Elements of QUALITY COMMUNITY PLANNING,
as demonstrated by the member organizations of the
National Association of Planning Councils (NAPC)

On this page: 
Characteristics  /  Values, strategies & methods  /  Functions & roles  /  
Organizational models  /  Funding sources

See also: Planning Councils

INTRODUCTION

Today’s planning councils, and their roles and defining characteristics, are remarkably similar to the original ones of over sixty years ago.

The job of today’s councils is broad ... to stitch together the whole varied range of separate public, voluntary, and, increasingly,  private activities into a rational, effective response to human needs which is appropriate to each of their particular communities.

Today’s councils are guided by an informed perspective on their communities’ social assets, resources, and needs.  This perspective comes from their wide and varied research and information gathering activities — the unique council asset which guides all their other actions.

Today’s councils are organized to provide leadership for effective community-wide as well as more localized neighborhood action on important issues and concerns.

Citizen-led board of directors, with leaders from all sectors ... people from business, health, education, religion, labor, government, civic groups, and geographic areas

Incorporation as a separate 501(c)3 charitable non-profit (or possibly within one)

Non-partisan and non-sectarian

Driven by a mission to broadly build the quality of community life through community-wide planning focused on addressing human development needs

A merging of lay and professional interests, skills and experience to guide and ensure effective community planning and organizations

A highly competent, skilled professional staff with varied knowledge, experience, and abilities

An openness for involvement of a wide constituency in decision making throughout its board and committee structures, supporting community sanction for council actions

A "big-picture" perspective on community needs, problems, and possibilities for improvements, generating a broad agenda of work

A plan of work based on an objective review of data and information from a wide variety of sources, (i.e., census reports, sponsored task forces and coalitions, public surveys, focus groups, consumers’ views).

Action based on consensus among those most concerned about a particular issue

A planned approach for involving those directly affected by critical problems and needs in organizational decisions — a strong emphasis on a "bottom-up" approach to planning

An effective working relationship with all sectors, voluntary, public and private, to help promote effective community-wide action.

A close connection at the neighborhood level to provide a strong link between community-wide action to support effective integration of helping resources where people are — in their homes, schools, churches, neighborhoods

A recognition that, for the comprehensive community planning function to occur, organizations such as councils at the community-wide level are the critical link — the "intersection" between the neighborhoods and the state and nation

Researcher and data gatherer on key trends and developments related to human needs and helping resources, as well as needed changes for improvements and possibilities for successful action.

Planner for identifying most critical concerns to be addressed.

Organizer for convening and mobilizing resources for effective action on a broad range of often interrelated needs and concerns.

Voice for improved social policy decisions to support recommended action.

Source of technical assistance to plan and develop specific recommended changes, including new programs and organization of programs and agency relationships.

Developer of new resources, financial and other, to help support recommended action for change.

Advisor to public and voluntary local and state (and national, when appropriate) decision makers on better use of their respective resources.

Community education -- promoting awareness among the general public, decision makers, and service providers on important trends, issues, and needed actions.

Evaluation -- determining the effectiveness of programs, community-focused initiatives, and specific service arrangements.

Provider of information to help link people to needed assistance, often through general and/or specialized information and referral services, resource directories, etc.

Training source for service providers, volunteers, and program managers on improved job performance.

Promotion of voluntary citizen participation -- sometimes by developing and/or managing community volunteer centers.

In some instances, councils use their flexibility and skills to further enhance their communities’ capacity for action. Examples of these less common but important functions include acting as a:

Funder of services; usually part of a council’s larger role of impacting a particular need; and usually as a subcontractor of "pass through" funds.

Fiscal agent for a project being funded by a private or public source which may or may not be related to the council’s overall efforts to address specific needs.

Provider of various support services for non-profit agencies to further their financial, organization, and service effectiveness (including centralized purchasing, management and board training, etc).

Each council’s board and professional leaders, and circumstances within each individual community, determine what approach the council will focus on. (Although a particular council’s approach may emphasize a specific organizational model, this does not preclude it from also pursuing activities included in other approaches.)

"Information-resource" model:
Some councils focus much of their attention on gathering and monitoring information useful to identifying major community concerns, the resources available to help, and the ways to measure progress.  In some areas, the councils may actually help facilitate needed action.  However, the emphasis is on being an objective provider of information to the community as a whole.   

"Problem-focused" model:
Some councils focus their activities on a selected few important community concerns — gathering information, facilitating and mobilizing needed action, and monitoring progress. In some instances, councils also may provide key support services to affected individuals, i.e., case management, making appointments for help, etc.  The selection of problems to be addressed may evolve from a larger rational process involving other community groups, or may simply relate to what funding sources are available at a certain time.  The goals are multi-faceted, focused on changes in social, health, and/or economic conditions.

"Community-leadership-for-change" model:
Some councils have adopted their own broad set of goals and objectives that they commit a majority of their planning and related activities to address over an extended period of time.  They assess their own performance based on progress made toward each goal. Such councils position themselves to affect all aspects of these goals (i.e., child development, healthy families), including social policy, program development, community involvement, and resource allocations.  They often join with other community development and civic groups to share leadership for effecting desired changes.

Grants from national, state, local foundations, for ongoing activities or special initiatives.

Fee for service contracts with state agencies, local department of government, private foundations and others.

Local United Ways, for core operational expenses (e.g. core staff leadership and direct expenses) and selected services.

Private donations from individuals, corporations, civic groups.

Program service fees

Sales of reports, documents, etc.

Special fund raising events

Fees from participating organizations for centralized administrative services (e.g., joint purchasing, health insurance).

CONCLUSION

Although the structures and approaches found in planning councils across the country have evolved over the years, councils’ core functions have endured and remain of ongoing critical importance.

The important reliance on the leadership and vision of caring, knowledgeable and dedicated volunteers, guiding the work of capable professional staff, have always been and will continue to be keys to the success of councils’ work.
 

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