Connecting and supporting community builders around the world.

The ABCD Network is comprised of folks who care deeply about resident-centered community development. We have a 30+ year history of supporting local communities to create positive and sustainable change using the skills, assets and talents community members have within their own neighborhoods. The ABCD Network continues to grow and support all types of practitioners in asset-based community development theory and practice; from local grassroots organizations to non-profits, higher education, and philanthropy.

ABCDI and our network of ABCD practitioners aim to create a paradigm shift in the way the field of community development operates and centers residents in decision making. We aim to create resilient and thriving communities by teaching local people and organizations how to identify, nurture and mobilize existing community assets for change.

Click here to learn more about membership and how to join.

The Asset-Based Community Development Institute (ABCDI) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit membership organization that supports a global network of community-based practitioners. Our members consider local assets as the primary building blocks of sustainable community development. Building on the skills of residents, the power of local groups, and the supportive functions of organizations, asset-based community development draws upon existing community strengths to build stronger, more resilient communities for the future.

Join Our Board of Directors

The ABCD Institute currently is in the process of filling six Board seats beginning in January of 2027. We are seeking folks who are interested and have the time for stewarding the organization’s growth, cultivating strategic partnerships, and supporting a vision for expanding the impact of ABCD globally.

We are seeking board members who bring a diversity of perspectives (international/ local/rural/community/organizational) and diverse identities (gender/race/ability/age/economic status) and have time and capacity to put into doing work (this board is a working board!) and have gifts and skills to share in one or more of the following areas:

Connections through the philanthropic community or ability to support the Institute development efforts
Familiarity with supporting organizations with governance/regulatory knowledge for the nonprofit sector
Familiarity with organizational finance systems
Familiarity with technological infrastructure
Skills for marketing and communication

Board terms are three years long and members can serve two terms before rotating off the Board. Please learn more about the role here. Although the Institute is officially located in Chicago, Illinois, our board and network is composed of members across the U.S and the globe. Our monthly meetings are held virtually and we welcome local, national and international applications.

If you are interested, or know someone we should consider, please fill out this brief interest form by 9/25/26 and someone from the nominations committee will follow up with you.

Shared Learning

Resources & Publications

Asset-Based Community
Development Institute

Irwin W. Steans Center
DePaul University
2233 North Kenmore Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 325-8344
connect@abcdinstitute.org