How to Organize a Community Alliance

This is a "how-to" outline, intended for community activists who want to stimulate organization and leadership to create a better quality of life within closer communities that achieve a more responsive and just form of governance, while developing the local economy and providing needed social services.

• An organized community needs to:
  1. form an executive committee;
  2. assess community needs and problems;
  3. prepare a plan of action;
  4. obtain needed resources;
  5. ensure monitoring and accountability;
  6. and follow through with leader driven action.

Plan a time for the executive committee to walk around the community, looking, talking to people, taking notes, pictures if necessary, make a report on what you observe. During your assessment, look for problems and solutions, resources and limitations, take note of damage or inadequacies. Look for potential resources, human and physical. If you ask around you may find a handyman, or a professional carpenter, plumber or electrician who would be willing to donate his services to help the community. After the executive committee makes its report they should share it with the whole community and ask for ideas on how to implement it.

• The essence of management planning is condensed into four questions:
  1. "What do we want?"
  2. "What do we have?"
  3. "How do we use what we have to get what we want?"
  4. "What will happen when we do?"
• The action plan should indicate:
  1. how the community is now;
  2. how it wants to be by the end of the period;
  3. how it intends to get from 1 to 2

The action plan should be drafted by the executive committee, based on community feedback and then presented to the community as a whole for approval. Remember that the main goal is to avoid dependency, the emphasis should always be on community self reliance first, and using external resources only in a manner that does not compromise community independence. Sources of support may include: Donations of cash, land, buildings, supplies and equipment, donated by individuals or companies who want to support their community.

It is very important that as many tasks and responsibilities be delegated to as many other community members as possible. This is most important in getting everyone involved and keeping them engaged in community work, when one person or a small committee is left to do most of the work, community involvement will dry up as people sit back and expect others to do it for them. Delegating tasks is essential to getting things done. You must learn what talents, skills and interests each person has and assign them to the appropriate tasks. People who have a passionate interest in a particular subject will be most dedicated to it, for them, it will not be like work, it will be something to which they will gladly contribute their time and energy. For some tasks, a personal interest is more important than having skills in that area, for instance; in community organizing, having a deep interest in one's community and caring about one's neighbors is much more important than having a background in professional organizations.

• The executive committee will need to prepare:
  • A Community Action Plan
  • A Project Design
• In carrying out these plans you will need to:
  1. Assign people to do specific tasks.
  2. Make sure they get them done. Monitor the work to make sure that it's done properly and in the best interests of the community.
  3. Plan frequent executive and community meetings.
  4. Ensure that accurate records are kept, especially of all financial expenditures.

All Action should be transparent, facilitating, non-dictatorial, and involving the community in decision making. Public meetings are the best way of ensuring a constant flow of information to identify and address community needs. As a mobilizer, you need to recruit and motivate people, help to identify their interests and skills and delegate tasks, you need to emphasize responsible, participatory governance with integrity, transparency and accountability.

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