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 Collaboratory for Community Support

Publications

The Collaboratory is in the process of writing and publishing a variety of reviews, essays, and guidebooks. The following publications will help you learn more about our work and priorities.

2nd EDITION NOW AVAILABLE

click on the book for more information

  • Community Literacy
    This report was produced by The Collaboratory on behalf of the School-Parent-Community Partnership of Battle Creek. It was commissioned by United Way of Greater Battle Creek (Michigan) with generous "Expert in Residence" funding from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. The report discusses the challenges of and strategies to succeed with multi-component, community-wide, sustainable approaches to enhancing community literacy. The document includes best practices from several communities, current research into the community's role in educating its children and specific recommendations for Battle Creek. A key quote is "Public Elementary School outcomes represent the consolidated results of the entire community literacy effort or lack thereof. The schools are not the sole responsible agent. And therefore cannot be held individually responsible."
    Download PDF Version:
    Communty Literacy A
    Communty Literacy B
    Communty Literacy C

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    In addition to this report, may we recommend the recently published: Improving Literacy in America. Reviews/ordering info at: http://yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/book.asp?isbn=0300106459

  • Poverty Reduction
    We prepared this report in the form of a $10 million grant request at the behest of the residents of North Minneapolis. The successful request has allowed the community to develop infrastructure and effective leverage, and pursue its identified strategies for poverty reduction. The effort was made possible by innovative funding from the Northwest Area Foundation.
    Download PDF Version

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    Additional resources on comprehensive poverty reduction efforts - specifically across Canada - can be found at the Tamarack Institute website: www.tamarackcommunity.ca

  • Connor, J. A. (forthcoming). Working Differently. Chapter 2. In this chapter from his forthcoming book, the author discusses the mechanism and importance of engaging all sectors - especially economic - in the work of comprehensive solutions.
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  • Connor, J. A., (Summer, 2003). Community Support Organizations: Enabling Citizen Democracy to Sustain Comprehensive Community Impact. National Civic Review, 92(2), 113-129. This article was published in the National Civic League.
    Download PDF Version

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  • The Collaboratory for Community Support. (1999). A Systems Approach to Community Improvement. www.thecollaboratory.us/collaboratorycs/system.html

  • The Collaboratory for Community Support. (1999). Comprehensive Homelessness Systems: Comprehensive Approaches from Around the Country.
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  • Management Information Systems for Collaborative Approaches to Homelessness
    This report, produced on behalf of the Toledo (Ohio) Collaborative/Governing Body on Homelessness, looks at five examples of management information systems that are being used around the country to support collaborative case management and community planning for homeless clients and services. It also explores key issues that other communities will need to consider as they look into implementing a homelessness MIS.
    Download PDF Version

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  • Comprehensive Community-Based Teenage Pregnancy Prevention
    This report, produced on behalf of the United Way of Greater Battle Creek (Michigan), discusses the challenges of and strategies to succeed with multi-component, community-wide, sustainable approaches to preventing teen pregnancy. The document includes stories from several communities, descriptions of effective programs, and a list of suggestions for any community to begin a comprehensive effort to prevent teen pregnancy.
    Download PDF Version

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  • The Community Support Organization:
    Linking Not-for-Profits to Community Impact
    This article, published in The Not-For-Profit CEO Monthly Letter looks at how nonprofit leaders could benefit from the services of a "community support organization" that convenes, facilitates, informs, and assists broad collaborative groups to work on local social problems.

  • Governing Outside: Bringing the Board into the Community
    We published this article in Board Member--a magazine from the National Center for Nonprofit Boards--on how nonprofit board members could expand their role to focus on "community governance" rather than just governance of an individual organization.

    For more help with board development, we recommend you visit the following sites:

  • Putting Heads Together: Learning from Funder Collaboratives
    This article, published in Foundation News and Commentary, discusses how foundations, local grantmakers, and government funders can align their goals, pool resources, and work together to encourage comprehensive change.

  • The Role of Nonprofit Management Support Organizations in Sustaining Community Collaborations
    We wrote this article for Nonprofit Management and Leadership about how nonprofit management support organizations can take on a new role as "community support organizations" to sustain community collaborations.

  • Review a summary of the final report of recommendations from the Toledo Project for a Systems Approach to Homelessness.

  • Check out a book review we wrote for Nonprofit World on the value of building community capacity to solve social problems.

In addition to our own publications, we want to recommend articles and reports that have informed our thinking and may be helpful to comprehensive, systemic efforts in communities. Check out the links below:

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