One
of the main on-going activities of any grassroots organization is getting
more people involved. This is not easy; most people don't like the idea
of being "roped into" doing community work in their spare time. The
heavy emphasis on the individual by modern commercial culture has driven
participation rates below 5% for most community activities. If that
sounds low, remember a few people committed to a single course of action
can achieve amazing results.
Ask
members to invite others
Eighty per cent of volunteers doing community work said they began because
they were asked by a friend, a family member, or a neighbour.
Go
to where people are
Instead of trying to get people to come to you, try going to them. Go
to the meetings of other groups, and to places and events where people
gather. This is particularly important for involving ethnic groups,
youth groups, seniors, and others who may not come to you.
Never
miss a chance to collect names, addresses, phone numbers
Have sign-in sheets at your meetings and events. At events organized
by others, ask people to add their name, address, and phone number to
petitions and requests-for-information. In return, hand out a sheet
explaining the nature of your group.
Try
to include those who are under-represented
Minority language groups, low-income residents, the disabled, the elderly
and youth all tend to be under-represented in neighbourhood groups.
In some cases not participating is a matter of choice - most transient
youth choose not to take part. In other cases, English language competence
poses a formidable barrier to participation. In still other cases, people
get overlooked. This can happen to the disabled and the elderly, even
though they have proven invaluable as active citizens. Here are some
ways to include the under-represented:
-
Go to people in the group you are trying to reach and ask how they would
like to be approached.
- Address their issues.
- Think about who you know who knows someone in the group you are trying
to reach. Use your connections.
- Identify a group as people you want to work with, not as a target
group you want to bring "on side". Treat people as people first.
- Organize projects that focus on kids. Parents of different ethnic
backgrounds, and income levels will meet one another while accompanying
their children.
Do
surveys
Surveys are a good way to stay in touch, increase participation, and
bring in new members. They show your group is willing to respond to
a broad base of others, not just those who tend to participate in community
activities.
Door-knock
Door-knocking is the oldest and best outreach method.
Create
detailed membership lists
Create membership lists with places for entering name, address, day
and evening phone and fax numbers, priorities for local improvement,
occupation, personal interests, special skills, times available, what
the person would be willing to do, and what the person would not be
willing to do. Consider using a computer to update lists and sort people
by address, priority, and interests. With such a computer database you
can easily bring together people who belong together. Membership lists
can also form the basis of a telephone tree, a system for getting messages
out to large numbers of people.
Generate
newsletters and leaflets
Newsletters keep group members in touch. Because most neighbourhood
groups deliver to all residents whether members or not, a newsletter
helps attract new people.
Keep
them interested! ->
Community
Organizing
The
Citizen's Handbook:
A Guide to Building Community in Vancouver
© Charles Dobson / Vancouver Citizen's Committee
