Community Development

This allows us to specialize in all dimensions of trades and stocks, because we have a specialist within the team for every scenario.

A focus group provides insightful understanding of complex issues and situations which cannot be gathered from standard multiple choice surveys or large public meetings. Focus groups provide an opportunity for individuals to express their views in detail, to hear the opinions of others and to collectively develop resolutions to problems. Both technical and anecdotal information can be presented and debated which can lead to creative problem-solving and broad community support.

Public forums and listening sessions are a valuable resource in upholding open lines of communication with the public. Citizen participation in community projects can help identify and solve problems. This section explains how community leaders can implement public forums and listening sessions into community building and use the results to shape their projects.

Distinguishing between individual needs and the wider needs of the community is important in the planning and provision of local community and neighborhood services. If these needs are ignored then there is a danger of a top-down approach to providing  services, which relies too heavily on what a few people perceive to be the needs of the population rather than what they actually are. A straightforward way to estimate the needs of a community or neighborhood is to simply ask residents their opinions about the issues and problems they are dealing with by conducting a community assessment.

When community groups want to take action, influence policy, change things around, or shake things up, a community survey is an effective way to find out what people are thinking and how they feel. Community surveys allow people to gather information about local attitudes and opinions regarding precisely defined issues, problems or opportunities.

Participant observation, for many years, has been a hallmark of both anthropological and sociological studies. In recent years, the field of community development has seen an increase in the number of qualitative studies that include participant observation as a way to collect information. Put simply, obtaining information from a community resident who is in a position to know the community as a whole, or the particular portion you are interested in can be an assets because that community resident can garner trust and information from the group you want more information about, or a member of the target audience.

The coordination of housing, construction of public facilities and extension of public services are at the core of a community’s economic viability and quality of life. Community economic development helps build residents’ capacity to take control of their own economic futures. The purpose of an economic development strategy is to provide direction for public decision makers in making effective use of resources to increase local revenues and economic benefits to residents.

While decisions made by traditional community leaders can have significant community impact, there is potential for those decisions to have an even greater impact when residents are involved. “The challenges facing our communities are too complex and too entrenched to be addressed by any one sector, or one organization.

The basis for all fundraising for should be raising funds from individuals through the annual fund. Nationally, contributions from individuals constitute about 75% of all philanthropic giving in the United States. Only 25% of philanthropic giving comes from foundations and corporations.  Therefore, it makes sense for organizations to focus much of their fundraising efforts on individuals within their community who are capable of making charitable contributions.

Grants Management is a fundraising strategy or method with the practice completing an application process for funding provided by an institution such as a government department, corporation, foundation, or trust.

Corporate Sponsorship is a fundraising strategy or method of  obtaining support by a payment by a business to a nonprofit to further the nonprofit’s mission, that is generally recognized by the nonprofit with an acknowledgment that the business has supported the nonprofit’s activities, programs, or special event.

Community-based organizations (CBO) or Community organizations (CO) have been an integral part of community development projects and initiatives for decades. They are indeed the ‘face’ of community empowerment, by virtue of the fundamental principles of democratic processes, building on the social capital, and reliance on community participation. Most commonly, CBOs form, grow and stabilize over the years, during the project period. However, once the funding support ceases, CBOs face multiple challenges in sustaining their functions. As a result, many such organizations die out.  For continued existence, financial self-reliance, and sustainability of the community-based organizations, exploring new avenues for financial support is very important.

Planned giving is fundraising strategy or method sometimes with the practice donating planned gifts in the form of a will or trust and often granted once the individual has passed away.

Major Gifts is a fundraising strategy or method strategically planned series of activities designed to establish and nurture a broad base or donor support that will make a significant and positive impact on your organization.

Community organizing is a tool for mobilizing community residents into taking planned, collective action around issues of shared concern, and to reclaim decision-making power over their own lives. This interactive workshop reviews basic principles and practices of community organizing and uses various activities to explore the root causes and symptoms of economic inequality.

Increasingly, economic development is being recognized as a way for residents and communities to increase their wealth, citizen employment, and community pride, and to build the influence and financial resources needed for other important goals. Economic development can be approached in many different ways and it can all seem overwhelming. This workshop provides you with an understanding of what economic development is and encourages discussion about best practices and lessons learned, and provides the basic tools needed to begin your own successful strategic economic development planning process.

The practice of helping residents work and learn together to identify and address shared problems in order to achieve better outcomes goes by many names: “resident engagement,” “community engagement,” “community empowerment,” “community democracy,” and more. Citizen participation has been a core value and aspiration of the community-building field since the 1960s. It expresses the democratic belief that citizens and consumers have not only the right, but special knowledge that can produce better programs and policies. Organized citizens have come together and acted on their own behalf to change bad policies that impact their lives, their children’s education and their community’s well-being.

The idea of communities of practice (CoP) is that learning occurs in social contexts that emerge and evolve when people who have common goals interact as they strive towards those goals. The concept of communities of practice is commonly credited to Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger who originated the construct legitimate peripheral participation in their studies of apprenticeship situations. From their development of legitimate peripheral participation, they created the term “community of practice” to refer to the communities of practitioners into which newcomers would enter and attempt to learn the sociocultural practices of the community.

As community development professionals, we need to make sure to take care of ourselves by seeking opportunities for growth and rejuvenation. One way to take advantage of such opportunities is to participate in community development conferences. KRI Community Development Conferences are targeted, highly-focused learning experiences for participants that support development of 21st century skills. Community Development conferences bring participants into the larger KRI community while providing unique opportunities to extend field learning. Each of KRI’s conferences connects with practitioners and professionals to engage participants in learning industry-related trends and content.

We allow you to enter international waters without having to worry about making a mistake, as we use our international experience.

Community Development Meet-Ups provide information and networking that connects practitioners  with other Community Development experts in the field through its events. The group connects practitioners and experts gives them a chance to know about new trends, opportunities, and gather information about upcoming initiatives.

The importance of  networking shouldn’t be discounted when you are in the midst of a rapidly changing sector.