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.

This guide promotes the use of analytical skills in community organization practice. These skills include budgeting, grant writing, 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, and resource development. Analytical methods assist the practitioner in identifying community problems, planning interventions, and conducting evaluations.

About the Author
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. She is the editor of Innovative Approaches for Teaching Community Organization Skills in the Classroom.

Reviews
Hardina does a good job of covering the waterfront of community practice without becoming so brief as to be superficial. -- Catherine Alter, Dean and professor, Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver Social Work Today A book that moves beyond theories and models to examine the essential analytical and technical skills for effective community practice...This is a book that everyone interested in community practice would find useful and ejoy reading. CASW Bulletin Analytical Skills for Community Organization Practice is a valuable addition to the macro practice literature... a valuable and easy to use reference tool... This text is a must read for all students of community practice. -- Raymie H. Wayne Social Work with Groups Broad and up to date... It is successful in providing the reader with a grasp of 'the whole.' -- Lennart Nygren European Journal of Social Work The book makes a useful start towards filling the analytical skills gap in the macro practice literature. -- Megan Meyer Journal of Community Practice



Book Information
ISBN 9780231121804
Author Donna Hardina
Format Hardback
Page Count 380
Imprint Columbia University Press
Publisher Columbia University Press