Asset Based Community Development
“A large and growing movement that considers local assets as the primary building blocks of sustainable community development. Building on the skills of local residents, the power of local associations, and the supportive functions of local institutions, asset-based community development draws upon existing community strengths to build stronger, more sustainable communities for the future.”
Meet The Need has traditionally focused on enable organizations to post and share needs with those who can help – overcoming those fundamental communication gaps remain core to our mission. At the same time, we recognize that our cities also have much to offer – assets that many others in the community did not know existed. So Meet The Need is increasing our focus on exposing those capabilities so cities can better leverage and build upon them.
What ABCD Means for You
1) Post Specific Offers of Goods and Services You Have Available to See Where They’re Needed
On your Organizational Dashboard, there is now a new section (in the bottom left hand corner), called “Offers”. Organizational administrators can now quickly and easily:
- Search all Local Offers
- Post Offers
- Edit and Update Offers they (or those associated with their organization) have made
You will also find offers if you’re posting a need and an offer has been made by someone who already has that skill or resource available. In that case, you may choose to match with that offer rather than continuing to post the need.
2) Show a Directory of Service Providers across the Community
Meet The Need has also developed a customized directory solution for cities allowing for you to:
- Show all of the services offered by organizations in your network on your web site!
- Allow individuals to search on your web site by keyword, location or category for the services they need
- Enable your network to create and edit their own directory listings
- Have complete control over what organizations and services appears in your directory
Many city-reaching groups and state-wide or national associations have cultivated a network of resources, and would like to become a “one-stop-shop” for those in need. Our directory solution enables them to reach that goal, letting them organize and broadcast all skills and assets their network can offer to the local community. Check out some of our directory solutions below at ServeOK.org and Cornerstone Assistance Network.
