Like worksheets?
Then you'll love the Thinking and Action Framework!
Thinking and Action Framework:
Building Rural Livelihood
Building Rural Livelihood—A Thinking and Action Framework for Designing RDP Program and Grantmaking (PDF) is a 105-page workbook designed to help community foundations—and private, corporate and family foundations—devise more effective community economic development efforts that will have lasting, positive impacts on the livelihoods of rural individuals, families and communities. The Framework walks you through four key steps that should help your board and staff establish good information and a useful context for making challenging design decisions for your rural effort.
Building Rural Livelihood also introduces the RDP Program Design Circle, and provides worksheets to help you answer the following questions about your program and grantmaking efforts:
- What's your motivation? What is the catalyst that is motivating you to do RDP program and grantmaking activity? What energy and shape does that give to your effort?
- Where will you work? What particular rural region or set of places do you want to target with your RDP program and grantmaking effort?
- For whom will you work? What, if any, specific economically distressed rural population do you want to target for special impact through your RDP program or grantmaking?
- How will you balance the "Six Whats" of RDP program and grantmaking? What particular change will improve the economic security of low-income rural people and the viability of their communities in your region?
- With whom will you work? With whom will you work to help you deliver the goods—to help make sure your program and grantmaking meets its goals?
- How long will you sustain the program? What is the length of time to which you will commit funding and support for your RDP program effort?
- Which resources and how much? What staff, board, program, operational and grant resources will you commit to your RDP effort? What resources from your funding or action partners can you bring to the rural effort or leverage from inside or outside the region?
- So what? What does this all add up to? What are one or two realistic short- or medium-term outcomes that you are driving to achieve for rural communities and families through your RDP program or grantmaking effort? What indicators would tell you you are getting there? Who and how will you measure them? What process will you use to reflect on your progress? Who will be responsible to apply your learning and correct your course the next time around?
Pat Vasbinder's top five reasons to use (and love) the BRL Thinking and Action Framework!
Excerpted from remarks by Pat Vasbinder, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. Read the full transcript.
- Ascend the learning curve—quickly! Use the Framework's Step 3—"Know yourself"—or one day, you'll wish you had.
- Avoid re-inventing the rural development wheel. Before you start, know the active players in your rural community economic development milieu.
- Reduce on-the-ground experimentation. Think carefully through your entire project. Rural communities are not guinea pigs—they are your neighbors! Flexibility is a good thing; experimentation is not.
- Reduce risk: Plumb the depths of your commitment to rural development. The Framework is akin to a business plan. It will help you gauge whether or not to launch your RDP program "product."
- Prudently steward your philanthropic resources. Whatever resources you have, it's likely they've been entrusted to you by someone else—a donor, many donors or another private source. The Framework will help you use resources wisely so as to maintain this trust.
Rural Development Philanthropy Learning Learning Network
The Aspen Institute
One Dupont Circle NW
Suite 700Washington DC 20036
Ph. 202.736.5804Fx. 202.293.0525
rdpinfo@aspencsg.orgwww.aspencsg.org/RDP