Recruiting people to join a group is a basic building block of any campaign, because in the democratic process people mean power. If you care about a problem in your community, it is likely that your neighbors or other folks you know are also concerned. Bringing together people and resources to jointly express concerns to decision makers can add power to your position and get the problem solved. Anyone who has some extra time and energy can organize a community group; do not be deterred if you don't have experience with lots of meetings or organizations. If there is a need for action -- on an issue which people care deeply about, or which they would care about if only they knew about it -- you can raise the levels of awareness and participation of your neighbors and friends, and in the process bring about meaningful results.

In order to get started you need to think about how you are going to get other folks involved in the issue. You might want to start by developing a clear, concise, compelling message around which to rally people. Let folks know what you think is wrong, how you think the problem can be solved, who has the power to fix things, and why they might want to get involved.

Principles of a Strong Community Group:

1. Have clear goals for your campaign and a plan to attain them.
2. Continually recruit new folks to get involved.
3. Once you have identified interested people, build the group by organizing meetings and campaign events that pull folks together.
4. Make sure there is "depth" and "breadth" to the activities you plan. Some folks like to do simple tasks like stuffing envelopes; others have more interest in writing or attending meetings or lobbying decision makers.
5. When you do have meetings, do your best to make sure that everyone who attends gets to have input and then leaves the meeting with something to do.
6. Incorporate skills training into your plan if folks need to learn new skills like public speaking or lobbying.
7. Evaluate your group, its goal, campaign plan, and activities at regular intervals.
8. Have a clear decision-making process and structure for your group.
9. Have fun and celebrate often!

Potential Methods of Recruiting New Members:

1. Petitioning
2. Phoning
3. Door Knocking
4. Media Announcements
5. Mailings
6. Bringing Friends
7. Flyers and Leaflets

Sample Meeting Agenda:

1. Welcome
2. Introductions/ Sign-In
3. Campaign/Issue Overview
4. Update on Progress
5. Brainstorm next steps
6. Skills training (if needed)
7. Divide tasks
8. Set Up next meeting/Follow-up plan
9. Wrap-Up
10. Socialize

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