Community Development is a step-by-step process. Start with the Introduction to Community Development to identify your community's stage and then plan which tools you will use next.

Your community may need to start at the beginning or may be further along in the process. The community development tools are customizable so that each community can envision and achieve its own personality.

Community assessments help identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that impact the community and influence its ability to reach its full potential. Community assessments are the first steps conducted prior to creating a comprehensive strategic development plan. The assessments provided are for economic and community development.

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The practical and easy to use documents in this module will assist community leaders and economic developers with crafting and implementing an effective strategic plan.

A degree of flexibility has been incorporated into this process so that it can be used in a variety of local situations.

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This tool is not just for elected officials. The documents inside explore key questions about how to build leadership in communities. Topics include: Defining Leadership, Building Leadership for the Community, Recruiting Leaders, Growing Leaders and Resources on Leadership.

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Existing businesses create more new jobs, invest in their communities, and are ambassadors for new investment. A very deliberate effort to visit, serve and retain existing business is a best practice for successful community and economic development in any municipality. This module provides step-by-step guidance on building a business retention and expansion program for your community.

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Your community can take steps to increase its number of entrepreneurs and grow their businesses. This module discusses what your community can do to create an environment where entrepreneurship is encouraged and where new businesses are likely to succeed.

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Competing in today's challenging business environment can be greatly enhanced through a proactive rather than reactive approach to incentivizing new investment projects. Incentives can often make or break a deal for new investment in your community. They can also be an important way to bring the community together in achieving a vision by creating a plan that everyone agrees is desirable. Understanding when and how to use incentives is discussed in this module.

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Economic and community development opportunities or strategies intended to benefit the community at large must be able to attract sufficient financial capital from a mix of sources to sustain their development and ongoing use or operation within a competitive market environment. The Funding Community Development module focuses on identifying financial resources and matching them to the specific task or strategy that the community has chosen to pursue.

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Marketing is a critical component of a successful community and economic development program. This module defines marketing in the context of community/economic development, explains the components of a successful business/industry marketing program, and discusses the key elements in a marketing plan.

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The Community Emergency Preparedness Module deals with how to respond to disaster, mitigate the damage, recover from the negative effects, and better prepare for the next possible event. Emergency Management (EM) is a key concern for community and economic development because it plays into safety and security issues, quality of life standards, holistic planning for the future, and community improvement. Communities that have a plan in place are inherently more competitive.

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Manufacturing and service organizations are increasing productivity and decreasing business cost with the application of lean techniques. Governmental organizations and other sectors can also create a “lean” community that is highly competitive in attracting and retaining businesses and a preferred place to live because of efficient services and low taxes. Promoting lean practices can help communities re-invent themselves, compete for jobs, and grow in the new environment of international competition and knowledge-based industries.

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