Getting Started

Information by State  Esta página en español  Print version

Is your neighborhood what you'd like it to be? Do you have ideas for ways it could be better? If so, you might want to become a community organizer. Here are 10 things you can do to start:

• Check the community plan for your town or city to see how your local government is planning to use its Federal dollars to improve your community. Maybe they already have plans in the works to address the issues that concern you.



• Find out what organizations are active in your community or city, particularly those that focus on neighborhood issues. There already may be a group with concerns similar to yours that you can join. If your city has a home page on the internet, this information might be available there. Check Cities and Governments on the Web.



• Contact your City Councilman/woman to find out what's going on in the city and to let him/her know about your concerns and what you're doing.



• Organize a meeting of your neighbors to discuss the problems and issues you all face.



• Review our checklist to see what kinds of things make successful neighborhood organizations, and then be sure to build them into your efforts. And periodically use the checklist to evaluate how well your group is doing.



• Keep in touch with your local government and with similar neighborhood groups. Find out what they're doing, and let them know whatyou're doing. Networking always helps!



• Be sure to communicate your efforts - both your plans and your accomplishments - to the neighborhood. It's a good way to interest new members!



• At some point, you may want to formalize your neighborhood group so that you can apply for government funds to implement your community improvement ideas. There are a number of good resources for getting started. Here are a few:

  	Establishing a non-profit organization
  	Tax information for non-profits
  	Starting a business organization in the U.S.