Coady Publications
ABCD Forum
Resources
Organizations

Coady Publications

• An asset-based approach to community development: A manual for village organizers. (n.d.). Coady Institute. (3.43 Mb pdf)
• Coady Institute. (2012). Indigenous Women in Community Leadership case studies. Publications and videos available.
• Coady Institute. (2013). ‘If change should come, we should bring it’: Stories of citizen-led development in Haiti. (2.23 Mb pdf)
  • CLE Haiti. (2013). CLE LaMontay: Rural youth leadership case study: La Montay [Video]. Youtube. (6:33 min.)
  • CLE Haiti. (2013). CLE women’s rural leadership case study: KOFAR [Video]. Youtube. (5:18 min.)
  • CLE Haiti. (2013). CLE collaborative community and local government leadership case study: San Yago [Video]. Youtube. (5:04 min.)
  • CLE Haiti. (2014). CLE urban youth leadership case study: Soley Lévé [Video]. Youtube. (5:27 min.)
  • CLE Haiti. (2013). CLE rural community leadership case study: Bailly [Video]. Youtube. (5:18 min.)
• Coady Institute. (2015). Producer-led value chain analysis: The missing link in value chain development: a facilitator’s guide (Innovation series no. 1b). Coady Institute. (2.53 Mb pdf)
• Coady Institute. (2016). By their own hands [Video]. (21:56 min.)
• Coady Institute. (2020, April 21). A Coady conversation with Karri-Lynn: Indigenous women in community leadership [Video]. Youtube. (7:11 min.)
• Coady Institute. (2020). Putting smallholder producers at the center of the value chain.
• Coady Institute. (2020). Stories of ABCD.
• Cunningham, G. (2005). The Jambi Kiwa story: Mobilizing assets for community development. Coady Institute. (9.54 Mb pdf)
• Cunningham, G. (2010). Community economic literacy and the “leaky bucket” (Occasional paper no. 9). Coady Institute. (1.85 Mb pdf)
  • Digital Leaky Bucket, the online version of the tool is available for download.
• Cunningham, G. & Fiander, K. (2009). By their own hands: 200 years of building community in St. Andrews, Nova Scotia (Occasional paper no. 7). Coady Institute. (504K pdf)
• El Hadidy, W., Mathie, A., Cunningham, G., Said, L. & Foster, M. (2005). Asset-based development: Success stories from Egyptian communities: a manual for practitioners. Center for Development Services. (720K pdf)
• Ghore, Y. (2015). Producer-led value chain analysis: The missing link in value chain development: a tool for effective engagement of small producers. Coady Institute. (1.72 Mb pdf)
• Landry, J., & Peters, B. (2018). Assets on the right(s) track? Reflections at the intersection of human rights-based approaches and asset-based and citizen-led development (Innovation series no. 19). Coady Institute. (1.92 Mb pdf)
• MacDonald, J. (2006). Village development committees for representative and responsive rural governance: Case studies from the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) Jeevika Livelihood Project (Occasional paper no. 6). Coady Institute. (727K pdf)
• Mahomed, H. & Peters, B. (2011). The story behind the well: A case study of successful community development in Makutano, Kenya. Global Fund for Community Foundations. (1.81 Mb pdf)
• Mathie, A. (2006, June). Does ABCD deliver on social justice? Panel discussion for the International Association of Community Development, CIVICUS conference, Glasgow. (259K pdf)
• Mathie, A., Cameron, J., & Gibson, K. (2017). Asset-based and citizen-led development: Using a diffracted power lens to analyze the possibilities and challenges. Progress in Development Studies, 17(1), 54-66. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464993416674302 (StFX only)
• Mathie, A. & Cunningham, G. (2002). From clients to citizens: Asset-based community development as a strategy for community driven development (Occasional paper no. 4). Coady Institute. (576K pdf)
• Mathie, A. & Cunningham, G. (2003). From clients to citizens: Asset-based community development as a strategy for community-driven development. Development in Practice, 13(5), 474-486. https://doi.org/10.1080/0961452032000125857 (StFX only)
• Mathie, A. & Cunningham, G. (2005). Who is driving development? Reflections on the transformative potential of asset-based community development (Occasional paper no. 5). Coady Institute. (503K pdf)
• Participatory monitoring and evaluation: A manual for village organizers. (2005). Coady Institute. (3.41 Mb pdf)
• Peters, B. (2014).  Investing in community-driven development: The case of the Woodford library. Coady Institute. (1.96 Mb pdf)
• Peters, B., Gonsamo, M., Molla, S., & Mathie, A. (2009). Applying an asset-based community development approach in Ethiopia: Mid-term evaluation report summary. Coady Institute. (4.37 Mb pdf)
• Peters, B., Gonsamo, M. & Molla, S. (2011). Capturing unpredictable and intangible change: Evaluating an asset-based community development (ABCD) approach in Ethiopia (Occasional paper no. 10). Coady Institute. (8.51 Mb pdf)

Readings and presentations from the forum: “From Clients to Citizens: Deepening the Practice of Asset-Based and Citizen-Led Development,” hosted by the Coady International Institute and co-sponsored by the ABCD Institute, July 7-10, 2009.

• Cunningham, G. (2009). Lessons learned from case studies in From clients to citizens: Communities changing the course of their own development. (23K pdf) Video: Part 1, Part 2
• Fernandez, A. (2009). From clients to clients to citizens. (88K pdf) Video: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.
• Kenyon, P. (2009). ABCD: Some lessons from down under. (13 Mb pdf) Video: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
• Kretzmann, J. (2009). The deepening of ABCD geographically, individually and institutionally. (45K pdf) Video: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.
• Mathie, A. & Puntenney, D. (Eds.). (2009). From clients to citizens: Deepening the practice of asset-based and citizen-led development: conversations from the ABCD forum, July 8-10, 2009. Coady International Institute. (1.19 Mb pdf)
• McKnight, J. (2009). Reflections on 40 years of asset-based community development. (23K pdf) Video: Part 1, Part 2.

Government and Donor Perspectives on ABCD

• Beatriz Battistella Nadas, City Hall of Curitiba, Health Secretariat, Brazil, (2009). Video
• Tim Brodhead, McConnell Foundation, Canada, (2009). Video
• Tom Dewar, Aspen Institute, USA, (2009). Video
• Jim Diers, City of Seattle, USA, (2009). Video: Part 1, Part 2, and Presentation. (8.36 Mb pdf)
• Janis Foster, Grassroots Grantmakers, USA, (2009). Video: Part 1, Part 2.
• Katherine Gibson, Centre for Citizenship and Public Policy, University of Western Sydney, Australia, (2009). Video
• Andy Gordon, University of Washington, USA, (2009). Video
• Sebastian Mathews, Greater Rustenburg Foundation, South Africa, (2009). Video: Part 1, Part 2, and Presentation. (349K pdf)
• Anselmo Mercado, South East Asia Rural Social Leadership Institute (SEARSOLIN), Philippines, (2009). Video

Global Political Openings for ABCD

• Chris Bryant, Nova Scotia Department of Economic and Rural Development, Canada, (2009). Video: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
• Brian Hanson, Buffett Center for International and Comparative Studies, Northwestern University, USA, (2009). Video: Part 1, Part 2.
• Naresh Singh, Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Canada, (2009). Video: Part 1, Part 2.
• Dang Kim Son, Institute of Policy and Strategy of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam, (2009). Video

Other Presentations from the Forum

• Duncan, D. (2009). The ABCD model: How to unlock gifts in a community and organization [Powerpoint presentation]. (474K pdf)
• Guri, B. (2009). COMPAS Africa: Comparing and supporting endogenous development [Powerpoint presentation]. (1.73 Mb pdf)
• Guri, B. (2009). Development from the inside out: The case of the Tanchara project in northern Ghana. (32K pdf)
• Macoloo, C. (2009). Mobilizing assets for self development: From merry-go-rounds to savings and credit organizations. (34K pdf)
• Patkar, S. (2009). Appreciative inquiry with organisations of the poor [Powerpoint presentation]. (446K pdf)
• Patkar, S. (2009). Reflections on appreciative inquiry [Powerpoint presentation]. (50K pdf)
• Vinh, N. D. (2009). Rural Community Development Center [Powerpoint presentation]. (1 Mb pdf)

ABCD and Community Driven Development Resources

• The ABCD Institute has a large volume of publications available for download including, manuals, training guides, workbooks, presentations and publications by topic.
• ABCD Institute’s John L. McKnight offers publications, videos, training and a blog free for download.
• Bergdall, T. (2012). Facilitating asset based community development. (195K pdf)
• Diacon, D., & Guimaraes, S. (2003). Agents rather than patients: Realizing the potential for asset-based community development. Building and Social Housing Foundation. (388K pdf)
• Kretzmann, J. P., & Rans, S. (2005). The engaged library: Chicago stories of community building. Urban Libraries Council. (1.51 Mb pdf)
• Nurture Development. (2018). Asset based community development (ABCD).
• Stuart, G. (2016, April 11). A reading list on ABCD (over 100 resources). Sustaining Community.
• Stuart, G. (2016, August 23). Seven principles for a strengths-based approach to working with groups. Sustaining Community.

Appreciative Inquiry

• Appreciative Inquiry Commons contains resources and practical tools on Appreciative Inquiry and the discipline of positive change.
• Appreciative interviews (AI): Discovering and building on the root causes of success. (n.d.). Liberating Structures.
• Ashford, G. & Patkar, S. (2001). The positive path: Using appreciative inquiry in rural Indian communities. IISD.
• Martinez, H. (2017, February 12). Appreciative inquiry: The integration of visuals and appreciative inquiry for organizational change. (9.43 Mb pdf)
• McNamara, C. (n.d.). Appreciative Inquiry. Free Management Library.
• Peace Corps. (2003). Module 2: Empowering people and strengthening organizations through asset-based approaches. Peace Corps. (340K pdf)

Capacity Building

• Community Tool Box provides step-by-step guidance in community-building skills.
• INTRAC (International NGO Training and Research Centre)
• Kaplan, A. (2000). Capacity building: Shifting the paradigms of practice. Development in Practice, 10(3-4), 517-526. (StFX only)
• Lifequest2010. (2010). Building belonging, session 1, part A [Video]. Youtube. (6:36 min.)
• Organisation and capacity building publications from International NGO Training and Research Centre (INTRAC).

Participatory Development and Methodologies

• Cornwall, A. (2003). Whose voices? Whose choices? Reflections on gender and participatory development. World Development, 31(8), 1325-1342. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0305-750X(03)00086-X (StFX only)
• Cornwall, A. & Gaventa, J. (2000). From users and choosers to makers and shapers: Repositioning participation in social policy. IDS Bulletin, 31(4), 50-62.
• Corrigan, C. (2016). The chaordic stepping stones: A planning tool for designing participatory processes. (481K pdf)
• International Institute of Rural Reconstruction. (1998). Participatory methods in community-based coastal resource management. IIRR.
• McNeely, J., Aiyetoro, S. & Bowsher, P. (1999). The paths to leadership in community change: A review of leadership development models in the Rebuilding Communities Initiative. The Annie E. Casey Foundation.
• Uphoff, N. (1998). Learning about and for participation: From theoretical and empirical studies to practical experience, and back to theory. Canadian Journal of Development Studies, 19(3), 439-460. https://doi.org/10.1080/02255189.1998.9669764 (StFX only)

Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation

• Davies, R. & Dart, J. (2005). The ‘most significant change’ (MSC) technique: A guide to its use. (1.23 Mb pdf)
• Guijt, I. & Gaventa, J. (1998). Participatory monitoring & evaluation: Learning from change (Policy briefing no. 12). IDS. (138K pdf)

Tools And Methods For ABCD

• ABCD Institute. (2020). Tool kit.  A collection of tools from ABCD faculty members, individuals and organizations that embody the principles of ABCD in their work.
• Barefoot Collective. (2009). The barefoot guide to working with organisations and social change. Book is available for download in several languages.
• Brooks, D., & Dunscombe, M. (2020). Participatory community building guidebook: Building community capacity. Jeder Institute.
• Compendium of methods and tools for ABCD facilitation. (2012). Compiled by B. Peters. (4.25 Mb pdf)
  This document was compiled out of an ABCD Training of Trainers course offered by the Gordon Institute of Business Science (South Africa) and Coady Institute.
• The Constellation. (2020). The Community Life Competence Process (CLCP) and SALT.
• Design for the Commons. (2020). Design for the commons: A toolkit for beautifully intelligent neighborhoods (1st ed.).
• Duncan, D. (n.d.). ABCD toolkit: Community building principles and action steps. H. Daniels Consulting. (455K pdf)
• Duncan, D. (n.d.). ABCD toolkit: Three questions for effective strategy development. H. Daniels Consulting. (458K pdf)
• Fuchs, L. E., Kipkorir, L., Apondi, V. A., & Orero, L. (2020). ABCD at a glance: The approach, process and tools. World Agroforestry.
• Fuchs, L. E., Kipkorir, L., Apondi, V. A., & Orero, L. (2020). Facilitating an asset-based community-driven (ABCD) approach for holistic community development: A manual for community organising. World Agroforestry.
• Green, M. (n.d.). ABCD into action. ABCD Institute. (289K pdf)
• Jeder Institute. (2020). Category archives: Tools.
• Russell, C. (n.d.). Asset-based community development: At a glance. Vibrant Communities & Tamarack Institute. (376K pdf)

ABCD Videos

• As You Open Your Eyes provides six short films presenting different stories of community change.
  • Waste time: Saparua Island, Indonesia features a group of community members who come together to find creative solutions to reduce, reuse and process waste.
  • The match of our lives: Poste Lafayette, Mauritius: Life is not easy for the people in Poste Lafayette. Alcoholism, drug abuse and violence are present and children are often not safe. This film explores a path away from these dangers.
  • Dancing jajas: Entebbe, Uganda: The jajas, the older persons, have adopted a process that puts ownership of issues and solutions in their hands and helps them to realise their strengths and respond to concerns. Older persons contribute to their own wellbeing and that of their community.
  • Dare: Arviere en Valromey, France: Eco-friendly housing.
• Collins, C. (2014, October 16). ABCD animation [Video]. Youtube. (5:30 min.)
• Hearts & Hands – L’Arche Antigonish. (2017, January 18). What is Hearts & Hands? [Video]. Youtube. (5:18 min.)
• Herding Together. (2020, August 31). How to organise a neighbourhood get together [Video]. Youtube. (2:32 min.)
• Herding Together. (2020, September 15). Asset mapping: What is it? [Video]. Youtube. (4:09 min.)
• Herding Together. (2020, September 21). Joe’s story – learning conversations [Video]. Youtube. (2:32 min.)
• Jeder Institute. (2020, April 22). ABCD organisational mapping tools with Michelle Dunscombe 17 Apr 2020 [Video]. Youtube. (18:00 min.)
• Jeder Institute. (2020). Co-creating our Future Stories of Hope & Action (un)Conference [Playlist]. Youtube.
• L’Arche International. (n.d.). Web series #AsIAm [Playlist]. Youtube.
• Stuart, G. (2013, February 26). ABCD in Ethiopia. Sustaining Community.
• Stuart, G. (2013, March 14). Asset-based community-driven development in Ethiopia. Sustaining Community.
• World Agroforestry. (2017, March 26). Trees on farms: Transforming lives through sustainable agriculture [Video]. Youtube. (10:29 min.)
• World Agroforestry. (2017, March 26). Women in agroforestry for improved livelihoods [Video]. Youtube. (8:32 min.)
• World Agroforestry. (2017, March 26). Youth empowerment through agroforestry [Video]. Youtube. (12:26 min.)
• World Agroforestry. (2017, August 27). Accelerating adoption of agroforestry in western Kenya [Video]. Youtube. (7:07 min.)
• Write This Down. (n.d.). From clients to citizens: Learning from ABCD in Ethiopia [Video]. Vimeo.

Additional Resources

• ABCD Institute’s John L. McKnight offers publications, videos, training and a blog free for download.
• Bank of Ideas. (n.d.). 137 community projects that build social capital. (110K pdf)
• Bank of Ideas. (n.d.). 158 things I can do to build social capital in my community. (86K pdf)
• Bank of Ideas. (n.d.). 50 phrases to kill ideas and stifle creative thinking. Reprinted from Management SA, (1995). (42K pdf)
• Bank of Ideas. (2010). 10 key community development beliefs. (54K pdf)
• Brocklesby, M. A. & Fisher, E. (2003). Community development in sustainable livelihoods approaches: An introduction. Community Development Journal, 38(3), 185-198. https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/38.3.185 (StFX only)
• Brodhead, T. (2011). Reflections on philanthropy and society: The speeches of Tim Brodhead. The J. W. McConnell Family Foundation.
• Duncan, D. (2016). The components of effective collective impact. Clear Impact. (1.38 Mb pdf)
• GroupMap. (2020). SOAR analysis. A strategic planning technique which helps organizations focus on their strengths and opportunities, and create a vision of future aspirations and the result they will bring.
• IDS Bulletin, open access journal published by the Institute of Development Studies.
• Inspiring Communities. (n.d.). The quadrants of change framework.
• MacAulay, S. (2001). The community economic development tradition in eastern Nova Scotia, Canada: Ideological continuities and discontinuities between the Antigonish Movement and the family of community development corporation. Community Development Journal, 36(2), 111-121. https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/36.2.111 (StFX only)
• MacLeod, M. A., & Emejulu, A. (2014). Neoliberalism with a community face? A critical analysis of asset-based community development in Scotland. Journal of Community Practice, 22(4), 430-450. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705422.2014.959147 (StFX only)
• The NGO Café, contains resources for managing an NGO.
• Powercube.net is a project led by John Gaventa and Jethro Pettit. It is coordinated by IDS.
• Russell, C. (2016, October 5). Neoliberalism with a community face?: A critical analysis of asset-based community development in Scotland?. Nurture Development.

Organizations

• 4-H empowers young people with the skills to lead through hands-on learning.
• ABCD in Action is a global community where we can explore together how to apply the principles and practices of ABCD.
• L’Arche International creates communities with a culture of shared lives between people with and without intellectual disabilities, working together to build a more human society.
• Aspen Institute distills lessons about how to revitalize neighborhoods and helps develop strategies for promoting vibrant, racially-equitable communities.
• Bank of IDEAS, initiatives for the development of enterprising actions and strategies.
• CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen participation.
• Community Assets for Education (CAFÉ) Institute is an Alberta-based, charitable non-profit society. Our work helps communities connect in support of learning.
• Good News Network provides an alternative to the barrage of negativity experienced in the mainstream media.
• Holistic Management International, works for land management and renewal practices.
• Ikhala Trust supports community-led initiatives in the Eastern Cape of South Africa by building relationships, enhancing capacity and facilitating access to funds.
• Inspiring Communities grows the understanding and practice of community-led development and promotes the difference it makes in Aotearoa, NZ.
• Institute for Development Studies (IDS) is a leading global charity for international development research, teaching and communications.
• International Association for Community Development (IACD) is a network of practitioners and activists working towards social justice through community development approaches.
• International Development Enterprises (IDE), a non-profit organization concerned with rural poverty in the world’s least developed countries.
• International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
• International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) is a policy research organization working at the interface between development and environment.
• International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) champions sustainable development around the world through innovation, partnerships, research and communications.
• Jeder Institute creates positive change for individuals and communities by bringing people together to realize their full potential, build on their existing networks and community strengths and to empower individual’s choice and control.
• Just Us! Coffee Roasters Co-op
• Kabarole Research and Resource Centre is a Ugandan organization with a commitment to understanding the measures and drivers of poverty and its solutions.
• New Economics Foundation (NEF) inspires and demonstrates real economic well-being.
• Nurture Development supports communities to reduce institutionalization and increase interdependency in community life.
• Organization Development Network (ODNet), an international association whose members practice organization development as an applied behavioural science.
• Oxfam Canada tackles the root causes of poverty and inequity and helps people to create self-reliant and sustainable communities.
• PLAN Institute for Caring Citizenship provides training, consultation and research related to leadership development, social enterprise, citizenship and social innovation to the citizen and public sectors.
• Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) is both an organization and a movement. It organizes women workers for employment and strengthens women’s leadership, capacity building, bargaining power and representation in policy and decision-making.
• Synergos Institute addresses poverty and social injustice by supporting leaders so they can change the systems that keep people in poverty.
• Tamarack Institute is a connected force for community change.