This guide is a joint effort from the Forum for Youth Investment and the Finance Project designed to help decision makers and community leaders both learn the importance of a good children youth and families (CYF) resource map and lay out the process of creating or improving a CYF resource map of their own. The handbook has been designed to clarify the process of creating and implementing an effective CYF resource map. With special attention paid to helping users avoid pitfalls and work from examples of others' experience, the guide combines tips, tools, worksheets and everything a planning team might need to kick off a CYF map development process or reconfigure an existing one for greater success. The guide comprises five sections: (1) Planning for a CYF Resource Map; (2) Using the Resource Map: How Will You Tell the Story?; (3) Building the Resource Map: Collecting the Data; (4) Data Collection Strategies; and (5) Conclusion. Appended are data collection tools, secondary data sources, and helpful resources.