Center for Civic Partnerships

Resident Involvement in Collaboratives

Top Tips

Make contact with residents through schools, faith organizations, community centers, neighborhood groups, local businesses and door to door outreach. Provide information on collaborative efforts and ask for their participation.
Provide frequent opportunities for residents to express their interests, opinions and concerns through community meetings, focus groups, community events, surveys and personal contact.
Actively listen to and respect residents’ input, opinions and ideas - they are the experts on their community and are a valuable partner in the collaborative process.
Inform residents of the positive benefits their involvement will provide to their neighborhood - how they can make a difference.
Identify and utilize residents’ skills, talents, expertise and assets.
Identify “hot topics” in the community - crime, lack of services, health issues that impact residents’ quality of life and that residents will rally around.
Gather information and resource materials on important community issues to assist residents in their community improvement activities.
Identify (and correct) barriers that discourage resident participation in community projects and activities.
Develop a “mentor” program to partner residents with agency representatives, public officials and community leaders.
Provide a friendly, culturally appropriate environment for residents to actively participate in the collaborative process. Encourage residents to participate in committees or form their own groups.
Encourage residents to attend collaborative meetings; frequently conduct meetings on their “turf”.
Create multiple ways for residents to be involved.
Provide food, transportation, childcare, stipends, etc. to make it easier for them to be involved.
Actively involve residents in the implementation of collaborative projects and activities, not just the initial planning process.
Provide employment and volunteer opportunities for residents, such as organizing community projects or conducting neighborhood surveys or outreach.
Provide a process for residents to review and give feedback on services and activities provided in their community.
Assist and support residents with their own leadership and community organizing efforts.

Online Resources and Tools

ACORN
http://www.acorn.org/index.html
Community organizations association dedicated to organizing the poor and improving low and moderate income neighborhoods.

Assets Based Community Development Institute
http://www.nwu.edu/IPR/abcd.html
Practical resources and tools for community builders to identify, nurture, and mobilize neighborhood assets.

Coalition for Low Income Community Development
http://www.clicd.org/
A coalition of grassroots and national groups organized to ensure that low-income people benefit from the Community Development Block Grant program (CDBG) and other community planning and development programs.

Civic Practices Network
http://www.cpn.org/cpn.html
http://www.cpn.org/CDC/reinventing_cit.html
Reinventing Citizenship: The Practice of Public Work article.

Center for Community Change
http://www.communitychange.org/index.html
Provides assistance to residents to improve their communities and change policies and institutions by developing their own organizations.

Citizens Handbook
http://www.vcn.bc.ca/citizens-handbook/
A guide on building community.

Community Tool Box
http://ctb.lsi.ukans.edu/
Tool Box sections covers important strategies for resident input and involvement.

Grassroots Innovative Policy Program (GRIPP)
http://www.arc.org/gripp/index.html
Works with communities to support local policy development.

Shelterforce Online
http://www.nhi.org/online/online.html
Online housing and community development magazine; several articles describe resident involvement in community development efforts.

Suggested Reading

Avolio, Bruce J. and Bernard M. Bass. 1993. Transforming Communities Through Effective Leadership. Publication for community leaders. For ordering information, contact the Center for Leadership Studies, Binghamton University, P.O. Box 6000 Binghamton, NY 13902-6000 or call 607-777-4186.

Benest, Frank, 1996. Serving Customers or Engaging Citizens: What is the Future of Local Government? Article describes citizen participation in local government. To read online, click on link:
http://www.vcn.bc.ca/citizens-handbook/benest.html

Callaway, Shirley, Martha Arnold and Patricia Norman. 1993. Community Voices: Leadership Development for Community Decision-Making. This guide presents a model for leadership development to train people from the lower economic strata of society into community leadership. For ordering information, contact the Community Voices program, Cooperative Extension Program, P.O. Box 21928 Greensboro, NC 27420-1928 or call 910-334-7008.

Creighton, James. 1994. Involving Citizens in Community Decision Making: A Guidebook. This book is intended for communities that wish to actively engage their citizens in constructive decision-making processes. For ordering information, contact the Program for Community Problem Solving, 915 15th Street, NW, #601, Washington, DC 20005 or call 202-783-2961.

Dobson, Charles. Grassroots Wilt. Pitfalls that can occur when citizens work together and possible solutions. To read online, click on link:
http://www.vcn.bc.ca/citizens-handbook/wilt.html

Kelley, Retta B. Civic Leadership for the New Century. Pew Partnership article highlighting stories of residents’ involvement in their communities. To read online, click on link:
http://www.pew-partnership.org/research/cprep97/leader.html

Kellogg Foundation, 1999. Grassroots Leaders: Growing Healthy and Sustainable Communities. A report on investing in grassroots leaders as a strategy for building communities and developing human capacity. To read online, click on link:
http://www.wkkf.org

Kingsley, G. Thomas, Joseph B. McNeely and James O. Gibson. Community Building Coming of Age. Paper describes community building and provides recommendations on supporting community building efforts. To read online, click on link:
http://www.urban.org/community/combuild.htm

Nader, Ralph, 1988. Developing a Civic Culture. Excerpt from a 1988 speech that discusses citizen participation. To read online, click on link:
http://www.vcn.bc.ca/citizens-handbook/Nader.html

Ocasio, Linda, 2000. Grassroots and Ivory Tower. Ford Foundation report that describes how grassroots leaders and research/policy groups have worked together to address community issues. To read online, click on link: http://www.fordfound.org/, then click on Programs, then Community and Resource Development and finally Related Reading.

Pitcoff, Winton, 1997. Comprehensive Community Initiatives: Redefining Community Development. Series of articles that discuss resident involvement and leadership in community initiatives. Click on links to read articles and additional information: http://www.nhi.org/online/issues/96/ccis.html, http://www.nhi.org/online/issues/97/ccisp.html

Rainbow Research, Inc. Successful Neighborhood Self-Help: Some Lessons Learned. This paper provides practical tips about organizing community residents for neighborhood improvement activities. To order, call (612) 824-0724.

Walsh, Joan. The Eye of the Storm: Ten Years on the Front Lines of New Futures. An interview with Otis Johnson and Don Crary that discusses lessons learned from this Annie E. Casey Foundation initiative. To read online, click on link:
http://www.aecf.org/publications/eyeofstorm/index.htm