Ask an Advisor Questions

Question	Core Competency	Date
I'm looking for templates or guidance on writing a work plan, quarterly report and end of year report to share as guidance for required reporting of our contract with community coalitions. Any information provided is much appreciated.	Creating and Maintaining Coalitions and Partnerships Developing Strategic and Action Plans Improving Organizational Management and Development Sustaining the Work or Initiative	Thu, 07/08/2021
Is there a book that can be used, or is this only available online?		Wed, 07/07/2021
We are working on community improvement projects in remote parts of West Africa (health, medical, sanitation and hygiene, agriculture, clean water, economic development, etc) and I have a few questions about your toolbox: 1. Is the toolbox useful in my context or is there a resource that would be better? 2. What specific sections of the tool box are the most appropriate for my context? 3. Is there a generic needs based assessment questionnaire in the tool box that untrained volunteers can use to collect information in the field for review by a professional? 4. Are there online training videos for volunteers who want to use the questionnaire or toolbox?	Assessing Community Needs and Resources	Wed, 07/07/2021
Hello, I have been working on addressing a civil liberties violation and civil right violation. The identification of materials is convoluted at best, and the work is daunting: addressing the second circuit court as well as the federal circuit court. I have enclosed a petition to review the procedural defect that violated my civil liberties and civil rights and need further guidance. Thanks	Advocating for Change	Thu, 07/01/2021
Greetings from Monrovia, Liberia, in West Africa. I am interested in setting up a branch, or chapter of your organization in the country of Liberia, in West Africa. Please rush me with guidelines for such. Looking forward to hearing from you.	Creating and Maintaining Coalitions and Partnerships	Tue, 06/29/2021
how to prepare an action plan for the department of public works of the ministry of foreign affairs and international cooperation and the structure of the department and the staff will have the structure	Developing Strategic and Action Plans	Mon, 06/21/2021
How to create one ? The right way		Fri, 06/18/2021
Hello! I am teaching a Essentials of Public Health Management course at Longwood University this coming fall 2021. I discovered your tool kit and plan on incorporating most of the content into my class. I would love to talk to one of the advisors about the possibility of speaking (via zoom) to my students. I have listed below the student learning objectives for this course to help you get an understanding of the goals for this course. 1. Examine how financial resources for health education/promotion program are managed 2.Assess the capacity of partners and other stakeholders to meet program goals 3. Defend the importance of monitoring relationships with key stakeholders 4. Demonstrate how programs align with organizational structure, mission, and goals 5. Identify and collect evidence to justify programs 6. Create a rationale to gain or maintain support for a program that meets population needs 4. Use various communication strategies to present a rationale that justifies the scope of a program 8. Conduct program quality assurance/process improvement through meaningful and targeted program evaluation 9. Adhere to and apply ethical principles of the profession 10. Determine strategies to effectively develop training programming and professional development materials for staff members and volunteers I am open to the content/topic and interested in how we can partner to help these students gain valuable knowledge. Thanks in advance for your response. Nikki (Jennifer N. Hall-Atkinson)	Assessing Community Needs and Resources Analyzing Problems and Goals Developing an Intervention Improving Organizational Management and Development	Thu, 06/17/2021
Hello, I hope all is well! I am currently working on a project to launch a program we refer to as “salons.” The idea is to resurrect the public sphere, as it is understood to have existed during the emergence of capitalist economics. Our goal is to begin the conversations necessary to advance a local, sustainable, just and democratically led economy, one that is essentially “decoupled” from global capitalism. That’s the idea. My question has to do with The Community Tool Box’s knowledge about such things. We envision bringing together community stakeholders, in open, transparent and dignified conversations, as the means to imagining a local, sustainable economy. Of course, the next step would be taking action. Anything you may be able to provide in the way of research or case studies about such things would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for the great work you are doing! Best, Mike Shesterkin SMSBF	Assessing Community Needs and Resources Developing a Framework or Model of Change Developing Strategic and Action Plans Increasing Participation and Membership	Mon, 06/14/2021
Hi Folks, I would be grateful for any insight or assistance you may be able to provide. I am from Ireland and currently seeking to develop an initiative to harness the creativity of 18 to 29 year olds in my community. I am living in a county called Galway based in the West of Ireland. Galway has twice the number of 20-24 year olds living in its community compared to that of the national average. I have conducted two surveys within my community the results of the first survey indicated that there are not sufficient outlets and opportunities for creativity and in particular not sufficient outlets/opportunities for the younger people in our community. The second survey was issued to younger people who confirmed that there is not sufficient creative opportunities for them but that they have an appetite to become involved in an outlet/forum/initiative in their community. I went on to host a focus group with a small number of young people who advised that they would be very interested in contributing their views and time to supporting the development of initiatives which would help better their community and in turn provide them with the opportunity to engage with others of diverse perspectives, backgrounds, ethnic groups etc. One of the long term goals as specified by our local Galway county council in their "Everybody Matters: A Cultural Sustainability Strategy Framework for Galway 2016-2025" is to progress and develop a vibrant, sustainable and strengthened local community. I am currently seeking ideas on how to move forward with such an initiative by harnessing the current resource and input of our younger population. One option I had in mind was something similar to Open Source Development where our younger generation would contribute and submit their ideas or donate their time to collaborate on a local issue identified within their community or even that of a local enterprise who may be seeking suggestions to improve product/business development. Members of the focus group indicated that they would like a mix of online and physical onsite collaborations. This initiative is based on creativity so would have to incorporate a substantial element which allows for fun, various modes of engagement and a platform for diverse collaboration. I would be grateful if you had any ideas or relevant resources in relation to progressing such an initiative. I am in the process of developing a website also in relation having at least one platform from which to launch this initiative. I would be very grateful for any guidance or advice you may have. Many thanks for taking the time to read my question. Best regards, Patricia	Assessing Community Needs and Resources Developing an Intervention Increasing Participation and Membership	Mon, 06/14/2021
We have recently developed a non-profit organization to assist in addressing community issues of a small community in the Navajo Nation. Being remote, their needs are many and resources few - 40% lack electricity and/or running water, the nearest medical care is over 50 miles away, alcohol and drug abuse is high, unemployment is high, etc. Do you have any examples of other Native American communities or organizations with which we could exchange information? Cultural and social norms are significantly different than what you would typically encounter in non-Navajo communities and require altering Toolbox materials. Thanks.	Assessing Community Needs and Resources Analyzing Problems and Goals Increasing Participation and Membership Enhancing Cultural Competence Sustaining the Work or Initiative	Fri, 06/11/2021
Resources and assets to be used for policy development to enhance university education	Advocating for Change Influencing Policy Development	Wed, 06/09/2021
Could you provide correct APA citation for academic use of your web site. Specifically: /en/creating-and-maintaining-coalitions-and-partnerships Thank you -		Mon, 06/07/2021
Want to register our Local Development community committee		Thu, 05/27/2021
Hello, I'd like to talk to someone about the resources listed on your website - Thanks much!		Tue, 05/18/2021
1. What are the roles of the youth in community action? 2. What is the importance of participation in dealing with problems of the community? 3. If the community or barangay will give you an opportunity to become a Youth Leader, what activities can you and your fellow youths can engage with? Why?	Building Leadership Increasing Participation and Membership	Thu, 05/13/2021
Hello, my name is Scott Dixon. I live in Society Hill, SC, a small rural town in South Carolina. We have a huge disconnect between our local government and keeping our citizens informed and abreast of what's being dictated by the powers to be. More and more things are being done in our meetings that the public should be aware of. I have gotten involved and started recording the meetings but I'm limited with funds and thus don't have the best options when it comes to recording the meetings for our community to view/listen to online.. Getting help would be a huge step in the right direction. Especially, now that Covid has pushed many places to stream their meetings - we aren't able to do that here due to the lack of knowledge and understanding in the office here.. And I feel that we're now even more in the dark about what is going on in our town because there's very little transparency and that isn't fair for anyone that lives here. In my effort to find some kind of support, I found your organization. I'm not sure if you can help, but I hope if anything else you could point me in the right direction. The biggest issue I have right now is finding some equipment that I can afford that will help me record or even stream the meetings to keep the public informed. I don't have the funds to buy what I need, I don't really even know what I need and what would work best for our meetings.. Maybe there's a place out there that could help me find funding or even somewhere I can find affordable equipment. I hope this makes some sense, and I appreciate your time either way. I look forward to hearing from you! Thanks again! Scottd	Influencing Policy Development Implementing a Social Marketing Effort Writing a Grant Application for Funding	Thu, 05/13/2021
Hello, My name is Hannah Hayes and I am the Project Manager for the New to Public Health Residency Program, through the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing. Our team is developing a public health residency program for new to public health professionals (within 1 year of work), employed at a governmental health department. The framework of the program is based on the Foundational Public Health Services Model, and each month focuses on a foundational area or capability essential to public health practice. This program is modeled off of best practices of nurse residency programs (NRPs), which are common in acute care settings. One component instrumental to the success of nurse resident's learning in NRPs is the evidence-based practice project. Our team would like to incorporate an evidence-based practice project (or high level QI project) for our residency, where participants will plan and present a EBPP/QI proposal at the cumulation of the program. I would love to connect more with your team regarding best practices and tools that might guide this work. Thank you for your consideration! Warm regards, Hannah	Developing a Framework or Model of Change	Wed, 05/12/2021
Hello! I am looking for resources on how to facilitate a budget planning process at a nonprofit that would engage community members. Thanks for your assistance!	Developing Strategic and Action Plans Increasing Participation and Membership	Tue, 05/11/2021
Dear Advisor, I belong to a community based organization in Uganda. I would like to find out from you if this group can partner with you for any kind of community work	Creating and Maintaining Coalitions and Partnerships	Tue, 05/11/2021
I am attempting to create a community engagement strategy on health and housing for grand/multigenerational families, sustainably. Right now; I am a lone voice in a wilderness. So far there are no people of color talking about what’s important to us.	Developing Strategic and Action Plans Increasing Participation and Membership Enhancing Cultural Competence	Mon, 05/10/2021
Hi I am organizing for the removable of hostile designed architecture that targets the homeless, park benches with a middle bar is an example. I have the community neighborhood associations on my side and now the city counselor. How do I get the MBTA, the local subway system, that has benches that are designed so someone can't lay down to eliminate this and also how do I involve the unhoused "homeless" community in organizing? Any thoughts appreciated.	Creating and Maintaining Coalitions and Partnerships Developing Strategic and Action Plans Developing an Intervention Increasing Participation and Membership Advocating for Change Influencing Policy Development	Thu, 05/06/2021
Good morning! I want to reference your work however, I have no clue who to put as an author. Is there a specific name I can use for "Chapter 13. Orienting Ideas in Leadership \| Section 6. Recognizing the Challenges of Leadership \| Main Section \| Community Toolbox ?" Hope to hear from You soon		Thu, 05/06/2021
Your article every step in it I have taken in an issue I'm having and the local government I'm not enforce the laws because of who the corporation is I have been fighting this for three years with no help from anyone I've contacted not even so much as a fire mental health officer investigating it no one has I don't understand and I've done everything except going public and I don't feel comfortable with that no groups that even fight for my issue will help any suggestions of where else to go it was just so unreal how I read your article and it was exactly every step I took and still have no help with this issue That is affecting peoples health the quality of life and like your article says they don't care because they don't have to live with it I don't understand anyway thank you for your time and if you can suggest anything it would so be appreciated great article	Building Leadership Increasing Participation and Membership	Tue, 04/27/2021
I run a community where graphic designer in my country Nigeria can come together to learn the business of design Here are my Questions 1. How can I keep a community really valueable considering the fact that most times we have people more knowledgeable than me (who is the founder and leader) in the community 2. I often experience the stagnation of the community when I am not actively steering the wheel, like managing the operation. How can I move from here to a point where the Organization can operate autonomously? Thanks in anticipation of your respond.	Building Leadership Increasing Participation and Membership	Sun, 04/25/2021
Where to report neighbor disposing biohazard waste/ trash in Apartment Dumpster who has MRSA/ SEPSIS/ STAPH? Infected neighbor released today, 4/19/2021 for 6th time since Oct 2020 for the above @ [DELETED] 66614.	Assessing Community Needs and Resources Analyzing Problems and Goals	Mon, 04/19/2021
We have partnered with the local university to create a guide to research with newcomers. I work for a settlement agency that gets a fair share of requests from students and researchers alike seeking information and data on newcomers. Who should be at the table during discussions. What should be included in the agenda	Creating and Maintaining Coalitions and Partnerships	Fri, 04/09/2021
Hello, My name is Chas Damo. I’m a new Grants Specialist for the Tribal Education Department within the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona (30 minutes south of Phoenix). I am in charge of a grant that is looking to expand the capacity of our department and am interested in how the Community Checklist could play a role in helping us attain our goals. I would like to present this tool as a option for consideration to my Director within the next week or so and could use a saleskit or presentation that could explain in brief what the Checklist does. Specifically, we are working to unify our various school districts, which comprise of public, parochial, charter, and tribally controlled Bureau of Indian Education funded schools. It is important that our department be as transparent as possible during this process and I see the Checklist as a way to create a more visible working process towards this new era in our education system. Has the Checklist been applied to work such as the unification of local school districts into unified school districts? Collaboration would include many education stakeholders including, but not limited to, our Tribal Education Department, local school boards, an Education Standing Committee of locally elected officials, Community Council, school principals and administrators, etc.	Evaluating the Initiative	Thu, 04/08/2021
Hello. I have a question in regard to managing board appointment terms. I hope you don't mind, but the best way for me to ask my question is by giving an example. Let's say Melissa is on the Income Tax Board. Her three-year term is scheduled as 01-01-2020 to 12-31-2022. However, she has decided to resign as of 03-25-2021. It is decided that Nick will replace Melissa on this board today, 04-06-2021. Since Nick is replacing her in the middle of an existing term, how should Nick's Certificate of Appointment effective date read? Should his appointment paper be in effect as of today, 04-06-2021 with an expiration date of 12-31-2022? Or is his term backdated in order to use the original appointment of 01-01-2020 to 12-31-2022? Similar to Robert's Rules, is there, by any chance, a specific website or rule book I can follow for board terms?	Building Leadership Improving Organizational Management and Development	Tue, 04/06/2021
What would you do to ensure the information of the survey you are collecting is accurate and reflects the needs and wants of residents	Assessing Community Needs and Resources Analyzing Problems and Goals	Sun, 04/04/2021
We are a not-for-profit charitable organization with a physical office. As such we have monthly fixed expenses. Our revenue is raised from some memberships, donate, occasional project-based government grants which included a very little (18% or so) staffing or operating costs. We want to embark on a social enterprise that will provide continuing revenue to support the community services we provide. What kind of social enterprise? 2ndly Do you have a template for a community NEEDS survey? community= ethnic organization	Assessing Community Needs and Resources Sustaining the Work or Initiative	Sat, 04/03/2021
Hello, I am the executive director of a community impact initiative, and I am developing our accountability structure. I would like to know if you can provide assistance on different options for making decisions at the leadership council level and standing committee level.	Building Leadership Enhancing Cultural Competence Improving Organizational Management and Development	Fri, 04/02/2021
I am an architect doing community engagement work for schools in low socio-economic neighborhoods. Typically community members have been asked to show up and participate at meetings. Recently we became aware of "community fellows" programs for organizers and possible compensation for all attendees. I am looking for resources to help provide just and fair compensation to community participants in our public workshops. Thank you	Increasing Participation and Membership Improving Organizational Management and Development	Tue, 03/30/2021
Hello, I have been assigned to create a tool-box. Purposely, limited information has been given for the project. Can someone help me? Thank you.	Assessing Community Needs and Resources Analyzing Problems and Goals	Tue, 03/30/2021
My query: I'm a teen who's interested in building social coexistence among youngsters, through tech! My idea is to develop an AI-based app, which makes music(plays the respective notes of the instrument), whilst/as the user sings(gives input). Might sound crazy, but it's an alternative/supplementary tool to physical instruments. The majority of the funds raised(through premium plans, etc) will be donated to organisations actively involved in creating social impact. There will also be activities incorporated into the app on a regular basis, which foster the spirit of social responsibility in various categories. Basically, it's a merging of PASSION and PURPOSE! Yes, it does not directly address the problem but is sort of tailored towards the interests of the younger generation. What's your say on this idea? Any suggestions/recommendations to improvise on? How will I need to plan further? How do you think the stakeholders, such as the government will react to this? What are the pros and cons of this? How do I smartly arouse the interest of young people in a topic like this? I'd love for an adult to expand on this easy-peasy goal, (and maybe connect me to some like-minded people?!)as soon as possible. Thank you for considering my request.	Developing Strategic and Action Plans Increasing Participation and Membership	Mon, 03/29/2021
I am managing the community engagement for a public urban project that has been under discussion since 2010. In 2019, the government decided to unilaterally change all the aspects of the project and consequently lost all the community trust. The project will no longer change. My role is to inform the community of the construction phases and promote art-based and educational strategies to foster a sense of place. However, I am now facing a lot of outrage and opposition and I am unable to regain the community's trust. Any ideas of how I can improve the work with the community?	Creating and Maintaining Coalitions and Partnerships Analyzing Problems and Goals	Wed, 03/24/2021
Hi! I have been utilizing this resource to help guide me through a Strategic Health Communication Plan for an assignment in my graduate studies, and was wondering if you could provide me the date at which Chapter 6, sections 2, 3, and 7 were published, so I can accurately provide an APA citation! Thank you!		Mon, 03/22/2021
How do I cite your website?		Sun, 03/14/2021
I created peer support groups for a population of people that do not fit in the current options of medical vs mental health. There are limited studies of this population (donor-conceived individuals) so I am having trouble finding ways to ground my programs to evidence based practices, although I have plenty of anecdotal evidence for the need of these groups to reduce stigma and provide support. Do I need to survey my existing groups do get data and a baseline? How do I find research institutions willing to partner with me?	Analyzing Problems and Goals	Sat, 03/13/2021
We want to increase public participation in a process of political party formation,focused on GOOD GOVERNANCE GOALS. GOOD GOVERNANCE PARTY, Nigeria(In-Formation) \| Facebook	Advocating for Change	Mon, 03/08/2021
I am a director in the Nova Scotia Rural Community Foundation and we are struggling with making a social media presence. We would like advice on how to strengthen this from some experts and thought you would be great to ask.	Implementing a Social Marketing Effort	Fri, 03/05/2021
Greetings, I have participated in many community advocacy projects but have limited leadership experience, so could use some advice. I am trying to organize community and parent activists within our small Montana town, to fight a recent school board decision to abolish mask requirements (and other other COVID-prevention measures) within our public school. Somehow our board has been infiltrated by an anti-science group of pandemic-denying conspiracy theorists. We are not too far from a university town, so I have already assembled a group of pro-science, progressive community members to advocate for the health and safety of our kids, teachers, and community at large. However, I am struggling to know where to begin in terms of this public health advocacy. I am drafting an op-ed for our local newspapers, which we'll all sign, but I'd appreciate any advice/ resources you can provide re: next steps in advocacy/ community organizing. Thank you so much!	Advocating for Change Influencing Policy Development	Fri, 02/19/2021
Climate Action: Individual NGO action as compared to collaborative movements? Many groups are working to help alleviate the present climate crisis, and there appears to be a great duplication of effort, at the expense of limited resources. This is most noticeable with such initiatives as individual petition mailings. Yes, this question regarding finding the 'magic balance' between individual work and/or collaboration is a challenge to achieving timely and effective results in all areas of social/environmental justice work. There are only so many dollars available in the 'donation pool', and protecting an NGO's claimed 'turf' may also be a factor which impedes collaboration. I have encountered challenges in promoting petition sharing, in order that the receiving politicians or public servants may 'hear' as loud a 'voice' as possible. Do any of the good folk at the Community Tool Box have any thoughts to share personally or any research work in this area to suggest that I read in order to broaden my understanding about effective collaboration?	Creating and Maintaining Coalitions and Partnerships Analyzing Problems and Goals	Fri, 02/05/2021
Hi - I am part of a conservation committee formed for a Home Owners' Association in Alexandria, VA. We're interested in doing a walking survey of the natural assets on our property and your organization seems to be the most on-message with what we'd like to accomplish. Your site is incredibly detailed, but I can’t find an example of a survey tool (literally, a checklist) that neighborhoods, small communities, HOAs, etc. can use to gather intelligence about the natural assets on their properties. This is the fairly granular level, like documenting footpaths, park benches, ponds, waste barrels, and the like. Any and all advice would be much appreciated!	Assessing Community Needs and Resources	Thu, 02/04/2021
Thank you so much for this site, it is a very valuable resource to those of us who are vested in the future our communities. Could you provide a needs assessment template (Word doc) that can be used to begin to build out a needs assessment project? I have mined through all of the information available, however, at this point, I am seeking a quality template to drop in detailed information.	Assessing Community Needs and Resources	Mon, 02/01/2021
I am working with a statewide sexual assault coalition and I'm seeking resources for community sexual assault programs that want to embark upon transformative, social-justice-based coalitions with community partners (both traditional and nontraditional). I'm looking for practical information on creating and sustaining those partnerships, dealing with organizations that may have a different culture, involving grassroots stakeholders, and anything else that you think might be helpful. I'd be grateful for any suggested resources, both for my background in writing this community blueprint, and for the programs engaged in this work. Of course, I will direct them to your Tool Box. Thanks in advance for any thoughts or materials.	Creating and Maintaining Coalitions and Partnerships Enhancing Cultural Competence	Tue, 01/26/2021
I preach for a church of 100 in TX. Our Bldg is .8 mile from a middle school. .5 mile from an Elementary school. 1.1 and 2.4 from High Schools. I want to offer a program that benefits our community. Wondering if this has possibilities for me. Would I need a full time director? What expenses could be expected?	Analyzing Problems and Goals Developing Strategic and Action Plans Increasing Participation and Membership	Fri, 01/15/2021
Happy New Year. I am currently the Director of Social-Emotional Learning for Portland Public Schools (ME). While I have a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from and APA-accredited program, I have spent the majority of my training and career working as an action researcher and consultant to schools and school districts--my communities of choice. I do not refer to myself as a clinical psychologist because I never took the licensure exam; I do not provide clinical services or supervision without operating under the supervision of a licensed clinical psychologist (and I haven't done so in many years). My advisor in graduate school, who has a Ph.D. from a clinical/community program never referred to himself as a clinical psychologist--only as a community psychologist. He informed me many years ago that I can refer to myself as a community psychologist because the majority of my graduate training, the nature of my research and practice both in and since graduate school is in the community vein. I just wanted to confirm this as I do not want to "break any rules" regarding protected terms. Thank you for your response.		Thu, 12/31/2020
After the fesability study, i started with SWOT and Twix matrix what the next step to make sure about the money (winning or losing) ??		Thu, 12/24/2020
Please advise how I can directly reach Dawn Henderson.		Tue, 12/22/2020