ASSET-MAPPINGBuilding on Community Resources

July 20, 2010

What is Asset Mapping?

Capacity

Skills

Relationships

Resources

A method to identify and assess community resources that have the potential to help further community or organizational goals.

Where Asset Mapping Begins

Ask “what are our current strengths and what can we

build on?”

Not “what are our deficits and what

do we need?”

Asset Mapping Helps Discover and Coordinate Resources

• Relationships• skills• knowledge• political connections• space• materials• access to key

stakeholders

What are Assets?

• Private, public and nonprofit organizations

• community leaders• physical structures• businesses• citizen groups and

associations• unions• foundations

Where can they be found?

WHAT DOES ASSET MAPPING ACCOMPLISH?

• Lays a foundation for strong program planning • Deepens understanding of systems and linkages • Catalyzes partnerships • Organizes and motivates

Strengthens your fundraising efforts by building…• strategic partnerships and alliances• robust programs that effectively leverage assets and understand needs

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WHERE TO BEGIN?

What are our goals?

What do we need to know to

accomplish them?

What “community” are we mapping?

Who are our stakeholders?

What assets are we looking for and

how will we find them?

What type of map do we need?

Ask Yourselves…

PROJECT EXAMPLE: BUILDING A REGION’S MANUFACTURING SECTOR

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Identify industry need – jobs? Skills?

Source:employers,econ. dev. Agencies

Methods: interviews, web research

Assess current alignment of WFD resources with need

Source: provider, school system and employers

Method: interviews, focus groups

Identify WFD resources

Source:Funder websitesCity/state inventories

Method: web researchsome interviews

Identify opportunities to create greater alignment

Source and Method:same

Career Ladder Development Plan to Support Growth of Manufacturing Sector

DEPTHS OF INQUIRY*

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Asset Identification

• Identify inventories• Secondary, web-based

research:state and local public agencies (education, community planning, economic development); business, educational or nonprofit Associations (e.g. Chambers of Commerce)

Basic Evaluation

• Assess relative value of each asset (e.g. capacity, effectiveness)

• Mainly secondary research and some primary research (surveys, interviews)

Comprehensive Assessment

• Identify assets most worth leveraging

• Identify relationships between assets

• Mainly primary research (surveys, interviews)

*Department of Labor

SOURCES FOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ASSET MAPPING

Websites:• Local public school systems • City and regional agencies – planning, adult education and training,

economic development • State agencies -- economic development, workforce development,

secondary and post-secondary education• US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics; US Census• Chambers of Commerce, Industry Associations• Local, regional and state foundationsInterviews with employers, providers, local public and private funders for:• perspective on an assets’ relevance, value• capacity information• additional leads, missing information

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Asset Mapping and Resource Development

Similarities in process and sources of information

web search forprovider

inventories andneeds

assessments,stakeholder

interviews andsurveys, mapdevelopment

annual reportsof similar

organizations;funder

databases;foundationwebsites

web-researchof publicfunding

agencies, ID oflocal providers,

partnershipstrategy

Asset MappingResource Development

ORGANIZE AND DISPLAY THE DATA SO IT CAN BE USED EFFECTIVELY

• Inventory – spreadsheet, database• Physical map – push pins or colored dots• Electronic map – GIS mapping software• Diagrams, charts, other visual displays

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Inventory Example

` Sponsor GED/HS Dip,

Dual HS/college enroll-ment

Neigh-bor-hood

City-wide

Parti-cipants Served Notes

Readiness

ABCD CBO ● ●Youth and

adults

YES CBO ● Chi HS Youth 20

Bay and Evening Acad-emy

NP ● ● 16 – 21 year olds

Boston PIC/Harvard STEP

WF ● ● HS

Boston Adult Technical Academy

BPS ● ● ● 18 – 22 yr. olds 280

[1]

Inventory Example

ILLUSTRATING DATA WITH MAPS

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ILLUSTRATING DATA WITH TABLES

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DEVELOPING MAPS

• A geographic information system (GIS), or geographical information system, is any system that captures, stores, analyzes, manages, and presents data that are linked to location

• Census.gov and other on-line sources have free maps and mapping services

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ASSET MAPPING RESOURCES

• Career One-Stop.org, US Department of Laborhttp://www.careeronestop.org/RED/assetmapping/assetmappingtableofcontents.aspx

• Asset Based Community Development Institute, Northwestern Universityhttp://www.abcdinstitute.org/publications/workbooks/

• UCLA Center for Health Policy Researchhttp://www.healthpolicy.ucla.edu/healthdata/ttt_prog21.pdf

• Free GIS Mapping Software and instructionhttp://www.mapcruzin.com/do-it-yourself-gis-maps-shapefiles/

• Free downloadable tables and mapswww.Census.gov

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• Grant Maker Associations often have databases of funders in that state. http://www.agmconnect.org

• http://www.fdncenter.org. Wealth of funder info. Subscribers only, Some grantmaking associations offer free access,

• http://www.guidestar.org/services/ge.jsp - 990 forms are free, other info. by subscription

http://www.fundsnetservices.com/grantwri.htm• Enormous list of grantwriter resources, including books, links to common application from

from consortia around the country, how-to-write sites, links to private/consulting grantwriters, and tips on non-grant fundraising.

• www.grants.gov; www.cfda.govDatabases of federal solicitations

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WEBSITES FOR RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

JENNIFER FREEMANFREEMAN CONSULTING jennifer@jfreemanconsulting.com

TEL 617.728.4446 FAX 617.728.485788 Broad Street, 8th Floor, Boston, MA 0211085 Prescott Street, Suite 405, Worcester, MA 016052000 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 5300, Washington, DC 20006

WWW.JFF.ORG