Analytical Skills for Community Organization Practice

This guide promotes the use of analytical skills in community organization practice, including information gathering and processing, legislative research, needs assessment, participatory action research, political analysis, population forecasting and social indicator analysis, power analysis, program development and planning, resource development, budgeting, and grant writing,. These analytical methods, often used in practice but seldom systematically discussed, assist the practitioner in identifying community problems, planning interventions, and conducting evaluations. The text explicates a problem-solving model that identifies concepts and theories underlying practice, methods for problem identification and assessment, and techniques for goal setting, implementation, and evaluation. It features extensive listings of Web sites for community organization practice and is dedicated to the idea that the community organizer, to be truly effective, must be prepared to be an active learner.

Donna Hardina is professor of social work at California State University, Fresno, and has published numerous articles on community organization, nonprofit organizations, and welfare reform.