Written by Jose Balasco
A thriving community benefits all involved. By proactively contributing to your community’s wellbeing, you can do your small part to ensure it’s thriving. This will create a happier, more sustainable neighborhood that you and your family can enjoy. The below resource guide from Flint: Our Community, Our Voice can help you plug into your community and make a difference.
Connect with Local Organizations
Follow these steps to figure out your community’s needs and how to best meet them.
- Complete a community needs assessment to figure out what resources your community is lacking.
- Connect with local spiritual and religious organizations and find out what charitable initiatives they run that you can help with.
- Look up area charities and contact them to see what you can do, like helping at a soup kitchen or shelter.
- If you don’t have time to give, consider donating to causes instead. Research organizations to make sure they’re legit before giving money.
Get the Rest of the Your Family Involved
Community service doesn’t stop with you. Get the whole family involved.
- Get kids involved, for example by having them collect cans to donate to food kitchens.
- Try community service ideas for families, such as setting up a community garden.
- Train for charitable runs or walks together for good causes.
- Connect your family to the community with ideas like organization retreats or supporting school reform. You can also champion local businesses.
Consider Setting Up Your Own Non-profit
Take your charitable efforts to the next level by starting a formal nonprofit.
- Research the steps required to start a nonprofit, like registering it with your state.
- Consider getting an MBA or similar credential so you have the necessary skills to start your nonprofit.
- Write a business plan that sketches out how your nonprofit will be run.
- Raise the capital you need to get your nonprofit off the ground.
Go Back to School
If all this sounds a little overwhelming, another option is to go back to school first and get the knowledge you need to give yourself an edge over the competition. If you’re interested in a masters in business, for instance, this is a good option to check out – and thanks to the flexibility of online learning platforms, you’ll be able to proceed at your own pace without having to step away from your other responsibilities.
Everybody wants to feel happy and secure in their surroundings. By giving your community some love, you and your family will benefit, too. Whether you’re starting a nonprofit or going back to school, the above resource guide provides some practical tips to get you started.
Flint: Our Community, Our Voice is proud to serve our community. If you have any questions, feel free to email info@focov.org
