Measuring progress

Abstract

Measurement and evaluation of community development progress is not only challenging, it is essential. Communities must be able to demonstrate the value and outcomes of their activities in order to be accountable to residents, secure funding, and to assess the efficacy of their programs. Increasingly, concerns with community well-being and happiness are emerging along with the need to measure and assess progress in these dimensions. Community indicators can be used to evaluate the progress of communities and community development organizations. Communities face many needs and opportunities and must allocate limited funds and human resources as efficiently as possible to successfully achieve their goals across these areas. Additionally, best practices and benchmarking are valuable tools in community decisions on development program structure, operations, and follow-up modifications.