The Office of Community Development at William Byrd assists individuals, groups, communities and the nonprofit community in developing the skills and power to improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods and communities. We accomplish this task through technical assistance, training and consulting. Staff are available to provide individual consulting on capacity building, community development, collaboration, building coalitions, community assessment and asset development. The ultimate goal for this office is to build the capacity of WBCH and the nonprofit community through collaboration and a coordinated effort.
Research & Development
- Consulting and collaboration on community surveys and data collection
- Collaborate with partner agencies to work on research that supports social and economic change in the greater community
- Focuses on building the capacity of our programs through internal research on best practices and evaluation for program outcomes. Our staff focuses on:
- What is the best practice in the specified area?
- What curriculum is being used within the agency and is it still appropriate for the needs of our clients?
- What outcomes can we realistically expect from our programs?
- Are we getting to our outcomes? If yes, what are our successes? If no, what are our barriers and challenges and how do we acknowledge them and if possible, overcome them?
- How are our program outcomes tied to accomplishing our mission?
- What impact are we making to the people who have come to us for programs or assistance?
Evaluation & Outcomes
- Internal evaluation of programs and outcomes
- 40 developmental assets
- overall monitoring of agency outcomes
- Community assessment
- Needs assessment
- Asset mapping
The Capacity Building Initiative
- Serving as an intermediary for nonprofit organizations in the Greater Richmond Metro Area
- Training and technical assistance to organizations in collaboration with community partners
- Promoting social betterment through a collaborative effort of service delivery, program coordination and empowering organizations
- Providing information to other organizations about what assets are in our community and why they are important
- Balancing assets and needs in the community to identify gaps of service and coordinate a response
- Asset mapping of communities, boards, organizations, businesses etc. to identify gaps in service or areas that need technical assistance or training
- Building the asset message among service organizations and funders to create common language - assets exits but we focus on the need; leverage the two to fill in the gaps and organizations are more effective
- Providing training and technical assistance in the areas of board development, fund development, volunteer recruitment and management, program development, outcomes and evaluation, and community engagement.
William Byrd Community House brings Asset Based Community Development and the 40 Developmental Assets Training to Richmond!
William Byrd Community House (WBCH) creates pathways to success for individuals, families, nonprofit organizations and our community. As a recognized intermediary in the Greater Richmond Metro Area, WBCH has launched training in two internationally recognized areas of community development and capacity building:
Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) and the 40 Developmental Assets. Both trainings bring the concept of looking at the assets we encounter every day as part of the solution to the many needs evident in our communities. Both trainings are targeted at introducing or reinforcing the assets we have and as a method to change the way everyone thinks about the problems facing our community.
ABCD Training
Most communities address social and economic problems with only a small amount of their total capacity. Much community capacity is not used and is needed! This is the challenge and opportunity of community engagement. Everyone in a community has something to offer. There is no one we don't need. Asset-based community development (ABCD) is a strategy used to discover a community's capacities and assets and to mobilize those assets for community improvement developed by John McKnight & John (Jody) Kretzmann.
The ABCD process focuses on the strengths of a community and how to bring those strengths to bear in community improvement activities. For example, a typical needs assessment may ask, "What is the problem?" In contrast, ABCD work asks, "How can our community assemble its strengths into new combinations, new structures of opportunity, new sources of income and control, and new possibilities?" Each community boasts a unique combination of assets upon which to build its future. One can discover in every community a vast and often surprising array of individual talents and productive skills, few of which are being mobilized for community-building purposes.
ABCD training is a two-day conversation about how each of us can make a difference in our communities at various levels. Participants spend time learning about the concept of Asset Based Community Development and applying the knowledge obtained in our conversations. At the end of the training, participants will leave with the tools to engage in community development in
40 Developmental Assets Training
Search Institute's 40 Developmental Assets® are concrete, common sense, positive experiences and qualities essential to raising successful young people. These assets have the power during critical adolescent years to influence choices young people make and help them become caring, responsible adults.
Adults and youth--in big and small ways--can help increase Developmental Assets in the daily lives of young people. What's needed is an understanding of what actions and behaviors breed success, willingness and ideas to apply that knowledge, and most importantly, a desire to see young people grow up happy, healthy, and confident.
"Asset-building"--the Institute's term for purposefully helping youth experience more assets in their lives--is happening in hundreds of communities by thousands of people across North America. Youth and adults-in big cities and small towns-- understand in growing numbers the awesome power they have in making positive and lasting impact on the lives of young people. Individually and together, they are actively engaged in the movement to grow healthy communities and healthy youth.
The good news is that everyone can build assets. It's not just the responsibility of families, schools, social service agencies, or other institutions-though they all have important roles. Whether you are a grandparent, a neighbor, or a bus driver, you can start building assets today with the young people who live in your community.
