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From YouTube: How to Start a Neighborhood Association
Description
A neighborhood association is a group of neighbors that come together to improve the quality of life in their neighborhood. Some benefits of an organized neighborhood include: stability, beautification, increased safety, and better relationships among neighbors. Organizing a neighborhood can be a huge undertaking; therefore, it is important to have a plan. This training will provide tips on how you and your neighbors can come together to start a neighborhood association.
A
A
Neighborhood
associations
have
been
an
important
component
of
community
development.
Not
only
do
they
help
to
strengthen
their
individual
neighborhoods,
but
their
efforts
also
benefit
the
local
community
as
a
whole.
This
presentation
is
meant
to
inform
and
provide
a
foundation.
Every
neighborhood
based
organization
does
not
look
the
same.
It
is
important
to
consider
the
needs
of
your
community
when
determining
the
type
structure
and
function
of
your
organization.
The
steps
provided
are
considered
best
practices,
but
by
no
means
are
the
only
way
to
start
your
organization.
A
There
are
three
primary
types
of
neighborhood
based
organizations:
the
first
homeowners
association,
a
homeowners
association,
is
an
organization
in
a
subdivision
plan,
community
or
condominium.
That
makes
and
enforces
rules
for
the
properties
and
their
residents.
Homeowners
associations
are
formal
legal
entities
formed
by
a
developer
created
to
maintain
common
areas,
enforce
private
deed
restrictions.
All
homeowners
are
compelled
to
follow
codes,
covenants
and
restrictions
governing
the
development
and
pay
Association
dues.
Membership
is
a
mandatory
responsibility
of
property
owners
within
the
development,
and
usually
fees
are
required.
A
A
Next,
we
have
a
Neighborhood
Association,
a
Neighborhood
Association
is
a
group
of
neighbors
who
get
together
share
their
ideas,
thoughts,
feelings
and
work
cooperatively
to
make
their
neighborhood
a
better
place
to
live.
Neighborhood
Association
membership
is
voluntary
and
formal
an
association
may
have
elected
leaders
and
voluntary
dues.
A
Lastly,
is
neighborhood.
Coalition's,
neighborhood
coalition's
are
a
group
of
neighborhoods
and
organizations
that
come
together
to
form
an
association
to
enhance
and
support
their
entire
area.
Neighborhood
Coalition
membership
is
also
volunteering,
and
this
presentation
will
focus
on
how
to
form
a
neighborhood
association.
A
Why
organize
before
you
ask
your
neighbors
to
organize?
You
must
convince
them
of
the
benefits
of
forming
a
Neighborhood
Association.
There
are
several
reasons
for
a
neighborhood
to
organize.
Primarily,
the
goal
of
a
Neighborhood
Association
is
to
create
a
unified
vision
of
who
you
are
as
a
neighborhood
and
work
collaboratively
to
bring
that
vision
to
fruition.
Next,
we
will
discuss
some
of
the
specific
benefits
of
forming
a
Neighborhood
Association
build
community.
A
neighborhood
organization
provides
an
opportunity
for
relationship
building
within
your
neighborhood
through
social
activities
such
as
meetings
and
events.
A
A
strong
neighborhood
association
can
promote
friendship,
reduce
conflict
and
foster
a
sense
of
concern
and
caring
among
people
in
the
neighborhood
next
establish
better
communication
and
neighborhood
organization
promotes
better
communication
within
a
neighborhood.
Neighbors
are
more
informed
on
community
happenings
and
issues
that
may
impact
them.
A
neighborhood
association
can
also
create
pride
in
your
neighborhood.
Working
together
with
your
neighbors
gives
everyone
a
sense
of
belonging
with
a
common
sense
of
ownership.
A
Residents
will
likely
be
more
invested
in
the
neighborhood
and
wants
to
contribute
to
its
maintenance
and
improvements,
empower
residents
to
have
a
voice
and
work
toward
and
achieve
common
neighborhood
goals
through
cooperative
action.
Neighborhood
associations
are
great
at
solving
problems
together.
A
A
Neighbourhood
associations
can
also
help
to
improve
neighborhood
safety
by
working
together.
Looking
out
for
each
other
and
coordinating
with
local
police
officers.
Neighbors
can
help
to
create
a
safer,
more
secure
environment
in
which
to
live.
Next
neighborhood
associations
help
to
improve
effectiveness
when
working
with
the
local
municipalities,
an
organized
neighborhood
provides
a
large
forum
for
communicating
with
city
government
to
voice
concerns
and
solve
problems.
Neighborhood
associations
may
also
be
eligible
for
City
are
counting
resources
to
help
strengthen
neighborhoods
and
support
neighborhood
improvement.
A
Next
neighborhood
organizations
build
strong
partnerships.
Neighborhood
associations
can
help
develop
better
awareness
and
access
to
local
services
and
agencies
that
may
benefit
your
neighborhood,
as
well
as
the
residents
improved
quality
of
life.
Neighborhood
associations
can
develop
a
cleaner,
safer,
healthier
neighborhood
and
improve
the
quality
of
life
for
all
residents.
Lastly,
neighborhood
associations
can
help
to
preserve
and
celebrate
the
unique
historical
heritage
of
your
neighborhood.
A
Those
are
just
some
of
the
many
benefits
of
starting
a
neighborhood
association.
Now
that
we've
reviewed
those
benefits,
let's
look
at
how
to
get
started.
It
is
first
important
to
determine
if
there
is
already
an
existing
neighborhood
association
in
your
area.
If
so,
is
it
possible
to
join
forces
with
that
association
to
help
strengthen
the
organization
and
its
impact?
As
an
aside,
there
are
often
HOAs
and
neighborhood
associations
in
the
same
neighborhood,
because
HOA
serve
a
very
specific
purpose
and
may
or
may
not
go
beyond
their
outlined
duties.
A
If
you
determine
that
there
is
not
an
existing
neighborhood
association
in
your
area
or
that
there
is
indeed
a
need
to
start.
A
new
association
here
are
some
suggestions
on
how
to
proceed.
Your
first
order
of
business
would
be
to
organize
a
steering
committee.
This
committee
may
be
a
temporary
group
of
advisors
that
will
serve
until
the
group
becomes
fully
functional.
Remember
to
keep
your
numbers
manageable.
You
don't
want
any
more
than
about
five
to
ten
people
on
the
steering
committee.
A
Next,
you
must
identify
your
neighborhoods
boundaries.
It
is
best
to
use
easily
identifiable
paths
as
your
boundaries,
such
as
major
streets
highways,
rivers
and
railroad
tracks.
Try
to
avoid
overlapping
boundaries
with
another
Neighborhood
Association,
furthermore,
seek
a
manageable
size,
something
that
provides
a
reasonable
population
base,
but
not
something
that
makes
coordination
and
communication
difficult.
A
Having
firm,
manageable
boundaries
will
help
you
to
focus
your
concerns
and
efforts.
Your
next
step
will
be
to
conduct
the
initial
meeting
of
the
steering
committee.
The
first
meeting
is
very
important.
This
is
where
you
will
discuss
your
common
interests
and
concerns.
You
will
also
use
this
as
an
opportunity
to
gain
the
support
of
key
influential
members
of
the
neighborhood
and
the
next
few
slides
we'll
go
into
a
little
bit
more
detail
about
the
series
of
meetings
that
you'll
need
to
have.
Our
next
step
will
be
to
hold
a
neighborhood
wide
meeting.
A
While
the
steering
committee
meeting
helps
you
identify
the
major
issues.
This
open,
neighborhood
wide
meeting
will
be
the
opportunity
for
an
organized
focused
discussion
with
all
interested
parties.
The
leaders
chosen
at
the
initial
committee
meeting
should
be
prepared
to
present
information.
That
is
relevant
and
convincing
on
why
establishing
a
Neighborhood
Association
is
in
everyone's
best
interest.
A
After
the
neighborhood
wide
meeting,
you
will
then
begin
to
have
officer
and
board
meetings.
Your
board
will
be
responsible
for
carrying
out
the
administrative
functions
of
the
organization.
Your
first
official
board
meeting
should
take
place
shortly
after
the
initial
public
meeting,
so
that
details
can
be
easily
remembered.
A
Lastly,
take
action:
now
it
is
time
for
the
organization
to
begin
solving
problems
and
improving
the
quality
of
life
within
the
community
holding
meetings,
regardless
of
what
type
can
a
little
tricky.
So
here
are
some
tips
to
assist
when
you're
holding
your
initial
steering
committee
meeting
ensure
that
the
meeting
is
low-key
and
informal,
you
want
to
make
sure
it
is
in
a
convenient
location.
You
want
to
make
sure
that
you
solicit
attendance
from
key
members
of
the
public
and
make
sure
that
written
invitations
go
out
or
you
can
make
phone
calls.
A
You
want
to
definitely
provide
a
sign-in
list
for
participants
to
include
names,
addresses
and
phone
numbers
and
email
addresses,
so
that
you'll
be
able
to
get
in
contact
with
them
after
the
meeting
has
concluded.
You'll
want
to
be
sure
to
discuss
important
issues
and
concerns
of
the
neighborhood
identify
strengths
and
weaknesses
of
the
neighborhood.
You'll
also
want
to
discuss
the
role
of
the
organization
and
what
types
of
problems
the
neighborhood
would
like
to
solve
when
determining
goals,
you
want
to
make
sure
that
the
goals
are
SMART
goals.
There's
specific,
measurable,
attainable,
relevant
and
time-based.
A
Next,
we'll
talk
about
some
tips
for
your
neighborhood.
Why
a
meeting
you'll
want
to
solicit
attendance
from
a
wide
range
of
community
leaders
and
concerned
residents
make
sure
that
the
meeting
is
held
at
a
convenient
time
and
in
a
neighbourhood
facility
that's
easily
accessible,
such
as
a
school
church
or
fire
station.
You
want
to
make
sure
that
you
have
enough
seating
for
everyone
that
wants
to
attend
again.
You
want
to
make
sure
that
you
have
a
sign-in
sheet
so
that
you
can
track
contact
information
for
all
people
in
attendance.
A
Next
you'll
want
to
make
sure
that
you
clearly
outlined
the
benefits
of
establishing
a
Neighborhood
Association
and
why
you
would
like
the
committee
to
get
on
board,
make
sure
that
you
provide
opportunity
for
open
dialogue,
be
prepared
to
answer
questions
and
I
understand.
There
will
be
concerns
next.
You'll
want
to
make
sure
that
you
involve
everyone.
If
someone
cares
enough
to
come
to
the
meeting,
they
should
be
invited
to
participate
in
achieving
your
goals.
It
is
likely
that
your
community
is
made
up
of
very
unique
and
skilled
and
resourceful
individuals.
Use
that
to
your
advantage.
A
Next
you'll
want
to
nominate
officers.
If
you
have
a
great
attendance
at
this
meeting,
this
will
be
a
good
time
to
nominate
officers.
Officers
positions
that
you
would
like
to
have
would
be
president
vice
president
secretary
and
treasurer
and
minimum
once
officers
are
nominated,
elections
should
take
place
at
the
next
meeting.
This
is
an
important
step
in
establishing
your
organization.
Therefore,
the
process
should
be
well
thought
out,
and
you
should
plan
ahead
to
conclude
the
meeting.
You
might
also
want
to
get
input
from
everyone
and
decide
on
a
time
and
place
for
the
next
meeting.
A
A
Next
I'll
highlight
some
initial
tasks
that
the
board
should
carry
out
after
the
first
neighborhood-wide
meeting.
The
board
should
think
about
developing
a
mission
statement.
The
organization
should
have
a
written
statement
that
outlines
its
reason
for
being
and
it's
anticipating
goals.
After
discussing
all
the
issues
from
your
public
meeting,
these
things
should
be
rather
clear.
Next
develop
a
set
of
bylaws.
There
should
be
the
document
that
formally
outlines
the
procedural
and
functional
requirements
of
the
organ
is
a
organization
and
its
members.
It
serves
as
a
type
of
Constitution
to
guide
the
organization.
A
A
A
A
Next,
we'll
look
at
some
general
tips
that
will
help
the
overall
effectiveness
of
your
organization.
First
agendas
meeting
agendas
help
to
make
sure
all
partnered
topics
are
discussed
at
a
meeting.
Ask
members
and
residents
for
topics
of
discussion
or
action
set
meeting
agendas
at
least
a
week
before
the
meeting
lemon
agenda
items
to
four
to
five
items
and
place
time
limits
on
each
item
identify
agenda
items
that
will
generate
the
most
enthusiastically
provide
time
for
open
discussion
at
the
end
of
the
meeting
for
announcements
or
updates
that
are
not
central
to
the
meeting.
A
Agendas
will
save
you
a
lot
of
time,
because
the
meeting
will
be
focused
and
will
cover
all
necessary
issues
before
adjournment.
Next
is
record-keeping,
keeping
track
of
documents
is
very
important.
In
particular,
the
secretary
of
the
organization
will
need
to
keep
records
of
all
activities,
whether
they
are
administrative
or
social,
keep
copies
of
everything
and
organized
them
into
separate
sections.
You
can
use
a
binder
to
do
this
meeting
agendas,
meetings,
minutes,
communications,
newsletters
fliers,
city
reports
and
much
more
can
be
kept
in
their
own
sections.
A
A
Next
is
financial
management.
Financial
records
are
of
utmost
importance.
The
treasurer
should
keep
a
very
close
track
of
all
monetary
income.
The
best
practice
is
to
run
your
organization
like
a
real
business,
establish
a
bank
account
and
provide
a
detailed
report
of
all
financial
activity
from
meeting
to
meeting
another
very
important
component
of
neighborhood
organizations
is
volunteer,
management,
volunteer,
recruitment
and
retention
will
be
critical
to
your
organization.
Six.
It
will
be
helpful
to
develop
both
a
volunteer
recruitment
and
retention
plan.
A
Lastly,
social
events,
while
the
business
of
the
neighborhood
is
important,
it
is
also
important
to
provide
opportunities
for
neighbors
to
engage
with
one
another.
Neighborhood
organization
should
be
about
developing
relationships
and
socializing
as
well.
The
more
comfortable
people
are
with
their
neighbors,
the
more
effective.
The
group
will
be
next
I'd
like
to
review
a
couple
of
city
resources
that
are
available
through
our
community
engagement
division.
A
First,
we
have
the
neighborhood
organization
contact
list.
This
is
a
subscription
list
of
neighborhood
leaders
and
residents
through
the
city
of
Charlotte,
who
have
registered
to
receive
communications
from
the
city.
Registrants
receive
information
such
as
training
and
engagement
opportunities,
public
initiatives
grant
and
other
neighborhood
opportunities.
Next,
we
have
the
community
engagement
service
area
team.
This
is
a
team
assigned
to
four
areas
and
work
directly
with
citizens,
neighborhoods
and
business
associations,
civic
groups
and
other
community
organizations
to
assist
communities
with
project
implementation
and
area.
Revitalization.
A
Community
engagement
also
offers
training
and
resources
to
empower
residents
to
reach
their
full
potential.
A
list
of
training
opportunities
is
available
on
our
website.
A
great
opportunity
to
help
neighborhoods
to
get
organized
is
the
neighborhood
board
retreat
the
neighborhood
boy
retreat
is
a
free,
half-day
event
offered
twice
a
year
that
helps
neighborhood
based
organizations,
identify
and
prioritize
strategic
goals,
create
action
plans
and
improve
resident
quality
of
life.
A
A
In
conclusion,
starting
a
Neighborhood
Association
is
a
huge
undertaking,
but
is
extremely
worthwhile
and
can
have
a
significant
impact
on
the
quality
of
life
for
your
neighborhood,
with
proper
planning
committed
leaders
and
community
buy-in.
There
is
no
limit
to
what
a
neighborhood
can
accomplish
and
know
that
the
City
of
Charlotte
is
here
to
support
you
and
walk
alongside
you.
Thank
you.
So
much
for
your
time
and
attention,
if
you
have
any
questions,
please
feel
free
to
reach
out
to
me
with
the
information
provided.