
Hi George,
Your question leaves me perplexed, as I am certain you are also. There are many possible veriables that could be operating.
My thoughts go like this:
Is the purpose of the organization clearly stated and understood/accepted by your community and the community executives? Is it important to the wider community?
Has your organization conducted community needs assessments, gatherinng demographic ir statistical data and/or communkty surveys?
Are political factors operating that would not be visible to outsiders such as me?
I am sure that there are other relevant issues to consider, so I suggest that you try to meet individually with the directors and ask how they see both the overall situation and their own roles in helping the organization address community needs, Also, what would need to change to accomplish their active participation? Keep your questions open-ended and listen intently for recurring themes, Report those back to the directors as a group, without identifying indiividuals' confidentiality, Consider whether new board members should be recruited, and from what sectors of the community? Should consideration be given to closing the organization and finding a different vehicle for addressing community needs? (Sometimes that does need to happen because circumstances cannot be altered to revitalize an organization; and there is no shame in closing if that is the case.)
In our Table of Contents (under the Learn a Skill Graphic above) you will find sections and chapters on Community Needs Assessment and on Communication to Increase Interest and Participation. Also, take a look at the related Tool Kits. I hope those will be relevant and helpful to your effort. Best wishes for success in a perplexing and challenging effort.
Hi Barbara, and thanks for contacting CTB,
I want to refer you to our extensive information on Grant Writing first. Click on the Learn A Skill graphic and then on Table of Contents. Scroll down through the TOC to find the information about grant writing.
Beyond that, however, I encouurage you to seek out community allies who will endorse the importance of improving your community by addressing the issues for which you seek funding. Teachers and higher educators are natural allies for important efforts to improve childhood education and development. Parents, health care providers, and elected community leaders also can lend important supports and endorsements. If your area has NGOs or international service clubs, (such as Rotary International and others) they may lend their prestige in suppport of your effort.
Best wishes. You are investing in the future of your community in important ways
Hi Ginger, and thanks for contacting CTB,
First, I need to tell you that CTB does not make grants for funding. We are a knowledge resource for people at all levels of effort to improve their communities.
Having said that, I want to encourage you to look for information within out Table of Contents that may help you in several ways:
First, consider how to define and communicate the need for, and benefits of, your proposed project. You made a very good start of that in your message to us.
Second, consider who all might become local allies in carrying out our goal. Please don't misunderstand what I am about to say, but your goal is small, local, and specific enough that local residents, school parents, construction companies, or other donors may be quite willing to pitch in and "just do it" for the school kids. Don't overlook any Agricultural Extension Agent that may be available on your island to assist.
Third, please do review our chapter 42 on grant Writing. and the related took kit 14. You will find those by clicking on the Learn a Skill graphic, then on Table of Contents. Scroll down to Chapter 42 (you will also see the tool kit to the right) and open that chapter.
After you have reviewed that, we invite you to peruse any other relevant chapters that may help you on planning of recruiting community involvement.
Best wishes for a successful, hopefully local, project!
PS: After thinking about this some more, I assume you have cleared the project with school administration. Because you will be providing food to the school cafeteria for student consumption, you should also discuss your project with the local Public Health Department before proceeding. Food sanitation regulations may apply.
Kind regards
Kay Browning
https://www.facebook.com/KJBChoreography/
Hi Kay,
Thanks for asking. We have chapters on Developing a Strategic Plan and Organizational Structure which you may want to review. A fair amount of that information is about organizational process.
We need to refer you to local authorities for information about what documentation you will be required legally in order to incorporate your organization.
Please click on the Learn a Skill graphic at the top of the page, then on Table of Contents. Scroll down to the section I mentioned above. It contains several chapters what may assist you. See also the related Tool kits. In addition, please feel free to peruse the Entire TOC for other chapters that may be relevant.
Thank you
Thanks for contacting CTB. We can't give you a specific recommendation, but a web search may lead you to useful information. We suggest that you initiate a web search for the phrase "effective behavioral change models for weight loss educational counseling" (include the quotation marks.). That will bring up a number of references that may contribute to your selection of the model you prefer.
Obesity amelioration is a major public health issue; thanks for your efforts to help people.
Robin Goff
The Light Center, Baldwin City, KS 66006
www.lightcenter.info
Dear Robin, many thanks for your inqury. Please excuse the delay in responding. We don't have any specific and direct resources related to interventions in South African in the health areas that you are interested. We encourage you to look for organizations in South Africa that may be able to provide some information and resources directly to you. For instance, you may want to check with the Diabetes Education Society of South Africa (http://www.dessa.org.za). They provide a one-day tranning course for non-healthcare professional peer counselors (http://www.dessa.org.za/dessa-courses). Other organizations such as the Human Sciences Research Council (http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en) may be able to offer expert advise on other sources of information.
Best wishes on your endeavors in South Africa!
www.facebook.com/AktibongKabataanQ2A
Dear John, please excuse the delay in assisting you with your request. Currently, we don't have a template of a sponsoring letter. However, you can find some useful tips and templates on the following site: http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Letter-Requesting-Sponsorship
Best wishes on your fundraising project.
Thank you for writing us at the Community Tool Box, and please excuse our delay in getting back to you. A similar question was asked some time ago and here is the answer that we provided.
To refer to the Community Tool Box in APA style, you would utilize the basic form for electronic resources described in the APA Publication Manual. In most cases, this would be:
Community Tool Box. (n.d.). [insert Italicized title of Tool Box document, including Chapter ad Section numbers if available]. Retrieved on [insert date] from [insert specific URL or URLs].
We hope this may be helpful to you. Best wishes!
My name is Johan Hurter and I am the house father at a shelter for abused woman and children as well as destitute homeless people of all races and denominations..
Our organisation is called the SAVF South African Womans Federation. The SAVF is a NPO dependent on private donors, governmental grants and the national lottery to maintain its vast network of shelters and old age homes.
Our economy is suffering tremendously (various reasons - drought etc) and thus private donors tend to close their wallets.
I attended a top management meeting on sustainable financial development for the SAVF. I was tasked to seek and establish international resources (similar welfare npo's) to seek unilateral relations and financial support.
Please be so kind as to lead me in the correct direction to establish above mentioned relations and perhaps financial institutions that might want to become permanent donors.
Thank you kindly,
Johan.
Email: jg_hurter@yahoo.com
Cellno: 0024 716881712
Dear Johan, many thanks for your inquiry about possibles sources of funding for your organization. We do not have nor provide any direct information on sources of funding, but if you are interested in determining what path you want to follow to apply for international funds please check the following page: http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/finances/grants-and-financial-res...
Best wishes on your search!
Dear Sherry, thanks for submitting this question. Many organizations choose to reward their volunteers for the time, work, effort, and resources that they provide. In your question, you did not provide a lot information about the gift certificates (e.g., value, frequency, type) and, thus, I will assume that they have a low fair market value. Provided there are no ethical dilemmas associated with the implementation of the incentive program by the organization that gave you the gift certificates, you should not get in trouble at all. This is a very popular practice that helps organizations to accomplish their goals in many ways. If you are interested in learning more about it, we have a specific section on it (Chapter 42. Section 2. Providing Incentives for Staff and Volunteers).
Best wishes!
Dear Sandra, thank you for submitting your question. If you are interested in starting a watchdog group in your city or community, we suggest reviewing the following page: http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/advocacy/advocacy-research/act-as...
There, you will find useful information as well as additional online resources.
Best wishes on your project.
Dear Garcon, many thanks for submitting your question. We don't provide direct services such as the ones that you are requesting or seem to need to improve your organization. We hope you can find the direct resources that you need.
Best wishes!
Thank you so much for submitting your question. The full assessment is distributed through a number of pages and that's perhaps the reason you couldn't find it. Please go to the following page: http://ctb.ku.edu/en/best-change-processes/analyzing-information-about-t...
There, you will notice that the 12 key processes are located on the left side of the main page as hyperlinks. Click on each process and then click on the Checklist tab (this tab is next to Supports). Each page has a Checklist tab and that's where you will find all the individual items.
Please let us know if you any further assistance. Best wishes on your projects.
what is the Restrictions on <<The interaction of expenses and income>> that you refer to, please describe detail?(CHAPTER 43 SECTIONS and Section 1. Planning and Writing an Annual Budget)
Best regard,
Muny Ey
Dear Muny, restrictions refer to any conditions imposed by funders or budgetary circumtances regarding the amounts of money or financial resources that you can use or spend in certain areas (e.g., salaries). We hope this helps to clarify the meaning of restrictions in the context of the Planning and Writing an Annual Budget section.
Best wishes!
Hi Christy, if you would to get in touch directly with the team, feel free to call or send an email.
Work Group for Community Health and Development
4082 Dole Human Development Center
1000 Sunnyside Avenue
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS 66045-7555 (U.S.A.)
Telephone: (785) 864-0533
Fax: (785) 864-5281
Email: toolbox@ku.edu
Dear Darlene, many thanks for reaching out to us. Perhaps the best place to begin this process is our "A Model for Getting Started." You can find it in under the "Help Taking Action" section of the website menu. Given the health focus of your project, it may be helpful to complete the free online training course on community health improvement. You can find more info about it under the "Help Taking Action" section as well.
We wish you the best on your community project!
Many thanks for submitting your question. You can find some useful information in Chapter 41, Section 2. Providing Incentives for Staff and Volunteers. Follow this link: http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/maintain/reward-accomplishments/s...
Best wishes on your project!
Many thanks for submitting your question. We are really excited to learn that you will be using our content as part of the community development course that you will be teaching. As described in the "About Us" section, the Community Tool Box is a free, online resource and, thus, you do not need any specific permission to use any of the content available through the website.
Best wishes from the CTB team.
Thanks
Thank you for writing us at the Community Tool Box, and please excuse our delay in getting back to you. A similar question was asked some time ago and here is the answer that we provided.
To refer to the Community Tool Box in APA style, you would utilize the basic form for electronic resources described in the APA Publication Manual. In most cases, this would be:
Community Tool Box. (n.d.). [insert Italicized title of Tool Box document, including Chapter ad Section numbers if available]. Retrieved on [insert date] from [insert specific URL or URLs].
We hope this may be helpful to you. Best wishes!
I am helping in development of a Guidebook for organizing Youth Forums on local level and involving local issues. Guidebook is a last step of the UN implemented project "Dialogue for Future" in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Guidebook is intended to provide future Youth Forum facilitators basic information on organizing local youth events. Is it permissible to use parts of the Section 4. Conducting a Workshop and incorporate them into Guidebook we are developing, with citing a source.
Kind regards,
Emil
Hi Emil, the Community Tool Box is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 and as such you are free to share (copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format) and/or adapt (remix, transform, and build upon the material).
You can do this under the following terms:
- Attribution: You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- NonCommercial: You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
- ShareAlike: If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.
(Source: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/)
Best wishes on your project!
Grandview, MO
Eastside KC, MO (9th and Prospect area)
Midtown, KC, MO
Do you have any suggestions about organizations or companies that could do this kind of work of us?
Dear Aaron, many thanks for submitting your question. If you are interested in finding a team of evaluators to work with you, one possible place to find information is the website of the American Evaluation Association (AEA). In particular, the website has an evaluator finder that might be of help (see link below).
http://www.eval.org/p/cm/ld/fid=108
Best wishes on your search.
I have a little issue, am in need of a proposal on crisis management and conflict resolution on the creation and management of a crisis and conflict management department, in my local ward.
In due off the above stated department, I write to solicit advice, proposal and writeup on the creation of a crisis management department.
Your contributions will be highly appreciated.
Thanks
Yours sincerely
Jimmy kanu
+2348035758947
Cross River State
Nigeria
Dear Jim, thanks for submitting your question to us. We encourage you to review Chapter 20, Section 6. Training for Conflict Resolution (http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/implement/provide-information-enh...). There you will find helpful information and resources that you can use and adapt to suit your needs. In addition, you can also review our Troubleshooting Guide 7 "We are facing opposition or conflict." (http://ctb.ku.edu/en/facing-opposition-conflict).
We hope you find the information that you are looking for!
Congratulations for the great work you are achieving .
we are a fresh new healthcare observatory in Tunisia .We are planning to establish a healthcare watchdog to increase transparency in public health facilities management and malpractice .
We are seeking for your guidance , your experience is a huge asset for the success of our mission
Sincerely
Dear Amir, many thanks for submitting your question. We recommend reviewing Chapter 31, Section 8. Acting as a Watchdog as well as Chapter 25, Section 2. Promoting Regular Community Assessment, Reporting, and Accountability. An additional helpful resource would be our online course for community health improvement: http://ctb.ku.edu/en/online-courses
Best wishes on your project!
I would like to acknowledge this great website and toolbox! Do you have any written reports or documents that can be used as a reference in the scientific work?
Many thanks and regards,
Dear Zain, many thanks for emailing us your question. For the most part, the material produced by the Community Tool Box is available for free on our website as an open source knowledge base licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0. You may find some articles published in scientific journals that review the Community Tool Box. Below you will find some examples:
The Community Tool Box: a Web-based resource for building healthier communities. Public Health Reports (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1308726/)
The Community Tool Box: Using the Internet to Support the Work of Community Health and Development. Journal of Technology in Human Services (http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J017v17n02_06)
Using Internet-Based Resources to Build Community Capacity: The Community Tool Box. American Journal of Community Psychology. (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1023/A:1010339032238/abstract)
Tools for Implementing an Evidence-Based Approach in Public Health Practice. Preventing Chronic Disease: Public Health Research, Practice, and Policy. (http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2012/11_0324.htm)
Best wishes!
We are 5 Fordham GSSS students looking to advocate for Bill S3215A. We need people to either write or call in to Senate and House committee members. Do you have any suggestions as to how we might reach out to the public? Would a PSA be effective? Who would we reach out to for this?
Thank-you very much!
Hello, Shelly and Colleagues --
Thank you for writing to us with your question, and please excuse our delay in getting back to you. We admire your advocacy interests and work.
In any advocacy attempt, including legal advocacy, it is important to have a concrete action plan. This will depend in large part what your specific goal is, who should be the targets of advocacy, who should do the advocating, the resources you have available (people. money, and time), and the time frame you want to work in. Once you have clarified these five variables, the actual actions you will need to take will become more clear, and can become part of your plan.
In your situation, if time were not a factor you could consider designing a long-range comprehensive campaign. But if you want to complete your advocacy effort by a near date, a different strategy may be called for.
For example, if you know who your supporters or targets are, you could mobilize them through a planned series of phone calls and/ or emails, each of which would have a planned script to highlight your key talking points. A PSA (and there are many kinds of these, and many media venues) would be more appropriate if you wanted to recruit new supporters. Of course, you would usually want to consider a social media strategy (e.g., active Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, and/or Instagram pages) both to recruit, to encourage sharing, and in general to publicize your efforts.
For further information, you may wish to consult Chapters 30-36 of the Community Tool Box, whose different sections give many more details on advocacy campaigns. Chapter 33, Section 7 gives more specific information and guidance on lobbying decision-makers.
Thank you again for writing, and all best wishes for success in your important work.