Innovators in Rural Community Economic Development
This report documents outcomes by sector of WealthWorks implementation on the ground in Central Appalachia, the South, and the Lower Rio Grande Valley. It also includes lessons learned over the last year and a half of the eight year Wealth Creation…
This CD Practice article describes You Get What You Measure®, a process that integrates participatory planning and systems thinking into the development of strategic measures so that communities can monitor progress toward community development goals.…
This guide is one of two pieces written to assist WealthWorks value chain coordinators or coaches in working with businesses and demand partners that are part of WealthWorks value chains. This guide is designed to walk readers through one of the most…
This guide is one of two pieces written to assist WealthWorks value chain coordinators or coaches in working with businesses and demand partners that are part of WealthWorks value chains. This guide is written to assist WealthWorks coordinators, coaches,…
Vermont’s Working Lands Enterprise Board (WLEB) is engaged in a project to provide a systems analysis of the forestry and wood products industry in Vermont. Yellow Wood Associates is working with the Forestry Subcommittee (composed of both WLEB and…
WealthWorks is an approach bridging community and economic development to build multiple forms of community wealth, resilience, and local ownership. This webinar provides a short overview for newcomers to the approach, followed by a focus on issues…
This module profiles the elements and design objectives of a WealthWorks value chain—and how to use them to build wealth that lasts.
This module offers a series of useful screens for spotting a market opportunity that has good potential to generate wealth-building results for a region.
This module defines wealth building as a goal that reaches beyond standard community and economic development objectives, and why that difference is critical to advancing and sustaining regional economies.
Many rural areas in the United States find themselves struggling to build local assets and create wealth. They often struggle to hold on to the wealth that is created within their boundaries. Conventional approaches to community and economic development…
This paper introduces a wealth creation approach to development, and describes how the Central Appalachian Network has used an outcome-based measurement process to define and measure progress toward shared goals for seven forms of community wealth.…
This textbook investigates the role of wealth in achieving sustainable rural economic development. Published by Routledge and edited by John L. Pender, Bruce A. Weber, Thomas G. Johnson, and J. Matthew Fannin.
Rural regions across the United States have struggled to implement economic development strategies that build local assets and create wealth that contributes to sustained prosperity. This article describes a systems framework that enables rural areas…
This webinar offered participants a preview of the WealthWorks Training for Coaches and Coordinators. Training facilitators shared the approach to the training and the expected outcomes. Participants were able to ask questions and explore how this…
This report explores the economic impacts of invasive species on specific sectors of the Adirondack Park’s economy. This first-of-its-kind assessment for the Adirondacks analyzes actual and potential impacts of eight invasive species, summarizes expenditures…
The report “The Actual and Potential Economic Impact of Invasive Species on the Adirondack Park: A Preliminary Assessment: Executive Summary” explores the economic impacts of invasive species on specific sectors of the Adirondack Park’s economy. This…
This paper explores the concept of learning communities and the shifts in concept and practice required to bring them about based on emerging ideas in the physical sciences, leadership training, learning theory, rural development, public work, organizational…
This presentation on WealthWorks and WealthWorks value chains was made as part of a panel at the National Reinvestment Coalition 2014 Annual Conference.
Attendees learned how food hubs have used You Get What You Measure®, a systems-based analysis to identify their priority measures that will tell them if they are making progress towards their goals. The first part of the session shared examples of…
In an effort to develop a common set of metrics for food hubs to track the contributions they are making at the community level, the Wallace Center partnered with Yellow Wood Associates to research four potential common measures: 1) food access; 2)…
Shanna Ratner's keynote presentation to the 3rd RURAL ISSUES: Community Leadership Conference on April 6, 2011 focused on why agriculture matters to regional economies and what municipal and public officials can do to grow the agricultural sector.
Shanna Ratner's plenary presentation at the Growing Health 2012 conference in New York addressed the benefits of a fully-realized food system, discussed food systems in context of a wealth creation approach, and engaged participants in exercises around…
This paper describes preliminary learning from a project designed to test new ways of providing services to rural forested communities in the United States.
This file contains presentations by participants in a session highlighting three emerging practices in community development: financial education and coaching, developing entrepreneurial ecosystems, and a wealth creation approach to development in…
Wealth Creation in Rural Communities presentation made to the 8th Annual BALLE Business Conference and Member Meeting in Charleston, South Carolina. May 21-23, 2010.
A balanced approach to development takes account of the triple bottom line, benefiting the economy, the environment, and social inclusion simultaneously. This Interim Report on the progress of the project assesses lessons learned so far.
This article by Marjorie Kelly and Shanna Ratner was posted to the Yes! Magazine website on August 3, 2010.
This webinar shares the principles and key tools of the Wealth Creation in Rural Communities – Building Sustainable Livelihoods framework, while also telling a story of this work on the ground. It uses the example of a biofuels value chain being constructed…
Resources do not represent community wealth unless communities own and control them. This report introduces the concept of shared ownership, then describes and explores various models, looking at strengths, weaknesses, the range of applications, expertise…
This Wealth Creation in Rural Communities presentation, "Expanding Livelihoods Opportunities for Low-Income and Poor Households," was presented by Wayne Fawbush to the 2010 Northeast Rural Summit in Burlington, Vermont
This report is the product of a study undertaken by the Vermont Environmental Consortium, funded by grants from the Vermont Community Foundation and the Redducs Foundation, to survey Vermont’s Environmental Business Sector. The survey established…
