Developing Empowerment Initiatives

Goals to set & questions to ask before you begin

Building strong partnerships is key in the effort to strengthen neighborhoods and families. Whether you represent a nonprofit organization, Volunteer Center, corporation, community foundation, community of faith, or other group, these planning questions are designed to help you thoughtfully approach your project and help you plan an initiative based on neighboring principles.

Goal: Build trusting relationships.
Learn about the neighborhoods in your community.

• What issues do your neighborhoods face?
• Which neighborhoods have projects in which residents involvement is emerging or already underway?
• Who are the community’s leaders, both formal and informal?
• Are the community's leaders interested in collaboration?

Goal: Explore your organization’s motives.
Ask meaningful questions about your organization's motives for partnering with low-income communities.

• What are your goals or anticipated outcomes for the partnership?
• What do you hope to gain?
• Why is it important that you establish a partnership?
• What is your long-term commitment to the community?
• What assets do you offer?
• How can you add value to the community’s work?
• Have you heard residents’ voices?

Goal: learn about how members come together to address issues and concerns.
Begin to identify community leaders and others who will "own" the project and be able to engage others in their community.

• Have you met with key community leaders to learn, share, and identify priorities?
• Have you invited community representatives to forums where they can participate, give input, and become informed about resources for the neighborhood?
• How will you develop connections with leaders and residents that foster sustainable activities to address the issues they want to work on in their community?
• Have you identified what resources and assets the community has to offer such as individual skills, abilities, ongoing projects, community centers and other public or private facilities?

Goal: Identify potential partners.
Interest and involve community members from the start.

• What other organization or individuals in the community should you involve?
• Which partners are essential to the success of the project?
• Is the local Volunteer Center involved? (To locate a Volunteer Center in your area, call or visit 1-800-VOLUNTEER.org.)
• Which businesses in the community have an interest in this neighborhood?
• Is the community foundation involved?
• Are other organizations already working with the community? If so, which ones?

Use a checklist developed by the National Council for Family Relations to determine the impact your project can have on families.

Looking for neighboring project ideas? View.