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Organize Your Neighborhood If there is not a neighborhood or homeowners association where you live, contact Mike and Cheryl to learn how to start one. Neighborhood
Organizing:
Mike
Shiflett
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Neighborhood
Organizing:
Cheryl
Shiflett
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The following tips on organizing neighborhoods comes from John Schelp of the Old West Durham Neighborhood.
There are no rules for organizing a neighborhood association. Your group could be as big or as small as you all like. Here are some things to consider that may work for you. Keep it simple. Start small. Don't hold too many meetings. Choose a neighborhood issue (that you can win) to mobilize interest in your neighborhood association. Work with other neighborhood groups. Build from there. Don't distribute newsletters too many times a year (biggest expense -- ads from local businesses should pay for photocopying newsletter). Set up a neighborhood Listserv (some use yahoogroups.com which are free). Encourage neighbors to also join the Partners Against Crime (PAC) Listserv in their district. This is an excellent way to keep in touch with daily crime reports, nearby break-ins, handling door-to-door scam artists, etc. To subscribe to the PAC1 list, send a blank email to pac1-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. To subscribe to the PAC2 list, send a blank email to pac2-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and so on. Don't establish a lot of committees -- they can suffocate an organization (i.e., the aesthetics committee approves the proposed neighborhood sign but the traffic and garden committees expressed several concerns). Get board members from across the neighborhood and include long-time residents with newly arrived ones. Meet at the same time and same place each month (i.e., Spring Valley Neighborhood Assoc meets on the second Thursday of each month at 7:00 PM at Smith Library). Delegate. Especially deligate money matters, minutes, newsletter and web site design work. Return phone calls and emails promptly. This makes a big difference. Don't police things like houses with chipping paint or leaning porch columns. This sets up needless disunity and you'll never get out of the cycle. We avoid this pitfall by stating that we will not do anything that could result in getting a family kicked out except we have targeted vacant houses. Download and revise neighborhood association bylaws posted on the InterNeighborhood Council website at [under construction]. Start a website. Maybe add some of your community's history, photos, stories, accomplishments. Websites are inexpensive and become a point of neighborhood pride. As a start, the N&O provides small free web pages. Information on a website could also be used to make a small brochure for neighbors who don't have Internet access. Don't do things that cost a lot of money. Fund-raising is a needless, distracting pain. If you do need money for something, ask a local merchant for a donation and emphasize that you're a new neighborhood association trying to get established. Provide written quotes and ask for a check made out to the service provider as opposed to just saying you need money. We've never been told "No" when asking face-to-face, providing a specific price and showing direct benefit to the community. Be wary of traffic issues. They can be divisive. Right away, we established a policy that our association will not close streets. Once you start closing streets, and shifting traffic to the next streets, you're stuck in a descending cycle of discontent. Things go from bad to worse when your traffic policies start shifting cars to nearby neighborhoods. Speed humps can also be divisive for similar reasons. Host a block party so neighbors can meet each other and learn about the neighborhood association. Organize a simple and fun potluck don't feel compelled to talk business. Create a credo that captures the spirit of your neighborhood. Ours is "Diversity, Harmony, Community". Have fun. :-) |
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© 2007 InterNeighborhood Council of Durham |
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