Capacity Inventory samples

in Asset-Based Community Development

Source: Discovering Community Power: A Guide to Mobilizing Local Assets and Your Organization’s Capacity | The Habitat Exchange.

A. From Greyrock Commons Co-Housing Community

GIFTS I CAN GIVE MY COMMUNITY

  • GIFTS OF THE HEAD
    Things I know something about and would enjoy talking about with others, e.g., art, history, movies, birds.
  • GIFTS OF THE HANDS
    Things or skills I know how to do and would like to share with others, e.g., carpentry, sports, gardening, cooking.
  • GIFTS OF THE HEART
    Things I care deeply about, e.g., protection of the environment, civic life, children.

capacity inventory

B. From the New Prospect Baptist Church

GIFTS

Gifts are abilities that we are born with. We may develop them, but no one has to teach them to us.

1. What positive qualities do people say you have?

2 Who are the people in your life that you give to? How did you give it to them?

3. When was the last time you shared with someone else? What was it?

4. What do you give that makes you feel good?

SKILLS

Sometimes we have talents that we’ve acquired in everyday life such as cooking and fixing things.

1. What do you enjoy doing?

2. If you could start a business, what would it be?

3. What do you like to do that people would pay you to do?

4. Have you ever made anything? Have you ever fixed anything?

DREAMS

Goals you hope to accomplish.

1. What are your dreams?

2. If you could snap your fingers and be doing anything, what would it be?

Discovering Community Power: A Guide to Mobilizing Local Assets and Your Organization’s Capacity

in Asset-Based Community Development

Discovering Community Power: A Guide to Mobilizing Local Assets and Your Organization’s Capacity (2005) is a workbook developed by the Asset Based Community Development Institute which aims to strengthen community-based projects by enhancing both project design and proposal preparation. Based on the premise that “your community’s assets plus your organization’s assets produces strong community-based projects,” the workbook guides reflection on a proposed project’s relationship to community assets and helps connect the two sets of assets within a particular project. Key tools include an illustration of community and organizational asset-mapping as well as illustration of a typical “power ladder” depicting community decision-making. Discovering Community Power will be of interest to organizations seeking to develop projects in partnership with its local community.

In Section One of this manual, we will introduce a series of questions designed to guide your reflections about a proposal’s relationships to five categories of community assets. These include:

  1. Local residents – their skills, experiences, passions, capacities and willingness to contribute to the project. Special attention is paid to residents who are sometimes “marginalized”.
  2. Local voluntary associations, clubs, and networks – e.g., all of the athletic, cultural, social, faith-based, etc. groups powered by volunteer members – which might contribute to the project.
  3. Local institutions- e.g. public institutions such as schools, libraries, parks, police stations, etc., along with local businesses and non-profits – which might contribute to the project.
  4. Physical assets – e.g. the land, the buildings, the infrastructure, transportation, etc. which might contribute to the project.
  5. Economic assets – e.g. what people produce and consume, businesses, informal economic exchanges, barter relationships, etc.

In Section Two, we will provide questions to guide you in asking about your own organization’s wide range of assets, and their relationship to the proposed project.

In Section Three, you will find additional tools and illustrations to help you connect your proposal and your organization with community assets.

In Section Four, you will find information about the ABCD Institute.

via Discovering Community Power: A Guide to Mobilizing Local Assets and Your Organization’s Capacity | The Habitat Exchange.

See also: Capacity Inventory samples