We invite you to explore our work. Recent projects and presentations are listed below. You can explore additional work using the various tags in the right hand column.
Melissa Levy presented "Increasing Your Impact through Collaboration" at the 2015 ACHI National Conference in Dallas, Texas on March 5, 2015, as part of a workshop session on Effective Collaboration to Increase Community Health Impact. Collaboration…
Shanna Ratner presented the closing keynote at the 2015 Regards to Rural Conference in Bend, Oregon. Her presentation shared perspectives on what it looks like to do economic development differently, drawing on her experience with the WealthWorks framework…
Shanna Ratner was the featured presenter at the Regards to Rural 2015 Conference Pre-Session, “WealthWorks Northwest,” consisting of three workshops introducing WealthWorks. The first workshop, “WealthWorks Northwest! Building Rural Wealth,” focused…
Participants in the April 2015 Becoming a Measurement Guide Training joined us from the 1772 Foundation, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Yellow Wood Associates. Yellow Wood has been offering professionals with facilitation skills…
Participants in the fourth WealthWorks training, which began in April 2015 and runs through February 2016, come from organizations and states across the country, including National Joint Powers Alliance (MN), Southern Colorado Economic Development…
The Land Trust Alliance (Alliance) is a national conservation organization that works to save the places people love. Most recently, the Alliance has begun to focus on Community Conservation, listening to and engaging people from all walks of life…
Participants in the third WealthWorks training, which began in October 2014 and runs through August 2015, come from organizations and states across the country, including Agricultural Utilization Research Institute…
Yellow Wood Associates is the managing grantee and thought leader for Wealth Creation in Rural Communities - Building Sustainable Livelihoods (now WealthWorks), an initiative of the Ford Foundation that seeks to improve rural livelihoods with a systems…
Melissa Levy presented the Board Member Summit, “Increasing Your Land Trust’s Impact through Collaboration” with Judy Anderson, Principal of Community Consultants. The session shared examples of how land trusts have collaborated and conserved more…
The Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development's What Works Conference Series hosted a joint regional conference with the National Value Added Agriculture Conference on "Enhancing Food Security and Rural Viability through Innovative Food System…
Shanna Ratner was a panelist on the panel "Innovative Strategies that Support Rural Communities." This panel featured organizations that build local value chains in sectors such as food and agriculture, green affordable housing, energy efficiency,…
Melissa Levy and Samantha Dunn co-presented a half-day public workshop on the You Get What You Measure® process in Baltimore, MD. Attendees came from the Farmers Market Coalition and the University of Maryland.
Shanna Ratner and Jackie LeBlanc presented two sessions at the NGFN Food Hub Collaboration Spring 2014 Conference in Raleigh, NC: “Finding Common Measures for the Nation’s Food Hubs” and “Measures that Matter.” In “Finding Common Measures,” Yellow…
Participants in the second WealthWorks training, which began in April 2014 and runs through February 2015, come from organizations and states across the country, including Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group…
The WealthWorks Training provides coaches and coordinators from nonprofit, for profit, and government agencies with an introduction to the Wealth Works approach and framework and a guided six to nine month Wealth Works…
Shanna Ratner was invited to serve on the National Advisory Board of the Food Hub Management Program, an innovative higher education program focused on food hub management. Shanna is collaborating with thought leaders, practitioners, funders, and…
Yellow Wood worked with the National Audubon Society to coordinate research work related to the demand for and economic impact of ecological services. Yellow Wood’s role included conducting coaching calls related to demand studies, participating on…
Yellow Wood Associates worked for the Wallace Center at Winrock International on the Nourishing Networks – Improving the Food Environment project, funded by The Kresge Foundation. Yellow Wood served on the Food Hub Collaboration Core Team; provided…
Melissa Levy presented on measuring multiple forms of wealth on June 2013 as part of the 2013 Community Economic Development Webinar Series. Melissa's presentation was part of a webinar titled "Measuring the Success of Your Community Economic Development…
Melissa Levy presented “Measuring Impact Using a WealthWorks Approach” on Thursday, October 17th, 2013, at the Community Indicators Consortium Impact Summit. Her presentation was made as part of a session titled “Building Data, Gauging…
Shanna Ratner was selected as a member of the 2012 Mel King Community Fellows cohort. The 2012 Mel King Community Fellows Program is devoted to convening leading economic development and community development practitioners from across the United States…
Melissa Levy, Senior Associate at Yellow Wood Associates, co-presented a session with Euneika Rogers-Sipp, Chief Regenerative Officer of Sustainable Rural Regenerative Enterprises for Families. The session was titled "Building Rural Wealth Based on…
Shanna Ratner was a panelist for two sessions at this conference: "Place-based vs. Conventional Economic Development" and "Measuring Real Time Plan & Project Impacts." The conference was sponsored by the New England Federal Partnership for Sustainable…
Shanna Ratner participated on the panel "Quality of Life: How Can Co-ops Make a Difference?" along with representatives from NRECA, CoBank, and the US Department of Agriculture. Changing demographics and an economy in transition present challenges…
The Rural Health Network of South Central New York sought consulting services to evaluate their Rural Health Service Corps (RHSC) AmeriCorps program from the period of September 1, 2012 through November 30, 2013. Yellow Wood evaluated the data reported…
Yellow Wood collaborated with the Aspen Institute’s Community Strategies Group to develop a knowledge transfer platform for development practitioners who want to use the wealth creation approach developed through the Ford Foundation’s Wealth Creation…
Melissa Levy presented an overview of the Ford Foundation’s Wealth Creation in Rural Communities initiative, which uses a systems approach to wealth creation, linking together the whole system of assets, producers and consumers in ways that benefit…
The eXtension Evaluation PDCoP is charged with providing assistance, resources, and expertise in evaluation to colleagues throughout the Cooperative Extension Service of USDA and across all Extension content areas using electronic media. The eXtension…
Melissa Levy co-presented a workshop session titled "Visioning and Beyond: Developing Plans and Measuring Implementation" with Peggy Reichert of the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The workshop walked participants through the process of connecting…
Shanna Ratner was an invited participant in National Climate Assessment Rural Communities workshop, which provided input for the Rural Communities chapter of the 2013 Synthesis of the National Climate Assessment.
Yellow Wood was invited to collaborate with the National Cooperative Business Association to develop the introductory workshop and framework for subsequent workshops in a conference track for community economic development practitioners. The initial…
Shanna Ratner facilitated the NGFN Food Hub Collaboration Spring 2012 Conference. During the conference, she moderated a panel on "Supply Side Success: Logistics for Quality and Consistency;" facilitated region-based breakout groups and developed an…
The Wallace Center invited Yellow Wood to participate as evaluator and core team member in the National Good Food Network Food Hub Collaboration, an initiative funded by the Kresge Foundation to strengthen regional food hubs and their contributions…
Yellow Wood worked with the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA) to conduct a pilot study on the unique contribution cooperatives make to the creation and retention of wealth in the communities and regions in which they operate. We worked…
Melissa Levy spoke about Wealth Creation in Rural Communities during a session titled "Working Lunch: Rural Wealth Creation."
Melissa Levy facilitated "Social Equity in Rural Communities: Setting Goals and Tracking Progress" with Wayne Fawbush of the Ford Foundation and Noah Dorius of HUD Region 1.
Melissa Levy presented an interactive demonstration of tools designed to help practitioners identify and measure the impacts of project and policy actions on different forms of community wealth. Participants worked through two exercises to analyze…
What you measure IS what you get! Melissa Levy presented this webinar to the National Good Food Network on January 20, 2011. The webinar presented a taste of the acclaimed You Get What You Measure® planning process. Participants learned crucial measurement…
Melissa Levy, Senior Associate, and Barbara Wyckoff, Measurement Guide, co-presented "You Get What You Measure®: An Alternative Strategic Planning and Evaluation Tool for Progress You Can See," a seven hour training session crafted to provide participants…
Shanna Ratner presented two webinars to interested cooperatives on the Wealth Creation approach in September 2011.
In October 2011, Shanna Ratner made a presentation and delivered a workshop on the Wealth Creation approach at the 2011 National Cooperative Business Association Annual Conference in Minneapolis, MN.
Melissa Levy presented “You Get What You Measure: An Alternative Strategic Planning and Evaluation Tool” at the 2010 Alliance for Nonprofit Management Conference in St. Louis, Missouri. Participants received an overview of a strategic planning and…
Yellow Wood Associates evaluated the second half of the Wallace Center's Expanding Sustainable and Community-based Food Systems project funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. The multi-faceted project included regranting to four organizations involved…
Yellow Wood worked with the National Good Food Network, in partnership with the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, Project for Public Spaces, and the National Association for Produce Market Managers, to facilitate a meeting at the Wholesale and Regional…
Shanna Ratner facilitated the second of two values-based value chain writeshops for the Wallace Center at Winrock International. The Value Chain Research Collaboration Project, a partnership between the Agricultural Marketing Service and the Wallace…
Shanna Ratner, principal of Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. was a founding member of the National Network of Forest Practitioners, serving on the organization’s Executive Committee, and as Chair of the Research Subcommittee.
Yellow Wood worked with Susanne Moser, PhD to explore the issue of community resilience from the perspective of literature and key informant interviews with 25 rural development practitioners from around the country. They identified stages of community…
Yellow Wood conducted a supplementary round of interviews exploring the issue of community resilience. These interviews were with representatives from MDC, Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, Danville Regional Foundation, Louisiana Disaster Foundation,…
Yellow Wood provided analysis for the US Endowment for Forestry and Communities, suggesting ways to connect grantee measurement activities with overall measurement by the initiative of desired outcomes.
Yellow Wood worked with the National Good Food Network leadership in designing, executing, and following up on a strategic planning meeting. Yellow Wood assisted with the follow up process, development of an action plan, and evaluation planning.
Yellow Wood provided assistance with qualitative data gathering for the Wallace Center. This assistance included developing interview questions, interviewing growers, and synthesizing interview responses.
Shanna Ratner facilitated the first of two values-based value chain writeshops for the Wallace Center at Winrock International. The purpose of the writeshop was to develop content for tools to assist intermediaries in building value chains so that…
Yellow Wood Associates worked with consultant Doug Hoffer to assist the Wallace Center in preparing a proposal to the U.S. Department of Labor for Agriculture and Food Sector Job Training for Enhancing Green Jobs.
Yellow Wood Associates worked with the America’s Byways Resource Center to develop a tool to measure the economic impact of scenic byways and All-American Roads. This work involved engaging a steering committee, determining the specific needs of byway…
Yellow Wood assisted Wayne Fawbush of the Ford Foundation in developing an innovative approach to rural development based on an application of triple bottom line principles to create and maintain community wealth. Wealth was defined by categories of…
Yellow Wood worked with the Wallace Center to develop a scope of work for evaluation of the Accelerating Community Based Food Systems project, funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Shanna Ratner and Melissa Levy of Yellow Wood Associates presented an 8-hour You Get What You Measure® training. Everyone likes to see progress. Measurement provides tangible evidence of progress that motivates further action. This is true whether…
Shanna Ratner and Melissa Levy of Yellow Wood Associates presented an 8-hour You Get What You Measure® training. Identifying indicators and developing measures of progress can be a powerful tool for personal and organizational development, as well…
Yellow Wood partnered with another firm, Camp and Associates, on a project with the Department of Defense to study the economic impacts on businesses of mobilized reservist employees. As part of this project, Yellow Wood planned and facilitated a number…
On behalf of the National Association of Development Organizations, Yellow Wood conducted research on EPA brownfields grants awarded to regional development organizations. As part of this research, Yellow Wood developed an online questionnaire and…
Yellow Wood provided assistance to the manager of RUPRI's Community Clustering Initiative in considering how to evaluate progress toward the Initiative's goals related to strengthening local governance. This innovative project uses computer communications…
Yellow Wood Associates presented an 8-hour training in You Get What You Measure®. This informative, interactive workshop introduced the process of measurement by showing participants how to clarify goals, identify indicators and effective measures…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. surveyed members of the Learning Cluster to determine the variety of approaches being used to build rural community capacity, resulting in a report entitled Community Capacity Building, What Is It? for the Aspen Institute.…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. co-delivered a training with Daryl Hobbs of the University of Missouri Office for Social and Economic Data Analysis using Yellow Wood Associates, Inc.’s measurement process to over 120 USDA Rural Development staff from…
Yellow Wood Associates was invited by the Aspen Institute to deliver two training sessions to Ford Foundation grantees during the Community-Based Forestry Demonstration Program Meeting in Memphis, Tennessee in December 1999. One training focused on…
Awarded a grant by TVA Rural Studies to conduct research. Yellow Wood Associates produced a paper on the role of the informal economy in rural communities. The paper reframes rural development in terms of the whole economy, and begins to articulate…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. continued its collaboration with the Community Partnership Center of the University of Tennessee and the Center for Community Change to further develop a participatory evaluation training curriculum and to adapt the methodology…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc., in collaboration with the Forest Trust of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the National Network of Forest Practitioners, received a Planning Grant from the Fund for Rural America to develop a national center to create and support…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. presented two interactive workshops on promoting learning communities through measuring progress toward community goals. The learning process requires a continuous cycle of action reflection action. Participants learned…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. analyzed the EZ/EC Communities’ Annual Benchmark Progress Reports and prepared a summary document for the Community Partnership Center of the University of Tennessee. The report discussed areas of accomplishment, common…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with John Gaventa at the University of Tennessee and Vicki Creed to prepare a workbook, training manual, and four-day workshop on participatory evaluation of rural Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities. Recipients…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with Cornelia Butler Flora of the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development and the Heartland Center for Leadership Development to develop and test a training program for measuring progress toward community…
Presented results of the training in participatory evaluation developed in conjunction with the Community Partnership Center of the University of Tennessee and the Heartland Center for Leadership Development as well as information on indicators of…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with the Aspen Institute to survey eleven states supporting rural community development. The purpose of the work was to identify the role of state government in supporting communities after they have completed some…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. served as a resource for the Aspen Institute’s Community Foundation Learning Cluster retreat in Polson, Montana. The purpose of the retreat was to provide a mid-course correction for the foundation. Yellow Wood Associates,…
“Regional Economic Development based on the Wood Products Industry” was presented to a conference of The Forest Trust in Washington, DC
