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Other Publications
A Case Study of Building
Social Capital: El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice
(1994)
by Sharon Ramirez and Tom Dewar
This
report describes the history and context for a public high
school launched by El Puente, an organization dedicated to
youth empowerment and community development. With
an emphasis on civic engagement and “giving back to the community”,
El Puente focused its efforts on linking youth and families
to their surrounding community through action projects.
A Model for Building a Culturally Sensitive
Child Care System (1996)
by T. Williams
Cultural Beginning (CB) is an
initiative of the Minnesota Child Care Resource and Referral
Network (CCRRN) that is designed to work with the Minnesota
child care industry to build a more culturally-appropriate
child care delivery system.
CCRRN convened a small group of 10 people, including one African American and one American Indian to explore the issues and talk about what needed to be done and how to proceed. They decided to focus on how race and ethnicity were affecting access and capacity of child care to families of color in Minnesota. First, this group developed a statement of purpose which it used to help secure a planning grant from the Emma B. Howe Foundation, then it addressed the lack of diversity within its own ranks.
The working group used the planning process to develop a project idea that comprehensively addressed the issue of culturally sensitive child care in Minnesota and disseminated a concept paper about it to the respective communities of color. This paper was used to conduct 26 interviews in the respective communities of color across the State of Minnesota. Several people were identified through this process who subsequently became members of the Cultural Beginnings Steering Committee.
Building Community Capacity with Evaluation
Activities that Empower (1994)
by Steven E. Mayer
We think that empowerment
evaluation is consistent with empowerment theory (Zimmerman,
in press). At a minimum, this means,
in our views, that we must listen to, respect, and act on
what the project’s intended beneficiaries have to say about
how they are benefiting from efforts allegedly in their behalf.
Not all evaluation includes the simple act of listening to
the intended beneficiaries in the community. As a result,
it is very easy and possibly the norm for evaluation results
to be ignored. As stated at the outset of this publication,
Rainbow Research did not start off intending to do empowerment
evaluation. Instead, we discovered that, for evaluation
to be useful and used, certain voices have to be included.
We suggest three key features that can ally evaluation with
the tasks of community capacity building.
Changing the Food and Farming System through Community
Collaboration (2000)
by David Scheie
The Integrated Farming Systems Initiative, supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, grew out of an analysis that found important problems associated with the predominant farming production system used in the U.S. Kellogg envisioned, instead, a farming system that evolved from specialized, monocultural-agriculture toward more integrated and resource-efficient farming systems. The core strategy in Phase One of the Initiative the Kellogg Foundation was to change the food and farming system through community collaborations. This report summarizes key results and lessons from the Initiative as a whole, focusing on four anticipated outcomes: farming practice change, collaborative relations, institutional and policy change, and leadership and community empowerment.
Common Barriers to Effectiveness in the Independent
Sector: Remarks made at the 1992 Independent
Sector Annual Meeting (1992)
by Steve Mayer
From the introduction:
My charge today is, first, to present
common barriers to effectiveness in the independent sector
- not an organization or program at a time, but sector wide;
and not Independent Sector the organization, but the whole
gamut of independent institutions and groups that we think
about when we say foundations and voluntary groups. And second,
I’ll relate some “evaluation implications” to each of these
barriers, because our purpose, after all, is to invent a
form of evaluation that helps us knock down, chip away, or
circumvent these barriers to effectiveness, and inform us
of our collective progress.
Creating a More Sustainable Food and Farming System
(1996)
by David Scheie
This article summarizes initial findings from an evaluation of 18 collaborative projects supported by the Kellogg Foundation’s “Integrated Farming Systems” initiative. The projects, from different bio regions across the U.S., bring together farmers and many kinds of institutions to develop food and farming systems that are more sustainable economically, ecologically and socially. Strategies contributing to progress, challenges facing the projects, and priorities for the next stage of project work are identified.
Dos, Don’ts and Cautionary Tales: An Unorthodox Perspective
on Evaluation (1998)
by Barry B. Cohen
In prepared remarks for the National Network of Grantmakers, Cohen discusses: (1) purposes of evaluation and circumstances under which it is appropriate, (2) different approaches to doing evaluation, (3) interpreting, using, and sharing the findings in novel ways, and (4) approaches to institutionalizing evaluation in the work of an organization. Cohen provides illustrations drawn from his twenty-five years of experience in the research and evaluation field and from the work of his Rainbow colleagues. This perspective, which departs from the orthodoxy of research and evaluation practice, is not to be found in the standard texts and is an excellent resource for grantmakers and non profit managers new to the subject.
Getting Started: A Handbook for Community-Owned/Community-Based
Crime Prevention (1999)
by Dimitri Andrusesky and T. Williams
In 1996, the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) established its community preservation unit to work on building partnership relationships among communities of color, community-based institutions, the DOC, and the criminal justice system. Rainbow Research was engaged to conduct a series of focus group interviews in several Minnesota communities of color, and then to use the findings to prepare a handbook on planning and developing community-based violence prevention and restorative justice program initiatives. This handbook includes a summary of findings, key lessons learned, and components of community-based prevention/corrections planning.
Guide to Conducting Focus Group Research (1995)
by Becky Swanson Kroll
This guide grew from materials which Rainbow Research developed to train staff of an organization interested in reaching out beyond its current members and identifying issues, concerns and hopes for the future. This information was used for strategic planning, so that the organization could plan for a future which was more inclusive of all of its constituents and various communities—particularly those traditionally overlooked or marginalized. These materials were helpful in building the capacity of that organization to gather information, reflect on that information and enhance effectiveness in fulfilling their mission.
Guidelines for Community Economic Development Organizations
(1990)
by Rainbow Research, Inc.
These guidelines are written especially for boards and staff of CED organizations as a blueprint for capacity building. The paper describes desirable features in four key areas: organizational mission, organizational structure, project-development practices, and contributions to the CED movement.
How Can Universities and College Become More Useful
to Rural Communities Pursuing Development (1990)
by David Scheie and Steven E. Mayer
To learn how universities and colleges can become more useful resources to rural communities in economic development efforts, from 1988 to 1990 Rainbow Research studied pilot projects funded by Northwest Area Foundation in Iowa, Washington and Idaho where public universities were experimenting with new ways of assisting rural communities. This report details the five steps that are recommended to increase colleges’ and universities’ usefulness to rural communities.
Housing and Support Services for Prostituted
Women (1999)
by Barry Cohen and Jenny Moberg
In 1998, the
Minnesota Center for Crime Victims Services awarded a
grant to expand services for prostituted women, including
the development and implementation of transitional housing
and other support services to the PRIDE Program of Family & Children’s
Service. The first phase of
this grant was to conduct the research.
Family & Children’s Service contracted with Rainbow Research to work with PRIDE staff to design and conduct the research. This report is the conclusion of the research component of the grant.
New Genres for Communicating Evaluation
Findings (1996)
by Rainbow Research, Inc.
If a tree falls in the
forest but no one hears it, was there ever a sound? If
an evaluator finds findings but no one notices them, was
there ever an evaluation?
Evaluators are concerned that our findings be read and used. One specter that haunts us all is “the report that gathers dust on a shelf.”
At Rainbow Research we’ve become convinced over the years that the ways in which evaluation findings are served-up matter a great deal if we want our findings to be noticed and put to use. The packaging and timing of evaluation products, and the choices we make about how to carve-up our data into “findings,” are critical for increasing the communicating power of our findings.
In this paper we’d like to share some guidelines we use in designing our evaluation products. And we give three different examples of products we’ve created — new genres for communicating evaluation findings — that illustrate different ways of applying these principles.
Organized Religion for Civic Culture (2001)
by David Scheie with T Williams and Luisa Pessoa-Brandão
From June 2000 through March 2001, Rainbow Research led a
strategic review for the James Irvine Foundation’s Organized
Religion portfolio. The portfolio had been partnering with
faith-based institutions to draw new and lower-income Californians
into greater civic engagement since 1996. The purpose of
the review was to update and improve the conceptual framework
or “logic model” for the portfolio, and develop a framework
to help guide evaluation and learning efforts. The strategic
review was intended to be useful to the Irvine Foundation,
other foundations in the arena of civic culture and faith-based
institutions, and current and prospective community partners
of Irvine’s portfolio.
This document presents results from the strategic review. It is organized into five sections: a summary of portfolio achievements to date; findings from the field scan and literature review; the new logic model for the portfolio; the evaluation framework; and issues for consideration as the portfolio moves forward, with recommendations for key program priorities and initial evaluation implementation. Appendices list literature and websites reviewed; persons interviewed or included in community review meetings or the evaluation team; agendas and materials for evaluation team and community review meetings.
Organizing for Youth Development and School
Improvement (2003)
by David Scheie
This report presents findings
from an assessment of the public education organizing and youth
organizing fields that Rainbow Research conducted this year for
the Edward W. Hazen Foundation.
Our charge was to document and analyze the achievements of the organizations Hazen had supported since 1999, and to critique Hazen’s strategies to strengthen and advance these fields during that period. We also explored the evolving landscape in these two fields to identify emerging trends, challenges and opportunities.
Prerequisites to Power: Six Principles for Building
Community (1987)
by Grace Jordan McGinniss
In these days, in most city
neighborhoods, families, individuals and households are under
enormous strain. Present strength
and eventual longevity for a neighborhood organization requires
it to be considered an asset to people’s lives rather than
a burden which cuts further into life.
The key to being an asset lies in recognizing the potential for power which flows out of community. Community is the prerequisite to power.
Program Self Evaluation Tool for Programs
Serving Battered Women (1985)
by Steven E. Mayer and Ann Waterhouse
This Program
Self-Evaluation Tool was designed to help programs serving
battered women to take stock of their strengths and weaknesses.
It was developed through a process that included the input and review of a dozen professionals serving battered women in the member programs of the Wisconsin Coalition Against Woman Abuse.
The Tool is divided into three major parts:
1. SERVICES
TO BATTERED WOMEN
2. PROGRAM
MANAGEMENT
3. SYSTEM
CHANGE
At the end of the Program Self-Evaluation Tool is an Assessment
Summary Form for “grading” how well the program is doing,
and blank Program Improvement Planning worksheets.
Promoting Job Opportunities: Strategies
for Community-Based Organizations (1996)
by David Scheie
This article presents four pathways
and four guiding principles for community-based organizations
to consider in pursuing job-centered economic development. It
distills findings from job opportunities research, highlighting
as an example the Fifth Avenue Committee in Brooklyn
as one community-based organization that has worked on
jobs and enterprise development as well as housing and
other issues.
Putting Families at the Center of Community
Action (1999)
by Sandy O’Donnell and David Scheie
In 1998,
three organizations came together to attempt to build
baseline knowledge of a newly re-discovered community
organizing tradition, which we will call “family-based community
action,” that focuses on families as a source of leadership
and as a central focus of concern for community organizing
and development. The Annie E. Casey Foundation is interested
in this work as an essential component of its new funding
program that seeks to transform communities of deep poverty. Rainbow
Research, Inc. is a research and consulting organization
focused on discovering and sharing lessons for more effective
community action, particularly through the use of communities’
informal and citizen assets. Community Organizing and Family
Issues is a nonprofit whose mission is to develop, extend,
document, and evaluate family-based community action, toward
the goal of making our communities around the country ones
that support the healthy development of children and families. The
purposes of the project were:
Rethinking Leadership: Notes on Community,
Collaboration, and Strategies for Systemic Change
(1996)
by David Scheie
This paper shares lessons from experience
with diverse efforts to build communities, reform institutions,
and change systems to be more responsive to the long-term interests
of ordinary people. It includes notes on what “leadership”
is and how it is expressed and developed; insights on working
with community-based organizations and facilitating collaborations;
and observations on communication strategies, and funders
and evaluator roles, in support of project goals.
Self-Assessment Tool for Community Economic Development
Organizations (1990)
by Rainbow Research, Inc.
The
self-assessment tool was developed to help community economic
development (CED) organizations improve their effectiveness
through organizational development. While
this tool cannot guarantee success, it can provide a framework through which
you can examine your organization’s structure, identify areas that need further
attention, and develop plans for the future. You can
use the tool to:
Before you begin working with this tool, you might want to become familiar with the areas covered by the tool and how they are organized within the tool.
Strategic Opportunities for Community-Based
Economic Development in the Twin Cities (1999)
by David Scheie, Dimitri
Andrusesky, Ken Meter, and Joanne Bromelkamp
This
analyses was commissioned by Local Initiatives Support
Corporation (LISC) of the Twin Cities. LISC wanted
a strategic assessment of community economic development
(CED) opportunities, including neighborhood business support,
workforce development, and commercial revitalization strategies. This
report of noteworthy CED activities in the Minneapolis/St.
Paul area and nationally, outlines key elements that characterize
successful CED ventures, and suggests critical areas of investment
for maximum effectiveness in the Twin Cities CED sector. The
publication is of particular interest to community development
corporations and intermediaries, community-based organizations,
and other public and nonprofit entities working to transform
distressed city neighborhoods.
Strengthening Schools and Communities
through Collaboration (2001)
by David Scheie and T. Williams
Rainbow
Research evaluated the community engagement and community
impact dimensions of 20 rural school/community collaborative
projects supported by the Center for School Change(CSC) between
1997 and 2000. The CSC work was supported by major
grants from the Annenberg and Blandin Foundations. We
conducted site visits to 10 sites, including multiple visits
to five sites, and analyzed survey data from parents, teachers,
students and administrators at multiple sites.
We found these to be an inspiring network of innovative projects. Our core conclusion is that carefully developed collaborative efforts can achieve meaningful benefits for students, schools and the broader community.
The Assets Model of Community Development
(1991)
by Steve Mayer
This paper presents the basics of
the "assets model" as
formulated by John McKnight of Northwestern University, and
contrasts it with the "deficits model." Implications
are then introduced for funders who want to switch from the
deficits "world view" to the assets "world
view."
The Importance of Community Collaboration
to Support Sustainable Agriculture (1996)
by Oran Hesterman, David Scheie and Betty Mosley
For a community
or an individual to support sustainable agriculture, it may seem as though
a first step is to create or select a definition of what is meant by “sustainable
agriculture”. Many
definitions and explanations of “sustainable,” “alternative,”
“regenerative,” and “low-input” agriculture can be found
in the literature (e.g., Francis, 1988; National Research
Council, 1989; Harwood, 1990; Ruttan, 1988; McRae et al,
1989; Lockeretz, 1988; Knezek et al, 1988; Hesterman and
Thorburn, 1994). Most agree that for an agricultural
system to be sustainable, it must have characteristics such
as resource efficiency, an acceptable level of productivity
and profitability, and adequate environmental protection. Others
state the case that sustainability must also incorporate
social issues such as support of rural communities and concern
about agricultural policy and research (Altieri, 1988). Starting
in 1990, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) decided, along
with other societal institutions that were attempting to
foster a more sustainable agricultural system in the USA,
to support community-based efforts in sustainable agriculture. This
initiative at WKKF has come to be known as Integrated Farming
Systems (IFS). The IFS Initiative is now at its midpoint,
in terms of WKKF funding commitment, and important lessons
are starting to emerge. This paper describes the conceptual
framework of IFS, presents the reasoning behind the importance
of community collaboration in furthering sustainable agricultural
systems, and, based on experience from the 18 IFS projects
throughout the USA, presents seven essential ingredients
of successful community collaboration. The paper concludes
with a set of questions about whether the lessons learned
from 18 projects based in the USA have applicability to sustainable
agriculture efforts in other countries and cultures.
The Role of the Church in Community Economic Development
- 2 Case Studies (1992)
by Theartrice Williams and B. Bakama
Case 1: Lawndale Community Church
The role of the church in community development has recently received renewed interest among scholars of American inner cities. There is a growing recognition that inner city churches can play a leading role in motivating the residents of underclass areas to better themselves and their communities.
In general, blacks express a higher degree of religiosity than whites. Churches play a central role in the philanthropic activity of blacks. Lawndale Community Church (LCC) is an exception to this theory. It was founded and is run by a white pastor in a black neighborhood. Pastor Wayne Gordon has led Lawndale Community Church for 16 years. He believes that the church should attempt to reach and serve the community, and that churches in poverty stricken areas should provide the sense of community that has been lost amid the other abandonment. Unfortunately, this does not always happen.
This case study examines: What can the church do to help the poor? What has this institution achieved, or failed to achieve, for poor neighborhoods in American cities? What role should the inner city church play in community redevelopment?
Case 2: Linwood Shopping Center
The Linwood Shopping Center in Kansas City, Missouri is a
community economic development project that is the result
of collaboration between the Black Baptist Ministers'
Union of Kansas City (BMU-K),
and the Community Development Corporation of Kansas City
(CDC-KC). The BMU-KC is an organization that has
been involved in community development since it was founded
in the 1920s. It has a membership ranging from
30 to 50 congregations.
The main objective of the Linwood Shopping Center project was to revitalize central city neighborhoods, increase community self-sufficiency by creating new jobs, and provide additional tax revenues for the area. At the same time, inner city neighborhoods were in need of a place where residents could shop without having to travel 5 or 10 miles, that could offer lower prices than the small neighborhood stores.
This case study evaluated the effectiveness of the Linwood Shopping Center development in meeting project goals. Has the Linwood Shopping Center provided the self-reliance through job creation that was sought? Has it provided an additional tax base? How is it rated as a shopping facility? Is it close enough to the population it was intended to serve?
There is No Youth Program Here (1998)
by Becky Swanson Kroll and Vanessa McKendall
In the
spring of 1997, staff from Do Something approached
Rainbow Research about assisting in the development of what
came to be called “learning stories.” At that time Do
Something already had an impressive array of direct
contacts with community builders from all across the country
through its existing, multifaceted work. Founded in 1993,
the overarching goal of Do Something has been to
“build healthy communities.” To achieve this, it seeks to
“inspire young people to believe that change is possible,”
and to support them in their local efforts to foster progressive
change.
Thus, in addition to partnering with local communities to operate local Do Something Funds, the national office also conducts a variety of other programs to support the country's young leaders (defined as being under 30 years old). These have included their Brick Awards for Community Leadership, which honor 10 outstanding young leaders each year; Do Something Grants of up to $500 ( there have been more than 250); and BUILD magazine.
Over the course of 1997 year, Do Something has undertaken an extensive four-part research initiative, funded by Pew Charitable Trusts, that seeks to identify what young people and the organizations they work through are already doing, and what they need to do, in order to strengthen their communities. This case study – of the Banana Kelly Community Improvement Association (BKCIA), located in the South Bronx, New York City, New York – is part of that ongoing research agenda.
Venture Capital and Job Strategies for the Black Community
(1987)
by Theartrice Williams, Vincent Delusia, and Jack Whitehurst
The
political realities of the 1980s have made it clear that low-income
minority communities can no longer rely on government sponsorship
of, and public subsidies for, programs to meet their growing
social and economic needs. Approaches
to community problem-solving have shifted from a welfare
state to a more entrepreneurial strategy. This report
explore these issues.
What is a Disadvantaged Group? (1997)
by Steven E. Mayer
This paper offers a framework
for describing "disadvantaged" in
ways that provide valuable context for grantmakers, policy makers
and program developers. It succinctly, yet comprehensively, explores
alternative definitions of being "disadvantaged." Mayer
lays out six barriers to self-sufficiency, while simultaneously
offering methods for removal of these identified barriers.