For Immediate Release
March 24, 2006

Contact: Becky Fleischauer, 202-220-2360; or
Michele Frisby, 202-962-3658

ICMA and NeighborWorks America Team Up to Advance
Innovative Community Development

Partnership also focuses on helping communities prepare for disasters

(Washington, DC) – ICMA, the premier local government leadership and management organization, and NeighborWorks America, a congressionally chartered nonprofit organization dedicated to revitalizing communities, are partnering to help bring about more innovative collaborations between local governments and community development groups across the country.  

“We can’t think of a more natural partnership than this one to bring about significant improvements in the way local governments and community development organizations work together to achieve mutual goals,” said ICMA Executive Director Bob O’Neill.

How communities can prepare for, respond to and rebuild after a natural or man-made disaster is the first of many key issues the two organizations will address.  Community leaders across the nation will convene in Dallas, Texas, on April 5 for a national symposium on disaster preparedness and response.  The NeighborWorks America symposium, Before Disaster Strikes: Prepare or Beware, will address the critical role of community development organizations in disaster preparedness and response.  The two organizations are also working together on a major new annual conference organized by ICMA, Restoration 2006: Community and Economic Recovery After a Disaster.  The conference, which will be held in New Orleans May 16-17, features keynotes by former FEMA Director James L. Witt and Ray Suarez, PBS news reporter and author. 

Another area of collaboration for the two groups is their respective performance management and evaluation programs, which help local organizations and communities track and measure progress in achieving their results.  ICMA is well-known for its Center for Performance Measurement, which provides local governments with a set of tools and a database for performance management.  NeighborWorks America’s Success Measures outcome evaluation training program and related Success Measures Data System help community development organizations measure the changes their programs are having on individuals, families and communities.  “Capturing quantifiable results helps us to work smarter in serving the real and present needs in our communities,” said Ken Wade, chief executive officer of  NeighborWorks America.

“As stewards of our taxpayers’ money and advocates for our most needy neighbors, we must make sure our investments are working in ways that truly make a difference,” Wade said.  “If banks and actuaries can refine their investment and insurance packages with increasing accuracy and sophistication, we also improve how we measure the impact of our work.”

“There are many ways our two organizations can join forces to bring about true break-throughs in the manner in which local governments and community groups collaborate to create better communities,” said O’Neill. 

About ICMA
ICMA is the premier local government leadership and management organization.  ICMA’s mission is to create excellence in local governance by developing and fostering professional local government management worldwide.  Toward this end, the Association provides an information clearinghouse, technical assistance, and training and professional development to more than 8,200 chief appointed administrators, assistant administrators, and other individuals throughout the world.  The organization's resources and services reach thousands of local, county, and state government professionals, academics, consultants, citizens, and other individuals with an interest in effective management at the local government level.

About NeighborWorks America
NeighborWorks America provides financial support, technical assistance and training for communities across the nation, including the NeighborWorks network – a nationwide network of more than 240 community development organizations working in more than 4,400 urban, suburban and rural communities across America. These organizations engage in revitalization strategies that strengthen communities and transform lives. In the last five years alone, NeighborWorks organizations have generated more than $10 billion in reinvestment and helped more than 780,000 families of modest means purchase or improve their homes or secure safe, decent rental or mutual housing.