How to Help the Community

Meeting people. Getting to know people where you live is a great way to start learning about what you can do to help your community. To get to know a certain community better, start building your network by going out and meeting people. Participate in local events, frequent the neighborhood cafes, and chat with the neighbors. The more people you know, the better.

• To make friends with your neighbors, you can make a cake, bring them some, and introduce yourself. This will make it easier for you to strike up a conversation with them, or you can invite them over for dinner.

Search to identify the needs of the local community. Before you can help, you should take the time to research and understand the needs of your community. This step is extremely important if you are new to the place or have not participated in many joint activities before. Maybe the river that flows through your city is heavily polluted and no one can swim there. Maybe your school needs funding to buy books and computers. Maybe the homeless people there need help. Whatever it is, you will need to spend time researching and learning.

• Search the internet for some basic information about the situation in the community where you live. Try searching for the city name with some keywords like: “difficult situations need help”, “volunteer activities” and “issues that need help”. You can search with other keywords to get more results.
• Read the local newspaper every day. The local newspaper will keep you up to date with the community and how others are working to address issues of concern.
• Chat with seniors in the community. You can ask questions like: “What do you think is the biggest problem our city is facing and what has everyone done to fix it?” ^[2]
• Try not to be overwhelmed by the size and scope of the problems that exist in your community. Pick an issue you want to change, ignite your passion, and start there.
• Look for like-minded people. Is there an organization in the community that is interested and looking to fix the problem? Do you know anyone who has a desire and passion to make changes in the community?

Learn about organizations. Learn as much as you can about local nonprofits and charities. Visit their website and learn about their activities, target audience, purpose, funding and volunteer opportunities. Stay up-to-date with news from organizations that you would like to join at some point. ^[3]

• You can do a google search, or if you’re in the US, you can visit sites like Idealist, Vpunteer Match and Serve.gov to find organizations that are recruiting volunteers.

Determine the desired method of help. After you’ve spent some time learning about the community you live in, start identifying ways you can give a helping hand. Remember the information you find, conversations with people, and the needs of organizations in the community. Ask yourself some of the following questions before you take action.

• Which issue are you most interested in?
• How can you help to maximize your potential?
• How long are you able and willing to commit to helping?
• What do you need to get started?

Choose a way to help. Once you’ve identified the problem you want to help change, think about how you can personally start taking action on it. Even if you don’t think one person can change the world, believe that one person can make a difference – little by little. How will you make a difference?

• Find a place that matches your passions and talents. For example, let’s say your city has very few trees and you want to change this. You can use social media to spread awareness about this issue by sharing your insights with as many people as possible and encouraging people to plant more trees.

Set some achievable goals . The problems in the community that you learn about often cannot be solved easily, but need a lot of work, even take many years. Sometimes even after years of trying, the problem cannot be completely fixed. However, if you set achievable goals and take it one step at a time, you can eventually look back and see the results you’ve created.

• Set short-term goals. You can set short-term goals that are meaningful and motivating. What do you want to achieve in a week? another month or a year?
• Set long-term goals. In 5 years time, what do you want your community to look like? What about in the next ten years? What is possible during that time?

Map out a plan to accomplish the goal. To achieve your goals, you need a plan. To execute your plan, you will probably need financial help and funding. Make a detailed plan of everything you need to do to achieve a particular goal, including the following details:

• Manpower – Include the required skills, hours of work, the minimum number of volunteers or representatives needed to accomplish the goal.
• Materials – Includes things like: vans to take volunteers to places to be cleaned up, garbage bags, shovels, protective gloves and masks for volunteers, food and water to serve lunch . Consider the smallest detail.
• Finance – Develop a budget and detailed plan of the expenses needed to realize your goal.

Invite everyone to join. Ask around if anyone is interested in your goal. Try to form a core team of people to work together on a community improvement plan. Everyone can contribute in some way and together everyone will be able to accomplish the set goals. Even just telling people about your goals and plans will help you gradually know it to be a reality. ^[4]

• To find passionate volunteers and spread your work to the world, share on social media. Publicize your plan to make a difference and let everyone know that they too can join. Hold meetings to discuss how to implement the plan.
• Many people prefer to help with money instead of taking the time to get involved. Don’t be afraid to apply for grants or organize fundraising activities to raise money for your plan.

Commitment to the end. You’ve got your goals and plans to achieve them, now it’s time to get ready and really put in the time and effort to make a change. If you withdraw your plan, the community will never see your wish come true. Making things better is not easy, but all your efforts, no matter how small, will make a difference.

Volunteer for an organization you admire. Any nonprofit or community organization where you live may need volunteers. ^[5] Time contributions are also a great way to make a positive impact on the community and to strengthen bonds with other members of the community. Find an organization with activities you’re interested in and get in touch with them, there’s a good chance they’ll need your help right away. Note that volunteering for an organization is a serious commitment. Organizations take a lot of time and money to train volunteers, so be sure to put in the time and be willing to help in the long run. Here are a few examples of volunteer opportunities in most communities:

• Help clean up at the park, river or beach.
• Answer phone calls during fundraising events.
• Play with cats and dogs at animal shelters.
• Distributing porridge at charity sites or distributing to the homeless.
• Call hotline.
• Volunteer to guide in summer camps for children.

Attend community events. Other people and organizations may also be taking action to help build better communities. They will organize festivals, garbage days and meetups with the aim of improving the community. How often do you attend such events? Get involved as much as you can. Your presence is also a way to help others in the community because they know that you care about them. When you feel comfortable enough, you can completely volunteer to help with these events.

• For example, if a friend is planning a “Biking Day to Work and School” event on Monday mornings and you have a bike, why not give it a try? Invite another friend to join if possible. Show everyone how fun cycling is.
• Attend walking and running events to raise funds. Lots of nonprofits often organize community walking and running events to raise funds. The entry fee will directly support these organizations and your attendance will help spread the word and raise awareness about the significance of the event.
• Go to concerts, festivals and other events organized by a local business or organization. If no one attends these events, they may no longer be held.

Actively demonstrate citizenship. A great way to help the community is to actively participate in community-related decisions. Stay up to date with activities that affect the community and offer constructive perspectives on important issues. For example, if the city needs to be reminded about whether to cut down a few hectares of forest to make room for a supermarket, do your research carefully and give your opinion. Would it be better to keep the forest or does your community really need a supermarket operating in that location? The fact that you give a bright opinion and boldly speak up will affect the direction of the community. Encourage everyone to participate because citizen participation is vital to a civilized democracy. ^[6]

• Voting is an incredibly important way to influence the community. Please carefully read candidate information, policies, and participate in voting in all local elections.
• Contact the relevant authority about the policies that interest you. If you do not want the forest to be cut down or you think that opening a new supermarket will be more useful to the community, please contact or email them to state your views and reasons.
• Attend meetings to make important decisions. Take the opportunity to speak up about issues that concern you. Should the city regulate more pedestrian crossings on busy roads? Are the roads in the residential areas degraded and there are too many potholes? What solutions should the authorities have to deal with the increasing crime rate? Give your opinion and opinion on all matters that concern you.