Building Social Capital and Community Capacity with Signature Projects: A Case Study of Two Diverse Delta Communities

This article describes action strategies that were planned and implemented by diverse groups of citizens in community development signature projects. Ten values and operating principles to guide successful signature projects are presented. Criteria are presented that Cooperative Extension, regional universities, and community partners can use to plan, fund, implement, and evaluate signature projects that build social capital and community capacity. Signature projects and social capital are defined. The article describes how signature projects worked in small, diverse, rural communities in the Mississippi Delta. The role of signature projects in building social, human capital, and enhancing community capacity is explained.