In macro-practice three common issues are; not having an understanding of the community or situation; lack of clear direction and communication within the group; and not having enough money or resources to sustain the program or initiative.
We need to understand
the community or situation better.
Assessing community
needs and resources is one of the most important steps in community organizing.
This involves gathering information about the history and demographics of the
community, the issues that are the most concerning to the community at large as
well as special interest groups, the scope of the issues (statistics on
prevalence and consequences), and identifying potential resources and barriers
to addressing the issue.
To collect information
you have to get out there in the community. There are many ways of gathering
data. You can use surveys, focus groups, public forums, qualitative research, etc.
Speak to leaders out in the community. Reach out to diverse organizations,
neighborhoods, clubs, groups, etc. so that you include people from all segments
of the population. Some places that you
can get information from are hospitals, city hall, schools, and state
departments like police, public health, and welfare. Develop a plan using who,
what, when, why, and how. Analyze the information collected to establish a
comprehensive profile of the community needs and strengths.
There is no clear
direction or communication within our group.
The energy created by
each individual of the organization needs to be focused or it will not get
anything accomplished, and will eventually fizzle out. One thing that can be
done to give your organization direction is a planning process referred to as
VMOSA (Vison, Mission, Objectives, Strategies, and Action Plans). Your
organizations vision is what your community would be like if things were
perfect and the issue you are addressing was eradicated. The organization’s mission
speaks to what the group is doing and why it’s going to do it. The objectives
include how much of what will be accomplished and by when. This is a specific
measurable goal. Strategies explain how the organization is going to meet its
objectives. Finally, an action plan states what change will
happen and who will do what by when to make it happen.
Effective internal communication
is a key component to successful community organizing.
Good internal
communication can:
v
Afford people the
information they need to do their job effectively.
v
Make sure they know
about anything that concerns them.
v
Provide people with
clear standards and expectations for their work.
v
Give people feedback on
their own performance.
v
Provide them emotional
support for difficult work.
v
Suggest new ideas about
their work and their lives.
v
Allow them to take the
pulse of the organization and understand its overall situation.
v
Help them maintain a
shared vision and sense of ownership of the organization.
Communication can take many forms, verbal and non-verbal. First individual members of the organization need to feel valued and open to share ideas and concerns. Newsletters, emails, memos, and social network sites such as Facebook are helpful tools that foster communication, but should not take the place of face-to-face interactions. Face-to-face meetings allow for the sharing of ideas, building of relationships, and continued connection to the main goal of the organization. Another thing that can help an organization is members getting together to socialize outside of the regular workday. Finally, clearly determining who needs to know what, how it’s going to be communicated, and by who, will create a system for communication that people can depend on.
Not enough money or
resources needed to sustain the program or initiative.
In order for your
organization to accomplish its goals it is going to need money. A financial
plan should include:
$
A list of all items and
needs of the project
$
The amount required to
sustain each item
$
Current resources
$
Required resources
$
Potential matching and
funding organizations or individuals, and
$
Amount that will be
requested from each organization, individual or funding source
$
How it will be
requested (and by whom, and when)
Your financial plan can
give you a realistic picture of what it’s going to take to pay for your
organization. Funding for your organization will likely come from a number of
different sources such as in-kind donations, fundraising efforts, collaboration
and cost sharing with other organizations, membership fees, fees for services, government
funding, grants, micro-grants, business loans, etc.
Source
Work Group for Community Health and Development. (2012). The community tool box, Retrieved January 15, 2012, from http://ctb.ku.edu.
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