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…
Yellow Wood in Transition; Update on Our Work; WealthWorks; Presentations; Measurement; Staffing News; Reading & Watching
Through the support of the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, the Black Belt Treasures Cultural Arts Center facilitated a trip to Western North Carolina to study the arts economy and creative placemaking in the region. This report provides a summary…
This report is a summary of a learning journey by Sustainable Rural Regenerative Enterprises for Families (SURREF) and six individuals representing stakeholders and partners who traveled to Jamaica from December 11 to December 16, 2011. These stakeholders…
This final report documents a study conducted by Yellow Wood to identify potential opportunities for sustainable natural resource-based economic development in the Dragon Run watershed. The Special Area Management Plan recognizes that one of the keys…
The study estimates the impacts of a Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard on Kentucky’s portfolio of electricity resources, on average electric bills, and on the state’s economy. The report was produced by Synapse Energy Economics, Inc. for the Mountain…
This report examines and presents wealth creation models adapted to the needs and context of sustainable forestry in Appalachia.
This paper by the Croatan Institute was commissioned by the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED). The paper addresses the effect that the growing movement for divestment from fossil fuels and investment in more sustainable…
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 document summarizes a community workshop coordinated by the Hinesburg Economic Development Commission. The community workshop brought together community members to identify strategic leverage points to build the foundation of the Economic Development…
In connection with the 2013 forum on Citizen-Led Sustainable Change held on the St. Francis Xavier University campus, Alison Mathie produced a case study on Rural Action, titled “From the fringe to the mainstream: Rural Action’s pursuit of a sustainable…
In connection with the 2013 forum on Citizen-Led Sustainable Change held on the St. Francis Xavier University campus, Phil Davison produced a case study on the Deep South Wealth Creation Network, titled “The Deep South Wealth Creation Network,Mississippi…
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…
The Private Sector Engagement Toolkit helps users think about how they will connect with the demand side of the markets they are in. The Toolkit is designed to help WealthWorks value chain coordinators as well as individual businesses within a value…
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…
The final report from the Red Mantra Group on Building Wealth Through Inclusive Business is now available. Inclusive Business is an approach to economic development in which one or more large corporations are the primary demand partners. For corporations…
This presentation, from the workshop titled Strategic Planning, Measurement and Evaluation Using “You Get What You Measure®,” was presented by Melissa Levy at the 2014 Connecticut Land Conservation Conference.
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 draft report is a product of a study supported by the Wallace Center and the National Good Food Network. The study explored how a set of common measures might assist food hubs and the food hub community in telling their stories and improving their…
As part of WealthWorks, the Accelerating Impact project is aimed at articulating the role of finance in supporting WealthWorks value chains in rural areas.Over two years, this project of the Tellus Institute has worked with ten projects on the ground…
The report describes how food value chains work, how to structure them for optimal performance, and what challenges they face. The report is designed to help individuals and organizations interested in exploring food value chains as a distribution…
This case study profiles Yellow Wood's work with Goody Clancy and the Town of Mansfield to develop an agricultural strategy for the Town of Mansfield as part of their updated Plan of Conservation and Development.
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)…
This paper, featured in the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs’ Rural Research Report (Spring 2014, Volume 24, Issue 1), provides an overview of the WealthWorks approach and its tools, including the WealthWorks value chain construct and the wealth…
This report, prepared for the Walton Family Foundation, analyzes regional demand for nature based tourism. The report focuses on four types of tourism: Paddling, Culture and Heritage, Non-consumptive and Consumptive Wildlife Activities. In addition…
The Wealth Creation Clinic partnered with Presidio Bank, a progressive regional bank in San Francisco, to examine a key question for community banking: In a competitive environment, how can small banks be a more positive force for local community development,…
This report, produced for the Central Appalachian Network (CAN) in partnership with the MIT “Keeping Wealth Local” Clinic, explores examples of place-based food brands and offers recommendations for CAN and other Central Appalachian organizations interested…
These case studies supplement the 5Capitals tool developed by CATIE. Five case studies were selected, with a geographical spread and a focus on different, crops, target markets and beneficiaries: Nicaragua - certified coffee; Colombia - fresh fruits…
5Capitals is tool for understanding critical development issues, designed for users including funding agencies, NGOs, consultants, government agencies, businesses, and certification bodies. The tool is built on the belief that greater access to livelihood…
This report explores what we have learned about the roles value chain coordinators play in WealthWorks, how those roles may evolve, and various options for financing the coordinator role which is so essential to exploring and constructing WealthWorks…
This report was produced as part of a project to explore financing options for WealthWorks value chains. It describes crowdfunding and how it works, gives examples of different platforms and successful campaigns, and provides a step by step guide to…
This case study profiles Yellow Wood's work with the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NESARE) to assess the impact of an outcome funding framework on principal investigators and beneficiaries of projects funded by NESARE.
This case study profiles Yellow Wood's work with the West Central Initiative to help small Minnesota communities meet their water-related needs in a cost effective manner while protecting water resource quality.
This case study profiles Yellow Wood's work with Suri Paco LLC to assess the feasibility of an alpaca fiber mid-tier value chain to aggregate and process alpaca fiber into a range of value-added products that make use of all grades of fiber produced…
This case study profiles Yellow Wood's work with the US Forest Service Wood Education Resource Center to increase the use of sustainable wood energy. Yellow Wood worked with Richmond Energy Associates to provide independent, third party biomas feasibility…
This video describes You Get What You Measure®, Yellow Wood's trademarked approach to strategic planning that incorporates measurement and can be used as a framework for evaluation. The video also shares…
This case study profiles Yellow Wood's work for Save Passamaquoddy Bay on an economic and fiscal impact analysis of proposed liquefied natural gas terminals. Save Passamaquoddy Bay (www.savepassamaquoddybay.org)…
Join us for public workshops that provide an introduction to Yellow Wood’s unique approach to strategic planning and measurement, You Get What You Measure®. The approach integrates systems thinking to identify key leverage indicators, and aligns actions…
Twice a year, Yellow Wood Associates, Inc., of St. Albans, VT, offers professionals with facilitation skills the opportunity to learn how to deliver You Get What You Measure®. In development and use for over fifteen years, You Get What You Measure®…
WealthWorks is a 21st-century approach that belongs in every community and economic development toolkit. WealthWorks is inclusive, bringing together and connecting community assets to meet market demand in ways that build lasting livelihoods and upward…
This brochure provides an overview of the WealthWorks Training for Coaches and Coordinators. WealthWorks is a 21st-century approach that belongs in every community and economic development toolkit. WealthWorks is inclusive, bringing together and connecting…
This workbook was shared with participants at a 7-hour training presented by Melissa Levy and Barbara Wyckoff presented on You Get What You Measure at the 2011 Community Involvement Training Conference.
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.
Place-based grantees from three regions (Central Appalachia, the Alabama Black Belt and Mid-South Delta, and the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas), resource team members, researchers, and Ford Foundation staff met at the Ford Foundation office in New…
An overview of Yellow Wood's work with the West Central Initiative and three Minnesota communities around water systems and water infrastructure. Yellow Wood used the Green Community Technologies© process to assess needs and make recommendations for…
Mary Ellen Keith, Supervisor of the Town of Franklin, and Shanna Ratner, Principal of Yellow Wood Associates narrate this film highlighting the results of Yellow Wood's Green Community Technologies© work with the Town of Franklin.
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 report summarizes an interactive workshop hosted by the Town of Mansfield on the Town’s Agriculture Strategy as part of their Mansfield Tomorrow initiative. Yellow Wood Associates facilitated the workshop in their role as the consultant responsible…
Parks and Beaches: Common Cents for the Common Wealth quantifies the value of the park system as an engine of Massachusetts economic development. This value includes recreational tourism spending, recreational equipment spending, the timber industry,…
This case study profiles Yellow Wood's work for the Quebec Labrador Foundation on a Community Forestry Workshop in Gorham, New Hampshire. This workshop was undertaken as part of our work with the National Community Forestry Center - Northern Forest…
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 report describes the efforts of several Vermont forest landowners who developed cooperative relationships with their neighbors in order to provide habitat for wildlife.
An annotated bibliography describing materials and resources available in the Northern Forest for those interested in finding out more about how, why, and when cooperative action forest landowners makes-sense ecologically, economically, and socially.
A selectively annotated bibliography containing materials collected between March, 2000 and November, 2001 while reviewing the literature connecting forest ownership and forest management in the Northern Forest region.
Town forests are a unique aspect of forestry in New England. Originally intended as a source of wood supply for the town, these forests now provide a means for educating the community about the value of working forests. This case study of Lincoln,…
This report chronicles the Middle Ground Collaborative and its development of an interactive exhibit to tour the state of Maine in an attempt to generate dialogue about the history and future of Maine's forest resources. This report compiles the research…
This report serves dual purposes: it reports on the findings of a research project and also explores the process of participatory research using a case study approach. This is a story of a volatile industry looking for answers. This report contains…
A compilation of six readings chosen to provide examples of participatory research in the United States and Canada.
Summarizes the learnings and insights of a group of citizens from Richford, Vermont as they have explored the issues relating to the supply and harvesting of biomass from local lands. The Richford Wood Initiative (RWI) has been meeting regularly since…
A description of several school-based forest education programs in the Northern Forest Region- Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York.
This report demonstrates how a grassroots effort to protect forest values can succeed where top-down federal and state efforts failed.
A report summarizing a workshop on town forest management held in Gorham, New Hampshire in September of 2003. This workshop, sponsored by the National Community Forestry Center, Northern Forest Region and the Quebec-Labrador Foundation/Atlantic Center…
This report describes the experience and responses of several communities in northern New Hampshire when their local forestland became the object of broad public interest. Author Thomas Brendler tells the story of how the Umbagog National Wildlife…
This report provides an overview for all those interested in learning more about community forestry, combining original material with articles by several well known community forestry practitioners to create a concise introduction to this fascinating…
This report summarizes results of the 2001 Town Plans contest, with excerpts from most of the submissions.
This introductory webinar introduced wealth creation concepts and vocabulary, including wealth creation value chains and multiple forms of wealth, to Walton Family Foundation grantees in the Verde Valley area of Arizona.
A civic decision making tool for evaluating the viability of wood biomass district heating systems for New Hampshire communities.
In a changing global environment, the potential contributions of rural America are significant. Rural leaders need new ways of thinking about economic development. This brief introductory paper outlines seven guiding principles for a wealth creation…
Ten financing interventions are profiled in this paper, which looks at how capital investment in combination with other strategies is used to achieve triple-bottom-line outcomes.
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.
This case study looks at the role of Market Umbrella in helping to develop a regional food system around New Orleans. Interviews throughout the case study highlight the importance of building multiple forms of wealth to create community resilience…
This toolkit is a set of worksheets designed to help groups build strong, effective, sustainable networks. It includes worksheets for organizations that are considering forming or joining a network, emerging networks that have already organized and…
This report contains four case studies about rural-urban linkages in Oregon, the New Orleans region, Texas, and Nebraska, as well as introductory material and a concluding commentary that looks at each case study in context of the core principles of…
