Getting to know your community

You have a mission statement, action steps and a “back story” for your giving. Now it is time to scan your environment to learn as much as you can about the community and the issues you hope to address.

You may have a strong sense of what the community needs and a network of community leaders upon whom you rely for advice and counsel. If that is the case, you are ahead of the game and can move on to designing a grantmaking program.

If not, getting to know the strengths and challenges of a community will help you learn how your resources can best be used.

Site visits can be an extremely powerful and useful method of learning about a community and the organizations that serve it.  Before heading out on a site visit, however, it will be important to get a sense of what you know, and what you need to find out.

The good news and the bad news: This is a task you will never totally complete.  Like a reporter tracking down sources, you will collect a network of individuals and a set of resources that you can reliably call upon for help and feedback.

In the short term, you may be looking for advice on a specific issue or a particular grant, but you are also trying to create long-term connections and relationships.

A leader you meet while exploring homelessness may also work on or know a lot about education or job training. Every contact you make will become an asset to your giving and add to your own personal fulfillment.

Challenge yourself to get to know individuals beyond your existing circles. Leaders, especially in distressed neighborhoods, may not to be the “usual suspects.” Below, we suggest community members you will want to get know.

Knowing what you know; knowing what you don't know. What do you know about a community and issues you hope to affect? The answer may be “not much.” Or “plenty.” Either way, this is the time to take stock of that knowledge.

Learning about a community is an iterative process; that is, the more you do it, the more refined and useful your questions and the answers will become. Take a few minutes to honestly assess your understanding and knowledge about your focus area(s).

Answer these questions. Create an inventory of what you know and what you need to learn:

1. What history, facts and statistics do you know about this community? What's most relevant to the issue you care about?
2. Have you done any giving on this issue or in this community before?
   a.  If yes, what did you learn? If you've worked in the community before, how will that experience help you approach a new issue? How will that experience help you enter this new community?
   b.  If no, do you know any other grantmakers or donors working on this issue or in this community? Contact a program officer or a board member at other foundations and ask them about their experience. This may be easiest with community foundations because, as public foundations, they are often ready and willing to share their experiences.
3. Do you know anyone working on this issue or living in this community?
4. What are the primary organizations working in this community, on the issues you care about?
5. Who are the community members taking the lead on this issue?
6. What are the successes this community has experienced? What challenges is it facing?
7. Are there local, regional or national leaders actively engaged on this issue? Are there outside leaders you know whom you could get excited about this issue?

You may have long answers to a few of these questions and none at all to others. You may have a few guesses or tentative answers, but feel less than confident about your knowledge inventory.

This is to be expected! Your next step is to stock the shelves!

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The questions you couldn't answer become your Learning Checklist. This section and the entire CGR site are filled with information to help you fill in the gaps on your Learning Checklist. In this section, we include people to contact or information resources to help you learn about your specific community.

Our referrals are by no means exhaustive. Every community is different. Use these tips as a starting point to learn about your community.

(1) WHAT HISTORY, FACTS AND STATISTICS DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS COMMUNITY?

The Internet can be the simplest tool for learning basic facts and figures about your community and its issues. Your own judgment as well as a review of local newspapers and any pending or proposed ordinances or legislation can give you a feel for the way current demographic, crime, employment or other statistics are influencing priorities.

TO DO:

Data. The U.S. Census Bureau Website is a useful and user-friendly source of current data.

• For data in various forms on population, poverty, employment, etc.: www.census.gov
• For a quick check on similar categories, by state and county: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/

Google and other search engines can help you locate state, county and regional data banks. By typing in your state or city and the word data, you can find many resources.

Do remember to review sites with caution. When unearthing statistics and background information like this, you need to find nonpartisan sources that clearly and carefully identify how they have retrieved information. When in doubt, it's best to rely upon census data.

News and events. Local newspapers are obviously great sources of information about the priorities and history of a community. Letters to the editor as well as editorials can help you get a feel for issues.

Local public radio stations often air local politics and community issues shows. Excellent coverage of local political activity can also be found on independent radio stations. Follow the writings of specific reporters or editors who you think really know a community or an issue. Look for opportunities like media forums to question reporters.

As with anything else, maintain a critical eye. Sales considerations and space limitations prompt newspapers and local media to emphasize controversy and to portray issues in stark “either/or” terms.

Political activity and policy change can be strong indicators of both community priorities and community leaders.

Again, the “local politics” section of newspapers, especially local neighborhood or regional papers, can help you learn about grassroots community groups and organizing efforts. Local public and independent radio stations often air local politics and issues shows.

You might also review city and neighborhood council or school board meeting minutes; in many cases, even the smallest communities post these items online. On the state level, every state posts pending legislation and legislative schedules online. Using the search engine of your choice, simply type your state and the word “legislation” to find these sites.

(2) HAVE YOU DONE ANY GIVING ON THIS ISSUE OR IN THIS COMMUNITY BEFORE?

TO DO:

If yes, what did you learn? This is as simple as taking the time to think about your experience and jot down a few notes. Or if you are part of a foundation whose work in a community or on an issue predates your involvement, you may want to review the files of organizations that have been funded.

If your foundation has collected grant reports or evaluations, review this information as well. You might even contact one or more of these organizations and ask for honest feedback about their experience.

The point of this trip down memory lane is to get a sense of how your giving will be received by the community and the organizations working on the issues you care about. Communities and organizations may have nothing but favorable memories. Or the situation might be less agreeable.

Knowing this in advance can help you build on positive experiences or alternatively, start anew by acknowledging a rough past and deciding how to avoid past mistakes.

If no, do you know any other grantmakers working on this issue or in this community? Contact a program officer or a board member at other foundations and ask them about their experience.

(3) WHO DO YOU KNOW WORKING ON THIS ISSUE OR IN THIS COMMUNITY?

TO DO:

If you have a few names in mind, contact them. Using these suggestions, schedule a time to talk. It is perfectly appropriate to contact organizations to talk directly with senior staff or to request information and materials.

If your answer is no one, you have some research to do. Try contacting your local nonprofit association (some are statewide, others citywide) to obtain a list of organizations that work in your area of interest and geographic region.

Your area's community foundation may also be able to provide you with a list of groups to which it has made grants in that community or area of interest. Once you have a few names, the organizations' Websites can help you get in touch with folks who are in the know. Again, it is perfectly appropriate to contact organizations to talk directly with senior staff or to request information and materials.

(4) WHAT ORGANIZATIONS ARE WORKING IN THIS COMMUNITY ON THE ISSUES YOU CARE ABOUT?

TO DO:

Try to connect with your local nonprofit association (some are statewide, others citywide) to obtain a list of nonprofits that work in your area of interest and geographic region. To find a local nonprofit association, visit the National Association of Nonprofit Associations and do a state search.

Your area's community foundation might also provide you with a list of organizations in your area of interest. 

Once you have a list, you can use GuideStar, Charity Navigator or the nonprofit's own Website to learn more details.

GuideStar generates and distributes extensive programmatic and financial information about more than a million American charitable nonprofit organizations. It operates a free, public Internet service and is the nation's leading source of information about nonprofit organizations. GuideStar posts organizations' missions, board members and staff sizes as well as their most recent tax returns.

(5) WHO ARE THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS TAKING THE LEAD ON THIS ISSUE?

Identifying community leaders can be a dicey proposition. Your success will depend upon your ability to locate the most trusted and influential community leaders. The obvious institutional and professional leaders – i.e. directors of organizations, city managers, council members, etc. – may or may not have the trust and support of the larger community.

In some cases, especially in lower-income communities, people who have first-hand experience with a specific issue have the greatest community support. Such leaders may be working mothers, formerly homeless individuals, long-time public housing residents or others.

TO DO:

Once again, newspapers – especially local and regional newspapers – can be excellent sources for identifying local leaders. Grassroots campaigns, fundraisers and rallies are often led by local citizens moved to take action. Community organizations such as community development corporations and neighborhood associations can point you toward public servants, professionals and activists.

The Center for Community Change provides a useful listing of community partners throughout the U.S. These groups work locally to realize CCC's mission to help low-income people, especially people of color, build powerful, effective organizations through which they can change their communities and public policies for the better.

Sometimes an issue can provoke factions and leaders with starkly opposing views. You will want to explore how differing approaches match your values and serve the community. You may determine that the best use of your support is to encourage factions to come together to find solutions that truly serve the community. These grants can sometimes yield incredible long-term results.

(6) WHAT SUCCESSES HAS THE COMMUNITY EXPERIENCED?  WHAT CHALLENGES IS IT FACING?

Communities can have long memories. Your giving will be enhanced by a strong understanding of the community's recent successes. It is a sign of respect to acknowledge a community's positive track record.

On the flip side, you will want to know and understand what has gone wrong or proven intractable. Unfortunately, you may meet skeptics that always respond with: “We've tried that. It didn't work.” By understanding the past, you indicate a willingness to learn about a community and become better prepared to explain what's different about the support you are now giving.

TO DO:

Local community foundation program staff and nonprofit leaders, including board members, can be excellent sources of information about their community's hits and misses. Try asking these folks Question #6. If you find three or four individuals giving you more or less the same answers, you can feel confident that you have a strong sense of what has worked and what hasn't in your target community.

(7) ARE THERE LOCAL, REGIONAL OR NATIONAL LEADERS WHO ARE ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN THIS ISSUE?  ARE THERE LEADERS YOU COULD GET EXCITED ABOUT THE ISSUE?

How was your attention brought to this issue or this community? By connecting with others engaged in similar work, you can learn a lot more about the issues and amplify your collective results.

On the other hand, you may know powerful individuals who do not yet have your understanding of an issue or community. Whether socially or professionally, you may have access to policymakers, media and/or other givers that can help a community achieve its goals.

One of the greatest gifts you can give is to bring more attention and support to things you care about. Talking to your peers about your own experience can add to your knowledge while also bringing greater attention to an issue or community.

TO DO:

Once you have worked through Questions 1-6, draft a list of three or four peers, friends or colleagues you admire, who you believe should know about the community and the issues your giving is addressing.

Always, look for opportunities to share what you've learned. You never know when a casual conversation can yield incredible results!

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On this Website, you will find links to organizations and resources for information regarding specific issues:

Housing
Jobs
Health & Wellness
Schools & Education
Safe & Stable Families
Healthy Environments