Orbis’
Community Development Capacity

~~Reaching the Community’s Potential~~

Orbis Group’s Four Stages of Community Development Capacity™ model presents the framework for understanding the relative capacity of civic leaders to create and drive a community development agenda.

Within that overall framework, there are dozens of factors that, when considered together, form a continuum of capacity. These factors each fall into one of seven overall elements:

• Strategic Plan/Vision
• Project and Issue Development
• Organizational Capacity
• Staffing
• Civic Volunteerism
• Community Attitude
• Maintaining the Community as the Goal

Orbis Group has identified 25 separate factors that define capacity within these seven overall elements.

By working through an easy-to-understand 20-page workbook, Building Community Development Capacity, community leaders can:

• evaluate current capacity
• determine desired capacity
• evaluate the effectiveness of current development organizations
• encourage increased volunteerism
• make smarter budgeting decisions

Evaluating community development capacity no longer needs to be purely subjective. An objective analysis can and will lead to increased capacity. This will lead to better community cohesiveness, completed projects, improved community livability, and the potential for creating new jobs.