Ready for engagement: Using key informant interviews to measure community social capacity

This article presents findings from 45 structured key informant interviews conducted in nine rural Minnesota communities to examine the readiness of rural communities to sustain long-term development initiatives requiring large commitments of time, staff, and volunteer resources. A model of community readiness is proposed based on the common themes that emerged from the interview data as well as the literature. The proposed model combines four components that contribute to a thorough assessment of readiness: bonding networks, bridging networks, linking networks and leadership energy. The study provides a new approach to help community development organizations make more strategic decisions about when and how to engage communities in long-term development activity.