The Community Tool Box Bringing Solutions to Light

Work Group for Community Health and Development
University of Kansas – 2011

The Community Tool Box is a global resource for free information on essential skills for building healthy communities.
Promoting community health and development by connecting people, ideas and resources

English:
Available online at: http://bit.ly/lMvFse

Spanish:
URL: http://bit.ly/kEY9wF Caja de Herramientas Comunitarias - Recursos prácticos

Here there are the list of  6 Chapters through which you can reach nearly 300 different sections providing practical, step-by-step guidance in community-building skills. Other tools can be located from the purple tabs at the top of this page.

Part A. Models for Promoting Community Health and Development: Gateways to the Tools (Chapters 1 - 2)

·         Chapter 1. Our Model for Community Change and Improvement

·         Chapter 2. Other Models for Promoting Community Health and Development

Contains an overview of the CTB (Chapter 1, Section 1) and frameworks for guiding, supporting and evaluating the works of community and system change.

Part B. Community Assessment, Agenda Setting, and Choice of Broad Strategies (Chapters 3 - 5)

·         Chapter 3. Assessing Community Needs and Resources

·         Chapter 4. Getting Issues on the Public Agenda

·         Chapter 5. Choosing Strategies to Promote Community Health and Development

Contains information about how to assess community needs and resources (e.g. conducting listening sessions, analyzing problems) how to get issues on the public agenda (e.g., gaining public support), and how to choose broad strategies to promote community health and development (e.g., building coalitions).

Part C. Promoting Interest and Participation in Initiatives (Chapters 6 - 7)

·         Chapter 6. Promoting Interest in Community Issues

·         Chapter 7. Encouraging Involvement in Community Work

Contains information about how to promote interest in an issue (e.g., persuasion, press releases, and newsletters) and how to encourage involvement (e.g., among diverse groups).

Part D. Developing a Strategic Plan, Organizational Structure, and Training System(Chapters 8 - 12)

·         Chapter 8. Developing a Strategic Plan

·         Chapter 9. Developing an Organizational Structure for the Initiative

·         Chapter 10. Hiring and Training Key Staff of Community Organizations

·         Chapter 11. Recruiting and Training Volunteers

·         Chapter 12. Providing Training and Technical Assistance

Contains information about developing a strategic plan (e.g., vision, mission, action plan) and organizational structure (e.g., bylaws, board of directors) and hiring and training staff, recruiting and training volunteers, and providing technical assistance.

Part E. Leadership, Management, and Group Facilitation (Chapters 13 - 16)

·         Chapter 13. Orienting Ideas in Leadership

·         Chapter 14. Core Functions in Leadership

·         Chapter 15. Becoming an Effective Manager

·         Chapter 16. Group Facilitation and Problem-Solving

Contains information about the core functions of leadership (e.g., building relationships, influencing people), management (e.g., providing supervision and support), and group facilitation (e.g., leading meetings).\

Part F. Analyzing Community Problems and Designing and Adapting Community Interventions (Chapters 17 - 19)

·         Chapter 17. Analyzing Community Problems and Solutions

·         Chapter 18. Deciding Where to Start

·         Chapter 19. Choosing and Adapting Community Interventions

Contains information about analyzing community problems (e.g. thinking critically), designing an intervention (e.g. identifying those who can benefit and help), and choosing and adapting interventions for different cultures and communities.

Part G. Implementing Promising Community Interventions (Chapters 20 - 26)

·         Chapter 20. Providing Information and Enhancing Skills

·         Chapter 21. Enhancing Support, Incentives, and Resources

·         Chapter 22. Youth Mentoring Programs

·         Chapter 23. Modifying Access, Barriers, and Opportunties

·         Chapter 24. Improving Services

·         Chapter 25. Changing Policies

·         Chapter 26. Changing the Physical and Social Environment

Contains information on illustrative interventions using the strategies of providing information and enhancing skills, enhancing support and resources, youth mentoring, modifying access and barriers, improving services, changing policies, and changing the physical and social environment.

Part H. Cultural Competence, Spirituality, and the Arts and Community Building (Chapters 27 - 29)

·         Chapter 27. Cultural Competence in a Multicultural World

·         Chapter 28. Spirituality and Social Action (this chapter is under construction)

·         Chapter 29. The Arts and Community Building: Celebrating, Preserving, and Transforming Community Life (this chapter is under construction)

Contains information on building cultural competence in a multicultural world, spirituality and community action, and the arts and community building.

Part I. Organizing for Effective Advocacy (Chapters 30 - 35)

·         Chapter 30. Principles of Advocacy

·         Chapter 31. Conducting Advocacy Research

·         Chapter 32. Providing Encouragement and Education

·         Chapter 33. Conducting a Direct Action Campaign

·         Chapter 34. Media Advocacy

·         Chapter 35. Responding to Counterattacks

Contains information on principles of advocacy (e.g., recognizing allies and opponents), conducting advocacy research, providing encouragement and education, conducting a direct action campaign (e.g., personal testimony letters), media advocacy, and responding to opposition.

Part J. Evaluating Community Programs and Initiatives (Chapters 36 - 39)

·         Chapter 36. Introduction to Evaluation

·         Chapter 37. Operations in Evaluating Community Interventions

·         Chapter 38. Methods for Evaluating Comprehensive Community Initiatives

·         Chapter 39. Using Evaluation to Understand and Improve the Initiative

Contains information on developing a plan for evaluation, methods for evaluation, and using evaluation to understand and improve the initiative.

Part K. Maintaining Quality and Rewarding Accomplishments (Chapters 40 - 41)

·         Chapter 40. Maintaining Quality Performance

·         Chapter 41. Rewarding Accomplishments

Contains information on achieving and maintaining quality performance, obtaining and using feedback from clients, arranging celebrations, providing incentives to staff and volunteers, holding awards ceremonies, and honoring colleagues and community champions.

Part L. Generating, Managing and Sustaining Financial Resources (Chapters 42 - 44)

·         Chapter 42. Getting Grants and Financial Resources

·         Chapter 43. Managing Finances

·         Chapter 44. Investing in Community Resources

Contains information on writing a grant application, planning for financial sustainability, preparing an annual budget, accounting basics, contracting for service and establishing a micro-grants program for your community.

Part M. Social Marketing and Institutionalization of the Initiative (Chapters 45 - 46)

·         Chapter 45. Social Marketing of Successful Components of the Initiative

·         Chapter 46. Planning for Long-Term Institutionalization

Contains information on conducting a social marketing effort (e.g., promoting awareness, interest and behavior change), and planning for the long-term sustainability of the effort (e.g., becoming a line item in an existing budget).