Neighborhood Association Tool Kit

Table of Contents | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | Section 5 | Section 6 | Section 7 | Section 8 | Section 9 | Section 10

Section 4 – Communication

It is very important how the neighborhood association is viewed by members, potential members, and outsiders.  The methods used to communicate your vision, goals, etc. will influence the level of involvement members of the community will be willing to maintain. 

Recruiting and Motivating Members and Volunteers

• Contact your neighbors. Get them at the first meeting.
• If the neighborhood is small enough, contact your neighbors by going door to door and introducing yourself.
• If you cannot go door to door, call your neighbors on the telephone.
• Distribute flyers. This can be done through mail or by handing them out in schools, businesses and churches.
• Listen to the members of the association.
• Establish rapport
• Identify their self-interest, special skills, and useful contacts
• Ask good questions, provide encouraging remarks, and use body language that shows your interest.
• At meetings, stir people up to create change. This should not be a problem if the problems you identify are truly important to your members.
• Be prepared and ask for help.
• Have a strategy in mind consisting of how you will explain your goal and what you want the person to do. Be clear and honest about the work involved.
• Review what you know about the person—anything that will help you identify self-interest.
• Be motivated and sincere. Paint an upbeat picture.
• Legitimize yourself.
• Explain why you decided to ask this particular person and why his/her participation will make a difference.
• Define the training or support that will be available to the volunteer.
• Identify the benefits to the volunteer from accomplishing the task.
• Get a commitment with a firm deadline or time for follow-up. Clarify what should happen next.

Keeping Interest in the Association

Members will continue to participate if there are:

• Business and social events to participate in.
• Issues to discuss which are important to them.
• Clear cut accomplishments. (Pick short-term goals which are realistic and stand a good chance of success in addition to more complex, long-term goals.)
• Organized, competent leaders.
• Events to recognize participants.

 Hints on Establishing a Neighborhood’s Identity

• Design and promote neighborhood logo.
• Call a news conference to announce formation—have logo, rationale, and map of boundaries available.
• Hang banners and signs at entrance points of major streets.
• Register with the city and with UNOE.
• Sponsor social gatherings—outside and inside (e.g. holiday parties, dances, dinners, picnics, children’s events, etc.).
• Write, design, and print brochure with basic information about the neighborhood.
• Conduct an asset-survey of residents and businesses and be ready to actively use the information gained.
• Support action on issues of concern
• Establish ties with nearby neighborhood associations.
• Establish ties with institutions and city offices with like interests or concerns.

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Presenting Your Organization to the Media

At any one time, you and your fellow association members should be aware of the chosen message you want to communicate about your neighborhood. Change it as often as you need to, but know what it is because opportunities to communicate it can crop up at a moment’s notice.

Facts can bolster your message, and they’re what you’ll use to explain to reporters why you feel the way you do about your neighborhood. You can find facts about your neighborhood from the Evansville GIS Department (see Section 7 and http://evansvillegis.com for more information on GIS) and the U.S. Census Bureau (www.census.gov). Remember that facts don’t just illuminate problems; they also fill out the picture of your neighborhood’s strengths and opportunities.

Build a team approach to communicating your message by talking about it in the neighborhood, in meetings, and by having it in your newsletter routinely. The more people hear that message, the more likely they’ll use it when opportunity arises.

News Releases

Writing news releases is the most widely accepted method of informing the press and the public that you have news to offer for coverage. A news release is a convenient way to initiate free media coverage about activities and accomplishments in your neighborhood, by residents and their families, by the whole area, or by your neighborhood association.

Guidelines for New Releases:

• Make it obvious who it is from and that it is a news release for publication or broadcast.
• Always include a contact name and phone number.
• Include who, what, when, where, why, and how. These questions should be answer by the end of the second paragraph.
• Write the release in the present or future tense.
• Give enough details and backup information to show them there is enough to work with.
• Keep it short. One page is best.
• Don’t worry about being cute or creative. Let the facts speak for themselves.
• Proofread.
• Send a photo if you can with a proper caption.
• Meet their deadlines. Two weeks in advance is standard announcement timing.

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Newsletter Preparation

 Possible Purposes of a Neighborhood Newsletter

• Keep readers up-to-date on meetings and activities of the association.
• Educate readers on issues and ideas concerning the neighborhood.
• Build unity and a sense of pride. Promote the neighborhood’s identity.
• Recognize volunteers, local businesses, and others contributing to the success of the association.
• Share important resources.
• Spark new interest and increase recognition of your Neighborhood Association.
• Motivate residents to join.

Determine Responsibilities

Decide in advance on a publishing schedule. You may want to begin with two or three newsletters per year. With experience, you will be able to create newsletters more often. If possible, form a committee with responsibility over the creation of your newsletter.

Determine the members of your Neighborhood Association who are interested in performing the following tasks:

• Gathering material for articles
• Writing articles
• Editing and proofreading material
• Creating the newsletter on computer
• Distributing the newsletter

 Newsletter Content

Ask your neighbors what they would like to learn about your Neighborhood Association or the community in general. Find out what topics they would like to learn more about and what types of stories they find interesting.

Remember to balance information about your Neighborhood Association with helpful articles that maintain readers’ interest. Neighborhood news could include information on meetings, events, issues, what the City of Evansville is up to, as well as recognition of volunteers and businesses. Reader interest material could include tips, puzzles, jokes, articles on neighborhood history, and much more. Also, don’t pack too much into one issue. Consider focusing on one topic per issue (e. g. beautification, education, etc.).

Turn to your neighbors for ideas. Teachers, auto mechanics, business owners, community leaders, and others have valuable knowledge that could be shared with the community. For example, an auto mechanic could provide tips on maintenance and care. Remember to recognize by name who gave you the information.

Writing Tips

• Write in a friendly, conversational tone.
• Use easy to understand language.
• Avoid long sentences.
• Use lists and bullets to make articles easier to read.
• Keep the material positive and upbeat.

Newsletter Design

Newsletters can be created on word processing or design software such as Microsoft Word or Publisher. Try to recruit someone with a computer and computer skills to take on the responsibility of newsletter design. If this is not possible, contact UNOE and ask for assistance with newsletters.

Use the following rules to design your newsletter on word processing or design software:

• Create a standard format to make the newsletters familiar to readers.
• Use two to three columns.
• Choose a simple type style (font).
• Use 10- or 12-point size font for articles.
• Use Bold, Italics, and Caps Lock sparingly.
• Use simple, clear graphics, clipart, or photos to break up the text and give the newsletter a polished appearance.
• Don’t overwhelm the page with too many graphics, however.
• Use boxes to set off short articles, but only use one box per page. It is a good idea to put meeting and event announcements in a box.

Printing Your Newsletter

Print one copy of your newsletter on any inkjet or laser printer and bring it to the United Neighborhoods of Evansville office. Call (812) 428-4243 to make an appointment. UNOE copies newsletters for member Neighborhood Associations for 3 cents per page. If your newsletter is one or two pages, use 8½ by 11 inch paper. If it is three pages or more, 11 by 17 inch paper will be needed.

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