The board and staff of the Asset-Based Community Development Institute are deeply saddened at the loss of our co-founder, John L. McKnight. John died on November 2 at the age 92. Until his death, he was an active member of the ABCD Institute Board, and an advisor and mentor to many people around the world who are committed to strengthening local communities primarily through the gifts and talents of those who live there.
John, along with his colleague, John “Jody” Kretzmann, founded the ABCD Institute in the early 1990s after spending four years visiting neighborhoods across the country to explore how residents cared for one another through their collective efforts. Their research, coupled with John’s experience as a community organizer in Chicago, culminated in the publication of the best-selling community development book, “Building Communities from the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community's Assets”
In the three decades since, John made a tremendous impact globally through talks, workshops, and training, as well as articles and books that have reached millions of people. Asset-based community development has influenced nearly every civic sector, from philanthropy to healthcare to media to higher education. Hundreds of thousands of people on nearly every continent, most of whom never met John, are advocates of and contributors to ABCD principles and practices. Many of us are deeply engaged in the ongoing work of the Institute.
"John was an ever thoughtful, constant learner, a connector, a life-long educator, a passionate social justice warrior and he unpretentiously worked in pursuit of the common good, for the benefit of communities everywhere. Now is the time for us to firmly grasp that baton and lift our united voices, create meaningful impact, pursue the shift the power and remember to also take time to fish, connect with and care for one another and slow down to listen to life’s jazz." Dee Brooks, ABCD Institute Steward and Board Director
John modeled the enduring principles of ABCD through his unfaltering belief in the capacity of every person, particularly those most marginalized, to contribute meaningfully to the well-being of their neighbors and to the collective goodwill of society. He embodied the spirit of the ABCD Institute. Mostly, he was our friend. We will miss him dearly.
"John was infinitely generous with his mentorship, and one of the best storytelling spellcasters I have ever met. His heart was always people, and he used his voice tirelessly to point out both the chronically underestimated yet vast capacities of neighbors and the cloaked harm of paternalistic forms of helping or “developing” communities. His love and fierceness will live on in his writings and the network of asset-eyed individuals he touched and helped to connect across the globe." April Doner, ABCD Institute Steward.
Services will be held privately. As a board, we are dedicated to ensuring John’s legacy and have started planning a Symposium to be hosted in Chicago the Summer of 2025 to honor John and Jody’s work and legacy. More details will be sent out as they are finalized.