Green Book (The Basic Manual)

This guide to asset-based community development summarizes lessons learned by studying successful community-building initiatives in hundreds of neighborhoods across the United States. It outlines in simple, neighborhood-friendly terms what local communities can do to start their own journeys down the path of asset-based development. This guide will be helpful to local community leaders, leaders of local associations and institutions, government officials, and leaders in the philanthropic and business communities who wish to support effective community-building strategies.
 

The guide is no longer in print, but can be found below as a free downloadable pdf both in its full form and broken down into chapters.
Entire book (80 MB)

If you are looking for a physical copy of the book you can find used copies from a variety of sellers at Abe Books. 

When People Care Enough to Act: ABCD

Enriching each other, this book provides a clear exposition of ABCD (Asset Based Community Development) organizing principles & best practices for community partnership. Examples of ABCD in Action, learning exercises, worksheets, and reflections from experienced practitioners of ABCD community building. A practical approach to creating community collaborations that work. Reflections by John McKnight; Lessons from Ashville, NC; Marquette, MI; Laconia, NH; Savannah, GA; Ames, IA. Note: There is an ABCD DVD that parallels the book available through the Inclusion Press web site: inclusion.com

 Building the Mercado Central Asset-Based Development and Community Entrepreneurship

The Mercado Central is a retail business cooperative that was developed by the Latino immigrant community in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Mercado Central (Cooperative Mercado Central) is the result of the creativity and hard work of members of this community, who joined forces with a faith-based organizing group and numerous community organizations to build a traditional marketplace in their inner-city neighborhood. Currently home to 44 businesses, the Mercado Central has transformed the lives of people in this community by recognizing their capacity to build their own local economy in a manner that reflected their traditions. The Mercado story begins with the community organizing efforts of Isaiah, a coalition of churches in the Minneapolis area committed to mobilizing congregations to social action. In Minneapolis, asset-based community development principles were merged with traditional community organizing in a process of connecting the talent and energy of the community around issues such as building a church and working on immigration issues. These organizing efforts resulted in a community ready for change, and the Mercado Central is the economic engine for change they decided to create. The Mercado Central represents unfaltering commitment to leadership development, as well as one about how the power of community can overcome individual limitations.

Asset-Based Development Success Stories from Egyptian Communities

This collection of ten short cases highlights examples of asset-based community development in Egypt. Produced in collaboration with the Centre for Development Services, Cairo. An Arabic version of this book is available through the Near East Foundation.

Among the ways people identify with a community is through the history they share with others of coping with change and responding to opportunity. Tension and struggle are part of this process of change, but those communities that have been able to move forward tend to be those that define themselves by their assets and capacities, rather than by their problems. The purpose of this manual is to shine the light on these communities, and draw out lessons for development practitioners.

This manual and its companion manual on participatory monitoring and evaluation, is the result of a joint effort by the Self Employed Women’s Association (India) and the Coady International Institute, St. Francis Xavier University (Canada). Inspired by Gandhian principles, SEWA’s mandate and its work on the SEWA Jeevika project has emphasized respect for the disadvantaged and for the power of collective action. It follows from this that working with the disadvantaged requires an appreciation for their strengths and capacities as well as a determination to use these strengths to increase access to the means of livelihood security and a life of dignity. This manual brings together an understanding of factors determining livelihood security with a way of working with people at the village level. It relies on field workers who recognize the assets, experience and knowledge of the most disadvantaged. It can help people to identify opportunities to collaborate together to improve their prospects, and further help them to make the social and institutional connections that will sustain an upward trend in their living conditions over the longer term. These manuals are dedicated to those Village Organizers and SEWA members who have worked tirelessly and selflessly to achieve the goals of SEWA Jeevika.