What is the Community ToolBox?

The Community Tool Box has been created by YouthLead sponsor, The CommunityToolBox, a service of the Center for Community Health and Development at the University of Kansas. Several of their resources have been reposted on YouthLead.org with their permission.

Below you can find the links to the complete set of tools.

Background.

Our mission is to promote community health and development by connecting people, ideas, and resources.

We began this work in 1994, focused on developing practical information for community building that both professionals and ordinary citizens could use in everyday practice -- for example, leadership skills, program evaluation, and writing a grant application. The emphasis was on these core competencies of community building, transcending more categorical issues and concerns, such as promoting child health, reducing violence, or creating job opportunities.

We developed a broad and evolving Table of Contents and started writing, one section at a time. Today, there are more than 340 sections online and more than 7,000 pages of text -- available in English, Spanish, and partially in Arabic and Farsi.

Audience.

The audiences for this site include:

  • People doing the work of community change and improvement (community leaders and members)
  • People supporting it (intermediary organizations such as public agencies or university-based centers)
  • People funding it (governmental institutions, foundations, and others).

Below you can find the 46 Chapters through which you can obtain practical, step-by-step guidance in community-building skills. See also the related Toolkits, which offer short outlines for key tasks.

Overview

An overview of the Community Tool Box and frameworks for guiding, supporting and evaluating the work of community and system change.

Chapters

Related Toolkits

Community Assessment

Information about how to assess community needs and resources, get issues on the public agenda, and choose relevant strategies.

Chapters

Related Toolkits

Communications to Promote Interest and Participation

Communications that promote interest and encourage involvement.

Chapters

Related Toolkits

Developing a Strategic Plan and Organizational Structure

Information about developing a strategic plan and organizational structure, recruiting and training staff and volunteers, and providing technical assistance.

Chapters

Related Toolkits

Leadership and Management

Information about the core functions of leadership, management, and group facilitation.

Chapters

Related Toolkits

Analyzing Community Problems and Designing and Adapting Community Interventions

Information about analyzing community problems to design, choose, and adapt interventions for different cultures and communities.

Chapters

Related Toolkits

Implementing Promising Community Interventions

Information on illustrative interventions using various strategies for change.

Chapters

Related Toolkits

Cultural Competence and Spirituality in Community Building

Information on understanding culture and diversity, how to strengthen multicultural collaboration, and spirituality and community building

Chapters

Related Toolkits

Organizing for Effective Advocacy

Information on advocacy principles, advocacy research, providing education, direct action campaigns, media advocacy, and responding to opposition.

Chapters

Related Toolkits

Evaluating Community Programs and Initiatives

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

Chapters

Related Toolkits

Maintaining Quality and Rewarding Accomplishments

Information on achieving and maintaining quality performance, public reporting, providing incentives, and honoring colleagues and community champions.

Chapters

Generating, Managing, and Sustaining Financial Resources

Information on writing grants, preparing an annual budget, and planning for financial sustainability.

Chapters

Related Toolkits

Social Marketing and Sustainability of the Initiative

Information on conducting a social marketing effort (promoting awareness, interest, and behavior change), and planning for long-term sustainability.

Chapters

Related Toolkits

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