Community Research Alliance
Developing shared standards to scale impact and support collaboration in community development.
What We Do
1. Establish Community Development Standards
Promote shared language, frameworks, and standards to align community development practices.
2. Scale Effective Solutions
Support systems that replicate successful initiatives across different communities and contexts.
3. Strengthen Collaboration and Networks
Foster connected networks that enable cooperation, shared learning, and coordinated development efforts.
Public Speaking and Seminars
NUIG Seminar
The importance of Frameworks & Standards in Development Sector
The May 2025 session of the Rural Voices seminar series featured Pat Kennedy, CEO and founder of eTownz, a company dedicated to supporting local development through structured frameworks and digital tools, who shared his vision for a more structured, modular and collaborative approach to community development. Drawing on his experience with national and European initiatives, Pat outlined a framework for planning and communication that empowers local actors while enabling regional and thematic networks to align more effectively. He discussed practical tools for modular planning, the role of shared thematic frameworks and how building interconnected local and thematic networks can help communities unlock their full social, economic and environmental potential.
Open Source Resources
Modular Integrated Development Framework (MIDF)
Download a free outline of the framework and see if your organisation can benefit for the approach.
Theme Framework
We will soon release a beta version of the theme structure, we welcome your feedback for the next update of this structure in late ’25.
Record Template
View our community record template where we can log all your community assets, which are the basis of your community plan.
Sample Members
