PURPOSE
The purpose of the North Carolina Community Solutions Network (NCCSN) is to build the capacity of communities – particularly those that are economically distressed – to inclusively and collaboratively address complex community problems and improve the quality of life for all its citizens.  

BACKGROUND
The NCCSN grew out of early thinking and research carried out by a number of colleagues, with support by the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. In 2000, the Rural Prosperity Task Force endorsed the idea of the NCCSN. Further support from the Foundation allowed for the creation of a diverse design team that has laid out the values, mission, and strategic goals of the organization.

Additional support from the Golden LEAF Foundation has allowed NCCSN to launch 3 demonstration projects in three rural communities, and support from Progress Energy allowed for the development of a "business plan." Having recently been incorporated as a freestanding nonprofit, the NCCSN is developing an organizational structure allowing for self-organizing activities across the state and across a strong network of colleagues.

GOALS
Connect communities to the information, coaching, and other resources already available in the state to support collaborative community problem-solving efforts;

Strengthen the numbers and capacity of practitioners across North Carolina who are able to assist communities through educational programs and improved access to knowledge, resources and public and private financial support;

Shape public agency policies and practices to support collaborative community problem-solving and reduce fragmentation of efforts; and,

Build the practice of community problem solving by sharing what has been learned in communities and developing new tools and practices.

STRATEGIES AND TARGETS
NCCSN’s strategies are tied to the above goals and include the following:

Broker relationships between funding partners, communities, and coaches/practitioners to offer North Carolina communities processes of support and innovation designed to dramatically improve their community-building efforts;

Develop and expand a network of North Carolina practitioners who share a common understanding of and approach to community-change work and who are interested in developing a much stronger set of skills through sustained collective learning and practice;

Build an information and referral system that North Carolina communities can easily access to receive information about existing resources and expertise to support their community-building and change efforts; and,

Document the impact and value of community problem-solving and share the real-life stories from North Carolina’s communities.

Community Collaboration Is a Growing Field – With Challenges
Across North Carolina and the country, communities are bringing many players and voices together in processes that examine the roots of the community’s challenges and generate new ways to mobilize strengths and assets for community renewal

Collaboration is a growing field because it works.

Despite this growing focus, many communities – especially small and rural ones - still struggle to find their collaborative bearings and to untangle the intertwined nature of their social and economic deficiencies. In communities that actively use collaboration, there are new challenges that must be addressed:

• Community collaboratives function in relative isolation.
• Collaborative efforts with the best intentions still leave out the voices, aspirations and decisions of those who have been marginalized from more traditional institutions by the dynamics of race, class, and power.
• The infrastructure to support community collaboration is fragmented and underdeveloped.
• Most communities lack skilled and experienced practitioners who can coach and facilitate the participants through an inclusive and generative process, creating lasting capacity for continuing the efforts over time.
• The funding and other resources for collaboration are organized within issue-based silos that can result from many of the policies and practices of funding agencies.
• It is difficult to replicate success within communities and between communities as the lessons learned and practices developed are not shared across collaboratives, issue areas, or communities.

The Community Solutions Network believes that the best short and long-term solutions for economic and social well being result when communities listen to voices from all sectors; work intentionally to bridge historic divides across race, power, geography, and other historic divisions; and foster a civic culture of inclusion, engagement, and democracy in decision-making.

This web site made possible with the support of