What is ABCD?

Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) is a term coined by John McKnight and John Kretzman in the 1990s. Although the concept pre-existed their research, they outlined a novel approach to community work for many nonprofits. ABCD views, and then responds to, community needs through a focus on the community’s pre-existing assets rather than deficits. Community members are no longer seen as passive recipients of aid, but equal collaborators towards a better future. ABCD focuses on skills and resources the community already has, and encourages communities to connect internally to work towards positive outcomes.

Whether consciously or unconsciously, many nonprofits view the community members with whom they work through a needs-based lens. These individuals are even labeled “clients” or “recipients”, and often don’t have a say in the programs taking place. This can create a cycle of community members becoming dependent on nonprofits for crucial services.

A nonprofit’s role

Although ABCD focuses on community members coordinating and determining their own assets, nonprofits can play an important role in the progression of autonomous community building. As communities are discovering and providing access to their assets, nonprofits can provide an important “connector” role, and then exit the community once an infrastructure has been built. Nonprofit professionals can provide subject matter expertise and consistency that can make a difference in the community.

Map assets and plan an exit

Together with the community, nonprofits should map assets and create a strategy to exit once the community has achieved their goals.

Rather than conducting a needs assessment, nonprofits should engage in asset mapping to identify the gifts and talents of the community. As part of this exercise, nonprofits can facilitate community meetings, connecting residents with one another and their talents.

Once a community’s assets have been identified, nonprofits should work with residents to determine the extent of the organization’s involvement. What connection resources can the nonprofit provide, and what indicators of success will allow it to step back? Creating an exit strategy reminds both the community and the organization that the ultimate goal is community autonomy.

Get to know the community

In order to build trust, nonprofits must understand the unique context and culture of the community with which they work. These factors will influence a community’s priorities and involvement. Especially as an outsider, nonprofits need to ensure their priorities are aligned with the community. While ABCD practitioners are encouraged to focus on others’ abilities rather than their limitations, they must also recognize structural injustices that may affect the community’s receptiveness to nonprofit involvement. If a community feels understood and supported, they are much more likely to experience success.

Be honest about successes and failures

Nonprofits engaging in ABCD efforts may especially benefit from the results-based accountability model. In a traditional logic model, nonprofits determine the signs of success for the community. However, through results-based accountability, nonprofits and community members work together to agree on quality of life markers that signal success. The metrics that a community chooses may be harder to measure, and thereby harder to justify funding for them. Despite this potential challenge, this approach ensures that an organization’s work in the community is truly impactful.

Embrace simplicity 

As nonprofits embark on the journey of ABCD, they should consider that the most sustainable results are often the simplest. Utilizing resources already available to community members often encourages greater use in the future. Practitioners have found success with the partial completion model. As the name suggests, a nonprofit delivers part of a service, which is then completed by the community. This can be seen in “half-houses”, where a nonprofit constructs half of a home and the residents complete the other half. This approach not only decreases effort for the organization, but also generates additional buy-in from residents.

For nonprofits, ABCD efforts may always be an exercise in the sticky space between ideals and reality. Operating in a system that focuses on community needs, ABCD requires additional commitment and patience to enact. However, for nonprofits that do focus on the self-determination of other communities through co-creation, this work can be extremely rewarding. 

Amanda Judah works as a Project Coordinator for Arizona State University and is a Fall 2025 graduate of the Masters of Nonprofit Leadership and Management program. Her nonprofit experience spans higher education establishments. museums, faith-based institutions, and climate justice organizations. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, reading, and spending time with her cats. 

Image by Lillian Finley

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