Gathering information about the economic and social health of your community is an essential first stop in launching any type of advocacy campaign, social enterprise, or venture. Data help you understand the needs of your neighborhood, helping to ensure that your advocacy efforts are tailored to the real challenges of the community and not the assumed needs. Community participation is also essential to making sustainable and fair neighborhood development decisions. A diverse coalition of stakeholders is an essential piece of any community benefit commitment campaign and policymakers should seek input broadly from impacted communities.

This brief is a primer on using Census data to tell a community story. We also offer suggestions on key stakeholder groups that should be considered in economic development decisions.

Download the brief (7 pages).

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