Thanks for your feedback on our blog!

The Center for the Study of Social Policy recently conducted a survey to learn about blog readers’ experiences with Investing in Community Change. Thank you to all those who responded! The majority of survey respondents rated the blog’s usefulness a 4 or 5 on a 5 point scale. In an effort to receive continuous feedback from you, increase transparency, and encourage dialogue, we have enabled comments on this and all blog posts. We encourage you to use the comments section to connect with colleagues across the country, share your innovative ideas, and tell us how we can best serve you.

Thank you for telling others about our blog!

One-third of survey respondents learned of the ICC blog through a “friend, colleague, [or] constituent” (Figure 1) and sixteen respondents have “shared information [from the blog] with colleagues, clients, constituents, etc.,” by far the most popular response to any question (Figure 2).

Figure 1: How did you find out about the blog? Please check all that apply.

Figure 2: How have you used the information provided on the blog? Please check all that apply.

Issues of Interest

As shown in Figure 2, roughly one-quarter of survey respondents applied for funding as a result of information learned through the blog. Four respondents noted that the blog provides “current,” “timely,” “up to date” information that covers “the latest movements.” Readers’ trust that the blog delivers current and relevant information may be a factor in their reliance on Investing in Community Change when seeking funding opportunities and other information vital to their work. One respondent noted that “the information [provided by blog posts] helps us plan actions in our community.” Respondents also noted an appreciation for blog coverage of the following issues: family engagement, community transformation, children’s services, early care and education.

In an effort to maximize the usefulness of the blog, question six asked respondents to suggest additional issues or types of information they would like to see highlighted. Three respondents requested more coverage of early childhood issues, including school readiness and informal care arrangements. Three respondents highlighted the importance of equity, two of whom explicitly mentioned race/ institutional racism. Four respondents expressed an interest in more practice-oriented/ how-to style blog posts, including those that offer “advocacy tips” and “outreach strategies;” as well as information on “how to inspire our community;” “how to weave/align all these strategies together for equitable neighborhood development;” “building strong partnerships and collaborations;” and “collaboration models.” These respondents and other blog readers may find the information in the soon-to-be-released Making a Difference in Your Neighborhood: A Handbook for Using Community Decision-Making to Improve the Lives of Children, Youth and Families incredibly useful, especially Chapter 2: Creating Accountable Partnerships. Once available, we will provide a link to this Guide right here on the blog.

Remember that you can always use the category links on the side bar of the blog to quickly navigate to the issues that interest you most. Categories range from Early Learning and Education to Health and Wellness, Affordable Housing, Sustainable Communities and much more!

We hope to continue hearing from you!

We are dedicated to providing the most current and useful information to promote and assist your efforts to revitalize and strengthen communities, empower residents and improve the lives of the most vulnerable children and families. If there is any way that we can improve our blog, please send us an e-mail at communitychange@cssp.org or leave us a comment. Thanks!