• Leadership Manual
• Strategic Plan

Leadership Manual

Defining the Neighborhood

   Neighborhood Asset Inventory
   Recruiting Your Neighbors To Participate
   Tips For Doorknocking
   Block Watchers

RECRUITING YOUR NEIGHBORS TO PARTICIPATE

Recruiting your neighbors to participate in your community can be a challenging task! Not everyone will want to participate or to even talk about the organization. (Use the individual and household inventories provided earlier in this section.) Considering how you want to approach each of your neighbors in advance and what you want to discuss once you talk with them might help ease your conversations and enhance the sharing of information you are seeking. Before recruiting, it might be helpful to think about:

• What do you already know about this individual -- length of residency, previous involvement in this organization or in other community efforts, skills, interests, employment, etc.?
• What skills does this person have that might be of value to the group?
• Does the organization need residents to do certain tasks, or are all areas open?
• Given what you already know about this neighbor and the needs of the organization, is there something specific you want to encourage this individual to do?

While recruiting, take time to consider:

• Is the person already doing a task for which you can provide encouragement and support?
• What is this individual's interest and enthusiasm level for your community?
• Are there new skills or avenues of participation that this person is interested in contributing or exploring?
• What might prevent this person from participating (i.e., child care needs, transportation at night, work hours?) and how can this be addressed?
• How do identified interests match with the needs of the group? Discuss what specific tasks/activities this person is willing to take on.
• What areas for training or support are available to help your neighbor in completing the tasks that may be taken on?

Sharing information, particularly about one's circumstances, requires the building of trust. Care given to respect and acceptance of your neighbor's limitations and reasons for not participating are also essential elements in conducting outreach. Someone who is not positioned, ready, or interested in participating now might be in another year. A positive meeting, regardless of the outcome, is an important part of the outreach and recruiting process.

---»TIPS FOR DOORKNOCKING

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