The Community Tool Box is a free, online resource for those working to build healthier communities and bring about social change. Our mission is to promote community health and development by connecting people, ideas, and resources. The Community Tool Box is a public service developed and managed by the KU Center for Community Health and Development and partners nationally and internationally. The Tool Box is a part of the Center’s role as a designated World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Community Health and Development.

Professors and instructors from various disciplines use the Community Tool Box as a resource for their teaching. The Tool Box is often used as course text in the fields of public health, community psychology, nursing, social welfare, and other applied fields.

Chapter 1. Our Model for Community Change and Improvement
Chapter 2. Other Models for Promoting Community Health and Development
Chapter 3. Assessing Community Needs and Resources
Chapter 4. Getting Issues on the Public Agenda
Chapter 5. Choosing Strategies to Promote Community Health and Development
Chapter 6. Communications to Promote Interest
Chapter 7. Encouraging Involvement in Community Work
Chapter 8. Developing a Strategic Plan
Chapter 9. Developing an Organizational Structure for the Initiative
Chapter 10. Hiring and Training Key Staff of Community Organizations
Chapter 11. Recruiting and Training Volunteers
Chapter 12. Providing Training and Technical Assistance
Chapter 13. Orienting Ideas in Leadership
Chapter 14. Core Functions in Leadership
Chapter 15. Becoming an Effective Manager
Chapter 16. Group Facilitation and Problem-Solving
Chapter 17. Analyzing Community Problems and Solutions
Chapter 18. Deciding Where to Start
Chapter 19. Choosing and Adapting Community Interventions
Chapter 20. Providing Information and Enhancing Skills
Chapter 21. Enhancing Support, Incentives, and Resources
Chapter 22. Youth Mentoring Programs
Chapter 23. Modifying Access, Barriers, and Opportunities
Chapter 24. Improving Services
Chapter 25. Changing Policies
Chapter 26. Changing the Physical and Social Environment
Chapter 27. Cultural Competence in a Multicultural World
Chapter 28. Spirituality and Community Building
Chapter 29. The Arts and Community Building
Chapter 30. Principles of Advocacy
Chapter 31. Conducting Advocacy Research
Chapter 32. Providing Encouragement and Education
Chapter 33. Conducting a Direct Action Campaign
Chapter 34. Media Advocacy
Chapter 35. Responding to Counterattacks
Chapter 36. Introduction to Evaluation
Chapter 37. Operations in Evaluating Community Interventions
Chapter 38. Some Methods for Evaluating Comprehensive Community Initiatives
Chapter 39. Using Evaluation to Understand and Improve the Initiative
Chapter 40. Maintaining Quality Performance
Chapter 41. Rewarding Accomplishments
Chapter 42. Getting Grants and Financial Resources
Chapter 43. Managing Finances
Chapter 44. Investing in Community Resources
Chapter 45. Social Marketing of Successful Components of the Initiative
Chapter 46. Planning for Sustainability

Sample syllabi are also available: https://ctb.ku.edu/en/teaching-with-the-community-tool-box

Learning Objectives:
Describe the four models of public relations and the four stages of a typical public relations campaign.
Analyze the role of public relations in media and culture.
Analyze the ways public relations is taking the place of traditional advertising.
Explain the concept of branding.
Describe the uses of public relations in politics, government, and news media.
Understand what integrated marketing communications (IMC) are.
Understand why organizations may change their promotional strategies to reach different audiences.
Understand the different components of the promotion (communication) mix and why organizations may consider all components when designing the IMC program.
Understand the difference between types of communication that target many people at one time versus types of communication that target individuals.
Understand the difference between media and vehicles.
Explain the similarities and differences between advertising and direct marketing.
Understand the benefits of direct marketing and what types of direct marketing organizations often utilize.
Understand what a unique selling proposition is and how it is used.
Understand different types of promotion objectives.
Identify different message strategies.
Understand different ways in which promotion budgets can be set.
Understand how the budget can be allocated among different media.
Learn about different types of sales promotions companies use to get customers to buy their products.
Understand the different types of sales promotions companies use with their business customers.
Understand why sales promotions have become such an integral part of an organization’s promotion mix.
Differentiate between push and pull strategies.
Understand the concept of public relations and why organizations allocate part of their promotional budgets to it.
Understand what the different types of public relations tools are.
Explain how companies use different public relations tools to their advantage.
Understand the different social media zones.
Understand how social media can generate publicity.
Explain how social media keeps changing.

Why writing is still crucial in a digital and visual world

Short Description:
Print and electronic communication, social media and even visual messaging all require a core skill: writing. Learn how to write and develop messages in different formats from professionals with expertise in different areas of communication.

Long Description:
Print and electronic communication, social media and even visual messaging all require a core skill: writing. This book is a practical guide to planning and writing strategically, concisely and effectively for many of the communication channels used in the current public relations environment. It connects students to professionals with expertise in different aspects of message creation and highlights the types of writing and other skills needed to be competitive in the current communication job market.

Word Count: 13250

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically as part of a bulk import process by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided. As a result, there may be errors in formatting.)

Short Description:
Good writing skills are important in today’s competitive work environment. This is especially the case for communication-related professions such as public relations, brand communication, journalism, and marketing.

Long Description:
Good writing skills are important in today’s competitive work environment. This is especially the case for communication-related professions such as public relations, brand communication, journalism, and marketing. Writing for Strategic Communication Industries emphasizes practical application of academic inquiry to help readers improve their writing skills. This book gives readers: Straightforward chapters that use real-world examples to illustrate key points. Discussion of different writing styles and techniques. Examples of communication materials such as press releases, creative briefs, feature articles, and more. Embedded videos of insights from communication professionals. Tips on pitching to the media. A collection of popular sources for further explanation.

Word Count: 20764

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically as part of a bulk import process by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided. As a result, there may be errors in formatting.)