Innovators in Rural Community Economic Development

WEALTH CREATION

Yellow Wood has been the thought leader in developing an alternative approach to economic development based on inclusive wealth creation that provides a bridge between community and economic development with an emphasis on sustainable livelihoods. Through this approach, we expand the traditional definition of wealth to include intellectual, social, individual, natural, built, political and financial wealth. The wealth creation approach is intentionally inclusive of low-wealth people and areas and seeks to increase investment in the assets they own and control by connecting them to larger economic forces and regions. This approach sets a high standard; it challenges us all to figure out how to create multiple forms of wealth at the same time without undermining any one to create another.

Tools developed through this approach, such as the wealth matrix and value chains, can be used to plan and assess development activity to improve practice, impacts and sustainability and provide a framework for powerful market-based economic development that benefits communities of place. You can find reports, presentations, and other materials related to wealth creation in our resource library.

Yellow Wood’s wealth creation services include keynote addresses; virtual and on-site training in the wealth creation approach; coaching support for adopters (including grantees); sector-based research; policy analysis; economic and fiscal impact analysis and outcome measurement.

Yellow Wood is a founding member of the WealthWorks Network of trained practitioners with whom we work collaboratively to meet client needs and provide training to value chain managers and WealthWorks coaches. If you are interested in learning more about training in WealthWorks, visit our WealthWorks page.


Regards to Rural 2015 Conference: Keynote, "Navigating the Rivers of Change: Rural Communities in Transition"

Shanna Ratner presented the closing keynote at the 2015 Regards to Rural Conference in Bend, Oregon. Her presentation shared perspectives on what it looks like to do economic development differently, drawing on her experience with the WealthWorks framework…

Regards to Rural 2015 Conference: Pre-Session, "WealthWorks Northwest"

Shanna Ratner was the featured presenter at the Regards to Rural 2015 Conference Pre-Session, “WealthWorks Northwest,” consisting of three workshops introducing WealthWorks. The first workshop, “WealthWorks Northwest! Building Rural Wealth,” focused…

ActionAid, Developing a Handbook for a Gender Sensitive Framework for Access to Market and Value Chains

Shanna Ratner worked with Barbara Wyckoff of Dynamica Consulting to develop a handbook for ActionAid.  This work built off of the framework developed in the Kathmandu workshop on Gender Sensitive Access to Market and Value Chains. Topics addressed…

WealthWorks Training, April 2015 - February 2016

Participants in the fourth WealthWorks training, which began in April 2015 and runs through February 2016, come from organizations and states across the country, including National Joint Powers Alliance (MN), Southern Colorado Economic Development…

Cornell University, Strengthening Rural-Urban Linkages to Support Rural Economic Development

Yellow Wood Associates is working with Cornell University to facilitate working sessions with their research and extension advisory teams to systemically apply the WealthWorks theory of how wealth is created and retained in rural areas to the rural-urban…

Walton Family Foundation, Private Coaching, Meeting Facilitation and Value Chain Coordination for Nature-Based Tourism Grantees in the Lower Mississippi River Region

Yellow Wood Associates is working with place-based grantees of the Walton Family Foundation in the Lower Mississippi River Region.  This work is focused around nature-based tourism.  Coaching work includes calls with grantees and group calls to support…

WealthWorks Training, October 2014 - August 2015

Participants in the third WealthWorks training, which began in October 2014 and runs through August 2015, come from organizations and states across the country, including Agricultural Utilization Research Institute…

Wealth Creation in Rural Communities - Building Sustainable Livelihoods (WealthWorks)

Yellow Wood Associates is the managing grantee and thought leader for Wealth Creation in Rural Communities - Building Sustainable Livelihoods (now WealthWorks), an initiative of the Ford Foundation that seeks to improve rural livelihoods with a systems…

Strategic Thinking, Workshop Facilitation and Follow-up for the Local Economies Project of the New World Foundation

Continuing their work with the Local Economies Project (LEP) of the New World Foundation, Yellow Wood designed and facilitated a full-day, on-site workshop to review the findings from the first workshop, align current and planned activities in relation…

Rural Research Report on WealthWorks for the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs

Melissa Levy co-authored a report, along with Barbara Wyckoff of Dynamica Consulting, for the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs.  The report, titled “Connecting Community Assets with Market Demand for Lasting Livelihoods: Meeting New Challenges…

Black Belt Treasures Cultural Arts Center Learning Journey

Yellow Wood worked with the Black Belt Treasures Cultural Arts Center to plan and facilitate a learning journey around arts tourism. Representatives from the Black Belt Treasures Cultural Arts Center traveled to Western North Carolina for an itinerary…

Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs, 25th Annual Rural Community and Economic Development Conference Sessions

Melissa Levy presented two “You Get What You Measure®” workshop sessions at the 25th Annual Rural Community and Economic Development Conference, as part of a program of workshops on community and economic development techniques. The conference was…

21st Annual Conference on the Adirondacks, 2014: Moving Forward- Revitalizing Communities and Forging Opportunities

Shanna Ratner presented on “Creating and Retaining Wealth: Connecting Assets with Market Demand for Lasting Livelihoods” at the 21st Annual Conference on the Adirondacks.  Her presentation was titled…

Profit Squared and Heifer International, Development of Heifer Nepal Case Study

Profit Squared sought Yellow Wood’s assistance in developing a case study of a goat meat value chain project supported by Heifer International in Nepal, for use in training Heifer International staff on a wealth creation approach to development. Yellow…

2014 NCRC Annual Conference - A Just Economy: Ideas, Action, Impact

Shanna Ratner was a panelist on the panel "Innovative Strategies that Support Rural Communities." This panel featured organizations that build local value chains in sectors such as food and agriculture, green affordable housing, energy efficiency,…

WealthWorks Training, April 2014 - February 2015

Participants in the second WealthWorks training, which began in April 2014 and runs through February 2015, come from organizations and states across the country, including Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group…

WealthWorks Training, December 2013 - September 2014

The WealthWorks Training provides coaches and coordinators from nonprofit, for profit, and government agencies with an introduction to the Wealth Works approach and framework and a guided six to nine month Wealth Works…

Natural Capital Investment Fund, NCIF Rural Jobs Accelerator Measurement

Yellow Wood Associates is working with the Natural Capital Investment Fund and partners to develop outcome measures for the Rural Jobs Accelerator that capture effects on the seven forms of wealth as well as on jobs and income. We will work with NCIF…

Walton Family Foundation, Verde River Valley Nature Organization Value Chain Facilitation

Yellow Wood Associates worked with the Verde River Valley Nature Organization (VRVNO), a Walton Family Foundation grantee.  Yellow Wood provided VRVNO with coaching and analysis to review their birding value chain, identify metrics/measurement that…

ActionAid Workshop on Gender Sensitive Access to Market and Value Chain, Thamel, Kathmandu

Shanna Ratner and Barbara Wyckoff were invited by ActionAid to co-facilitate a five day workshop in Nepal. The participants included partners and ActionAid staff from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Senegal together with two women community…

Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, Technical Assistance and Coaching for the Alabama Tombigbee Regional Commission / Black Belt Treasures, Phase 2

In the second phase of their work with the Alabama Tombigbee Regional Commission / Black Belt Treasures, Yellow Wood is working with Black Belt Treasures to strengthen their value chain through expanded connections to the greater arts, culture and…

2013 CED Webinar Series, "Measuring the Success of Your Community Economic Development and Healthy Food Projects"

Melissa Levy presented on measuring multiple forms of wealth on June 2013 as part of the 2013 Community Economic Development Webinar Series. Melissa's presentation was part of a webinar titled "Measuring the Success of Your Community Economic Development…

Community Indicators Consortium Impact Summit 2013, “Measuring Impact Using a WealthWorks Approach.”

Melissa Levy presented “Measuring Impact Using a WealthWorks Approach” on Thursday, October 17th, 2013, at the Community Indicators Consortium Impact Summit.  Her presentation was made as part of a session titled “Building Data, Gauging…

Vermont Nonprofit Conference 2013, “Measuring Impact to Build Locally Controlled Wealth”

Melissa Levy presented, “Wealth Creation in Rural Communities: Measuring Impact to Build Locally Controlled Wealth” at the Vermont Nonprofit Conference in Fairlee, Vermont in March 2013. The Ford Foundation’s Wealth Creation in Rural Communities initiative…

Cornell University, Wealth Creation in Rural Communities Presentations

At the invitation of Mann Librarian Outreach and Engagement Specialist Jeff Piestrak, Shanna Ratner made two presentations followed by participatory engagement, one at Mann Library and one at the Tompkins County Library, respectively entitled: A Wealth…

Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, Technical Assistance and Coaching for the Alabama Tombigbee Regional Commission / Black Belt Treasures

The Center for Rural Entrepreneurship funded Yellow Wood Associates to work with mini-grantees of the National Association of Development Organizations.  Melissa has been working with a NADO mini-grantee, the Alabama Tombigbee Regional Commission,…

Walton Family Foundation, Meeting Facilitation and Integration of Demand Research for Nature-Based Tourism Grantees

Beginning in fall 2011, Yellow Wood Associates has worked with four Walton Family Foundation grantees along the Lower Mississippi River around nature based tourism. Focus areas for this group have included paddling tourism, non-consumptive wildlife…

12th Annual New Partners for Smart Growth: Building Safe, Healthy, Equitable, and Prosperous Communities Conference, February 8, 2013, Kansas City Convention Center, Missouri

Melissa Levy, Senior Associate at Yellow Wood Associates, co-presented a session with Euneika Rogers-Sipp, Chief Regenerative Officer of Sustainable Rural Regenerative Enterprises for Families. The session was titled "Building Rural Wealth Based on…

Achieving Sustainable Communities and Social Equity Conference

Shanna Ratner was a panelist for two sessions at this conference: "Place-based vs. Conventional Economic Development" and "Measuring Real Time Plan & Project Impacts." The conference was sponsored by the New England Federal Partnership for Sustainable…

National Rural Electric Cooperative 2013 CEO Close-Up Conference

Shanna Ratner participated on the panel "Quality of Life: How Can Co-ops Make a Difference?" along with representatives from NRECA, CoBank, and the US Department of Agriculture. Changing demographics and an economy in transition present challenges…

Blood, Muscle, Bone: A Story of Wealth and Poverty

Jawole Willa Jo Zollar and Liz Lerman invited Shanna Ratner to join them as a special guest for a conversation about wealth and poverty in America at the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan. The conversation took place as part of "Blood, Muscle, Bone:…

Knowledge and Learning Transfer and Training for the Wealth Creation Approach to Rural and Regional Development Project, The Aspen Institute

Yellow Wood collaborated with the Aspen Institute’s Community Strategies Group to develop a knowledge transfer platform for development practitioners who want to use the wealth creation approach developed through the Ford Foundation’s Wealth Creation…

Community Action 2012: Working for Opportunity and Economic Security in America, Wealth Creation in Rural Communities Presentation

Melissa Levy presented an overview of the Ford Foundation’s Wealth Creation in Rural Communities initiative, which uses a systems approach to wealth creation, linking together the whole system of assets, producers and consumers in ways that benefit…

Growing Health 2012

Shanna Ratner gave a plenary presentation on “Your Role in Healthy Food Systems” at the Growing Health 2012 conference, highlighting how healthy food systems contribute to multiple forms of wealth in the community, and workshopping ways in which members…

NADO National Rural Transportation Peer Learning Conference, April 2012, Burlington, VT

Melissa Levy co-presented a workshop session titled "Visioning and Beyond: Developing Plans and Measuring Implementation" with Peggy Reichert of the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The workshop walked participants through the process of connecting…

Walton Family Foundation, Coaching and Demand-Side Research Services to Nature-Based Tourism Grantees in the Lower Mississippi Delta.

Yellow Wood provided coaching in wealth creation value chain development and conducting demand-related research for four nature-based tourism pilot projects in the Lower Mississippi Delta. We also provided coaching services for a team working with…

Walton Family Foundation, Wealth Creation and Measurement Workshops for Grantees in the Verde Valley, Arizona.

Yellow Wood worked with twelve Walton Family Foundation grantees in the Verde Valley area of Arizona. The intent of this work was to introduce the wealth creation approach as a way to strengthen the individual projects and begin thinking about the…

National Cooperative Business Association, Conference Planning

Yellow Wood was invited to collaborate with the National Cooperative Business Association to develop the introductory workshop and framework for subsequent workshops in a conference track for community economic development practitioners. The initial…

National Cooperative Business Association Wealth Creation Pilot Project

Yellow Wood worked with the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA) to conduct a pilot study on the unique contribution cooperatives make to the creation and retention of wealth in the communities and regions in which they operate. We worked…

NADO Economic Development Finance Service Peer Networking Conference

Melissa Levy spoke about Wealth Creation in Rural Communities during a session titled "Working Lunch: Rural Wealth Creation."

ActionAid, The Wealth Creation Framework & International Values Chains Work: An International Workshop

ActionAid is an international organization, working with over 15 million people in 45 countries for a world free from poverty and injustice. After hearing about the wealth creation approach, ActionAid approached the Ford Foundation to learn more. In…

Creating and Retaining Wealth: New Ways of Approaching Economic Development in Rural and Small Metro Communities

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Melissa Levy presented an interactive demonstration of tools designed to help practitioners…

NADO Rural Sustainable Development Workshop, April 26-27, 2012, Burlington VT

Melissa Levy facilitated "Social Equity in Rural Communities: Setting Goals and Tracking Progress" with Wayne Fawbush of the Ford Foundation and Noah Dorius of HUD Region 1.

NADO Sustainable Communities Omaha, Creating and Retaining Wealth: New Ways of Approaching Economic Development in Rural and Small Metro Communities

Melissa Levy presented an interactive demonstration of tools designed to help practitioners identify and measure the impacts of project and policy actions on different forms of community wealth. Participants worked through two exercises to analyze…

Appalachia Funders Network, Pre-Conference Session at the Second Annual Gathering, June 2011

Shanna Ratner presented a pre-conference session on Wealth Creation in Rural Communities at the Appalachia Funders Network's Second Annual Gathering in Charleston, West Virginia.

Appalachian Harvest Think Tank

Shanna Ratner participated in an ad hoc think tank convened by Appalachian Sustainable Development on the role of social enterprises in building and strengthening local food value chains. 25 representatives of businesses, nonprofit organizations, and…

Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center, 5Capitals Toolkit for Pro-Poor Value Chain Development

Shanna Ratner was invited to serve as one of three external advisors to Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) to help refine and finalize 5Capitals - A toolkit to improve impacts of pro-poor value chain development. The…

Community Economic Development: Building Sustainable Economies, UVM

Shanna Ratner presented on the wealth creation approach as a guest lecturer for this five-day intensive summer program offered by the UVM Institute for Global Sustainability, taught by Professor Rhonda Phillips of Arizona State University.

Walton Family Foundation, Nature Based Tourism Workshops

Yellow Wood presented two workshops to the Walton Family Foundation Nature-Based Tourism Group of grantees along the lower Mississippi River Delta. The first workshop was around goals, value chains and wealth creation. Participants articulated goals…

Best Practices Research on Food Enterprise Options for Local Food Value Chain Exploration in Northern Mississippi

Yellow Wood Associates worked with One Voice and NAACP Mississippi to identify best practices for developing a food systems value chain with a focus on four models (Institutional Sales through the Farm to School model; Targeted Distribution of Produce…

Community Economic Development: Building Sustainable Economies, UVM

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Shanna Ratner presented on the wealth creation approach as a guest lecturer for this five-day intensive summer program offered by the UVM Institute for Global Sustainability,…

Cooperatives and the Wealth Creation Approach

Shanna Ratner presented two webinars to interested cooperatives on the Wealth Creation approach in September 2011.

Minnesota Campus Compact Webinar: Supporting Rural Economic Vitality through Campus-Community Partnerships

Melissa Levy gave an overview of the Wealth Creation in Rural Communities approach and discussed how higher education institutions have supported various aspects of local projects. Ms. Levy's presentation was part of a webinar that explored innovative…

Wealth Creation in Rural Communities: 2011 NCBA Annual Meeting and Cooperative Conference

In October 2011, Shanna Ratner made a presentation and delivered a workshop on the Wealth Creation approach at the 2011 National Cooperative Business Association Annual Conference in Minneapolis, MN.

Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition 10th Annual Policy Meeting

Shanna Ratner, Principal, presented on "Local Wealth Creation, Diversification and Retention."  This presentation provided an overview of the wealth creation approach to rural development and the Ford Foundation's…

Wealth Creation in Rural Communities, Phases 1 and 2: Triple Bottom Line Framework for Rural America

Yellow Wood assisted Wayne Fawbush of the Ford Foundation in developing an innovative approach to rural development based on an application of triple bottom line principles to create and maintain community wealth. Wealth was defined by categories of…

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