Comments to: crs@uvm.eduReviewed as of 4/20/98
THIS DOCUMENT WAS PRODUCED BY THE NEW ENGLAND REGIONAL LEADERSHIP
PROGRAM. IT IS POSTED BY THE CENTER FOR RURAL STUDIES FOR PUBLIC
USE. THE CENTER FOR RURAL STUDIES ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR
THE CONTENTS. FOR MORE INFORMATION, REFER TO THE USERS GUIDE.
REACHING YOUR COMMUNITY
INVOLVING THE COMMUNITY IN THE ORGANIZATION
Once the group has set a goal as to how the organization is to
relate to the community, it needs to decide which forms of
community involvement will best help this goal. How much
involvement and input should the community have? What form should
be used to allow involvement? Involvement can run the gamut from
participating in programs, to advising about programs, to
controlling the organizations that decide the programs.
Sometimes participation grows progressively. For instance, a
certain YMCA provided services to a low-income community. However,
the organization was not paying enough attention to the community's
needs. The lack of program membership from the community
underscored this problem. So the organization sought community
input to set up a neighborhood advisory board to help decide
programming. Membership increased significantly. Then within a
few months, the YMCA hired a resident of the community to run new
programs, and membership increased even more because the staff
person knew how to develop programs the community really wanted.
Finally, several members of the community were elected to the board
of directors. As residents who understood the needs of the
community, these board members developed ongoing community-oriented
programming and made sure that the programming was tailored to the
community.
This example shows that the more control the organization gives to
people from the community, the greater the degree of success;
community members usually know best what will succeed in their
community.
Here are some of the roles that community residents assume in
organizations:
þ program participants
þ program developers at neighborhood centers
þ advisory board members
þ volunteers running community programs
þ staff members
TARGETING THE PEOPLE BEST SUITED FOR THE JOB
Once it has been determined how people should participate, it is
necessary to target who would be the most likely participants. To
make this easier, organizations often break the community into
three categories and select from the most appropriate category.
> Community Leaders: You may want to approach community leaders
either to get them directly involved, or to ask them for the names
of other people in the community (reputational leaders). Community
leaders may be found through churches and synagogues, the business
community, schools, local government, local civic groups, community
agencies, etc.
> Community Agencies: You may need the involvement of other
agencies in the community, such as social service agencies, service
clubs, etc.
> Individuals in the community: The involvement of individuals in
the community is often the best source of future membership. And
the more individuals who know about the group, the greater number
of new people who will find out about the group from word-of-mouth.
Once you have determined which category you want to use (you may
want to use a combination of two or three), you need to think even
more closely about the type of person who would be most suited to
your organization. Try answering these questions:
þ Where would these people live?
þ What would be their background (age, sex, race, class,
etc.)?
þ What kinds of jobs/professions would they have?
þ How would they spend their time?
þ What would be their interests?
Social service agencies, community organizations, and service clubs
are expected, if not mandated, to be involved in the community they
serve. However, at some point in the life of many organizations,
it becomes apparent that the organization has lost touch with the
community it should be serving.
Sometimes that realization comes too late--as it did for a scout
troop that finally disbanded after membership dwindled to nothing,
or the human service group that served so few people for so many
years that the legislature cut the budget.
The reasons for losing touch with the community are varied: "not
enough staff"..."we weren't clear about what the community
wanted"...or "we just had other things to do" are perhaps the most
common. These problems are real but not insurmountable. This fact
sheet lists the planning and follow-up activities that organizers
have used to re-involve themselves in the community.
BUILDING A RELATIONSHIP
A common first mistake organizations often make is to see
communities as "numbers" rather than as human beings. "We need 40
people if we are going to make this sewing club pay for itself," a
program director says. But, who says that the community wants or
needs a sewing club? When organizations make assumptions about
what a community needs, community people can become very
suspicious. "Who do these people think they are, telling us what
we need?" residents have said about such agencies.
Involving an organization in the community takes considerable time
and thought. The relationship an agency develops with a community
is a lot like a relationship one human being develops with another
human being. Communications must take place, trust must develop;
each side must be clear about what it expects from the other side.
And this comes about by the agency and the community getting to
know and appreciate each other.
Here are some steps that will get your organization moving in the
right direction.
GETTING TO KNOW THE COMMUNITY NEEDS
Much can be learned about what a community needs by listening,
watching, and interacting with it before deciding on programs.
Groups should spend some time researching, interviewing, and
surveying the community to find answers to these questions:
þ What is the history of the community?
þ What are the strengths of the community?
þ Why are people proud to be part of the community?
þ What are some of the problems in the community, as the
community sees them?
þ Who are the leaders of the community?
þ How do they view the community?
þ Who controls the community?
þ Who else has attempted to involve the community in the
past?
þ What was successful or unsuccessful about that process?
þ How does the community feel about your agency and other
agencies?
þ What are the implications for future programming?
WHY YOU CAN HELP
As in any developing relationship, your organization needs to be
clear about why it wants to get involved in the community. Think
about and answer this question: in the ideal world, what role would
your organization play in the community? Make sure it is a role
that would satisfy both your organization and the community. Now
present this response to a number of community leaders, and revise
it if necessary.
REACHING THE CONSTITUENCY
Now try to put yourself in their shoes, and think--if you were
them, where would you be most willing to talk about participating
in the organization? Some of the common possibilities include:
þ at home
þ at the local bar
þ at the street corner
þ at work
þ at the laundromat
þ in church
Stay in those shoes and imagine how you would best want to be
reached. What are traditional ways of getting community
information? What are some non-traditional ways?
þ door-knocking
þ newsletters
þ surveys
þ mailings
þ posters
These steps can help groups get back in touch with the communities
they serve. The important thing is for groups to constantly be
aware of their constituency, and to plan activities that will keep
them as primary concerns for future directions. This awareness and
planning can ensure that the goals of the group satisfy the needs
of the community.
Citizen Action Fact Sheet #8, prepared by members of the Citizen
Improvement Training Program Team, Cooperative Extension Service,
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, 1982.
Comments to: crs@uvm.edu
Reviewed as of 4/20/98