My Community, My World

Two heads are better than one.
English proverb

This is part 2 of a serial post.  (See the last post here.)  In later parts of the series I will discuss the various events and projects we implemented to try to help increase participation in the community.

In the last post in this series I left off at the end of a neighborhood association meeting with the Colonial Manor neighborhood association (CMNA).  As I mentioned, the neighbors started discussing their concern about the low turnout at meetings and in NA events in general.  I’m glad they did, because I would have found it much harder to offer suggestions if they were unsolicited, a topic about which I think I’ll write more in the future.  Also, of course, there’s no way I could have thought of all these ideas on my own.

Here are the suggestions they came up with, and my thoughts on them:

• Start a blog: They used to have a blog, apparently, but it fell into disuse.  I think it could be useful to have a blog, but only if neighbors are actually participating, and are interested enough to check the blog for news.  I don’t think the blog would be a good way to get people involved.  And a blog can only survive if someone commits to updating it.  That said, if someone wants to maintain a blog, they’ll stay more active in the neighborhood.  And it would be useful once participation rises.
• Have a snack potluck: I always think food brings more people to meetings, and making it a potluck gives the meeting a “community” feel.  Each person feels that they have contributed some, and feeling may also help draw out people who otherwise may not feel they should contribute to the discussion.
• Change the meeting layout to a circle of chairs, rather than rows facing the front: I agree with this wholeheartedly, given the small number of people who currently attend.
• Introductions at the beginning of the meeting
• Childcare during meetings: Some neighbors can’t attend because they have small children.  One neighbor, a high school student, suggests that she and other students could come to meetings to watch the kids.  High school students often need community service hours.
• Yard signs: CMNA members could post yard signs to get the word out to others.
• Flyers sent home with students: Schools frequently flyers and permission slips home with students; the school could send along a notification about the NA.
• School sign publicity: Schools have marquee signs for announcing upcoming events, and a school could announce NA events as well.
• Bringing friends: Every member could promise to contact three neighbors about the CMNA.  I think this is an excellent idea, for those neighbors willing to do so (they shouldn’t be strong-armed, of course!).  It is often the case that people join a new organization (or religion) only when someone they know encourages them to do so.
• Block party: Close down a block and hold a block party; coordinate with other events and groups (National Night Out [NNO], problem-oriented police officers, etc.)
• What CMNA is already doing: CMNA already sends email notifications before meetings.  The membership packet includes some coupons and CMNA magnets.
• Raffle on National Night Out: Solicit donations from local businesses. On National Night Out, sell memberships to the NA; everyone who buys on NNO gets a raffle ticket.  Each ticket-holder gets a prize from a business (e.g. a bag of groceries, a toy, etc.)

Write in the comments if you have other good ideas to increase participation!