Building the Organizations That Build Communities
(2004, 301p.)
Strengthening the Capacity of Faith- and Community-Based
Development Organizations
PD&R’s new publication Building the Organizations
that Build Communities: Strengthening the Capacity of Faith-
and Community-Based Development Organizations gathers
papers that address the key issues in expanding the capacity
of Faith-Based and Community Organizations. Building the
Organizations that Build Communities is not intended
to be exhaustive, rather this volume documents current thinking
on the issue of capacity and a clearer view of the research
gaps facing faith-based and community development organizations.
The 17 papers are divided into four sections, briefly described
below.
- Defining the
Issues: This section provides a historical overview
of faith-based and community development as well as related
capacity issues and the role of intermediaries. The capacity
building concerns related to faith-based community organization
are similar to those of secular community organizations.
- Current Research
on Building the Capacity of Community Development Organizations:
This section includes six papers related to specific issues
in capacity building including: the role of employee benefits;
long-term organizational capacity; leadership development;
and lessons learned from failed CDCs (community development
corporations).
- Training and
Capacity: This section includes papers related to training
CDC workers including: developing leaders; urban ministry
training; and broad education and training issues.
- The Role of
Performance Measures in Expanding Capacity: This section
includes two papers on the role of performance measures
including: issues and concerns regarding performance standards
and implementing an outcome measure system focused on self-defined
goals.
The compendium is an excellent primer on building the capacity
of faith- and community-based organizations to be successful
agents of change in their communities. It will be useful to:
community development agencies, foundations and intermediaries,
as they consider how best to support community development
organizations (both faith-based and secular); researchers,
as they consider what research and demonstration programs
will enhance the knowledge base of improving the performance
of faith-based and community CDC’s; students
of community development/urban ministry, as they
grapple with important issues early in their career; and directors
of faith-based and community organizations, who may
be seeking insights on how to sustain their organizations
and improve their own efforts in communities.
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