1. Crossing the Development-Organizing Divide
A Comparative Case Study
Randy Stoecker

2. The Question
Community development corporations, CDCs, are promoted as the best answer for revitalizing impoverished and disinvested neighborhoods. Increasingly, they are being asked to go beyond their usual mission of housing and economic development to develop community. The question is, can they? And, if so, how?

3. Community Development
Some Definitions
Community
Organizing
Community Development
Goals
Build Community Power
Create Housing and Businesses
Worldview
Conflict—haves and have-nots lack common interests and relationships are zero sum.
Cooperation—haves and have-nots realize common interests and relationships are win-win.
Strategies
Organize residents to confront elites and demand changes in the distribution of power.
Cooperate with elites to fund or subsidize development of housing and businesses.
Source of Human Capital
Residents, mostly volunteers, with broad-based neighborhood experience.
Paid staff, mostly non-residents with specific technical expertise.

4. Variations on Community Organizing
Variations on Community Organizing
Power
Organizing
Development
Organizing
Types
Institution-based or individual-based
Community building, asset-based, consensus-based, women centered
Structure
organization of organizations or of individuals.
organization of individuals, or coalition; may be informal.
Exclusive/ Inclusive
exclusive within community.
may cross community or structural boundaries.
Strategic Focus
external policy maker or power holder targets.
internal development of community itself.
Tactics
conflict and negotiation.
skill and resource identification, primary relationship building, service provision.
Goals
policy change and community power.
individual empowerment and internal community development.

5. Worldviews and Community Practice Models
Conflict
Functionalism
Power Organizing
Community Development
Scarce resources
Conflicting interests
Unequal distribution
Domination
Complementary interests
Common goals
Natural selection
Equilibrium
Can Power Organizing and Community Development
Be Combined in CDCs?

6. A Dialectical Model of Community Change Programs
Intra-organizational
Pressures
Program
Innovation
Organizational
Adaptation
Program Goals
Tension Resolution
Strategies
Practices
Social Change
Tactics
Failure
External
Pressures

7. Toledo Community Organizing Training and Technical Assistance Program
Lagrange Development
Corporation / Lagrange
Village Council –
LDC/LVC
Organized Neighbors
Yielding Excellence –
ONYX
Predominantly African-American
Economically diverse, middle class and poor
Successful housing developer
Appointed board
History of failed CO
Historically Polish, now racially diverse
Working class and poor
Successful housing developer
Democratically elected board
History of successful CO
*Toledo Central City Neighborhoods / Neighbors in Action dropped out early.

8. Program Components – Years 1 and 2
Foundation pressures for community organizing
Choosing consultants/trainers
Setting up the program: director, organizer, and board training
ONYX staff turnover
TCCN/NIA exit
Slumlord Action
Year
Developing program growth and sustainability strategies
Institutionalizing power organizing in the neighborhoods
Inter-organizational conflicts
Challenges in ONYX
Shift to individualized mentoring

9. Program Transition – Years 3 and 4+
Funding pressures and conflict with funders
Founding of ACORN organization in Toledo
LDC/LVC, ONYX, ACORN affiliation structure
Reduction in training and technical assistance
Year to present
Formation of sponsoring committee
ONYX ends community organizing
Expansion of ACORN to three neighborhoods
Turnover of organizers
LVC wins $500,000 of city capital improvements

10. Intra-organizational
Outcomes:
ONYX
Appointed Board
Lack of Board/Staff CO Knowledge
CO Combined with CD
Intra-organizational
Pressures
Program
Innovation
Program Goals
Tension Resolution
Strategies
Organizational
Adaptation
Practices
Social Change
Tactics
Failure
External
Pressures
Insecure Development Funding
City “Watch” List

11. Intra-organizational
Outcomes:
LDC/LVC
Elected Board (LDC and LVC)
Strong Board/Staff CO Knowledge
CO Insulated from CD
Intra-organizational
Pressures
Program
Innovation
Program Goals
Tension Resolution
Strategies
Organizational
Adaptation
Practices
Social Change
Tactics
Failure
External
Pressures
Secure Development Funding
City as Target (LVC)

12. Elaborating the Development-Organizing Dialectic
Community
Organizing
Community
Development
Democratic membership expansion
Independence from elites
Support for conflict
Rule challenging
Restricted participation
Dependence on elites
Avoidance of conflict
Rule following

13. Managing the Development- Organizing Dialectic in CDCs
The importance of early organizational assessment and buy-in:
What do the executive director, staff organizer, and board members know about organizing in general and different organizing models?
What is the structure of the organization? Are leaders elected or appointed? How are leaders identified/recruited? Who supervises the organizer?
How do board and staff respond to a series of organizing vs. development dilemmas (such as doing an action against a bank that funds CDC projects)?
The importance of clarifying the organizing-development dialectic:
Educating leaders and staff about conflict and functionalist perspectives
Educating leaders and staff about different organizing models
The importance of structuring the organizing-development dialectic:
Formal separation of organizing and development activities
Maintaining board and staff expertise in power organizing

14. Current Tests of the Model
Minneapolis
Cedar-Riverside Community Organizing Assessment and Planning Project
Former British Settler Colonies Comparison
Cedar-Riverside

15. For More…