Events create memories

This edition focuses on your real-world community and the opportunity to create a year-round schedule of events that will come to mean “home” to your members.

The key is to locate the neighborhood personality who will become your Event Coordinator.

Your community’s Event Coordinator should be your most active, high-profile menber — accountable to everyone and responsible for setting the tone for the community experience.

He or she needs to be patient, well spoken, and inspiring. The goal isn’t for this person to control the community, but to curate it, and the work done up front will pay off later in spades. For many large comunities, this can be a full-time job, but as your community flourishes, other hosts will emerge from your member base to share the work.

Post events and updates on the site ONLY, and create a newsletter in the site with all updates, so registered users get updates via email with site links in it. Create email addresses for board members and committees, so members may contact the group or committee as well as individuals. You may get new volunteers this way.

Post photos of your all your events on your website, to encourage participation.

Download CAI’s Best Practices Report on Governance

“Inclusiveness—the involvement of as many residents of the community as possible—is a critical element in fostering a sense of community.”

Developed by Dr. John Carver, the Policy Governance model defines the role of the board as this: the board, on behalf of the owners, must see to it that the organization achieves the desirable while avoiding the unacceptable. Period. This model of governance allows boards to feel comfortable about delegating the day-to-day operations to staff so they can focus on the bigger picture—longer term needs of the organization.

Organizations nationwide have embraced this model with great success. Because it is universally applicable, it works for organizations that are new or mature, large or small, profit or nonprofit and troubled or successful.

Block parties, potlucks, barbecues, silent auctions, group yard sales are some of the kinds of events that often bring people together. Live events open to everyone that do not include meetings are important to every community because they increase participation in the community.

“Nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose — a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye.
–Mary Shelley

Send photos of your gatherings or share your progress with me. I’d love to hear how your event turns out.