Building Community--Meeting Needs. . . MANY MEMBERS.
We are stronger when working together because we are all different! It makes us stronger!
There are many threads in the “tapestry” (see attachment)
I. Doers: The ones who are doing the work to meet the needs of people in your community.
A. Identify and meet people, groups, organizations in the community serving common population:
People involved in faith-based and community groups meeting needs/working with Homeless; men; women; poor and needy; children and families; urban and inner-city; churches, counselors; education--public and private schools; international; special needs/projects; media and technology groups; seniors; camps; youth; alcohol, drug, and dependency; crisis pregnancy; medical; city, county, state, and national elected officials, and more. Choose one other person, build on commonalities, and start meeting--get to know each other and what each other is doing. Bring others in one/two at a time when you are ready. Don't just tolerate differences--VALUE them!
B. Connectors–supplies to people AND people to people– Ministerial alliance, Principals, alliance leaders, coalition leaders, connectors, facilitators, builders, Board Members of nonprofits, bankers, landlords, business leaders, elected officials, city councilpersons, United Way agencies, food banks/pantries, etc.
C. Suppliers of goods, services, products, human capital, etc.
D. OTHER. . . Look outside your box to see what others are doing and LEARN! The Learning Process:
Unconsciously Skilled (know more than you think you know)
Consciously Skilled^ (you know where to go to find more than now)
Consciously Unskilled^ (you know there is more than you know)
Start: Unconsciously Unskilled^ (you don't know what you don't know)
Consider your audience: For example, Homelessness--See "Homeless Poster" AND "Resource Directory."
II. Donors: People who give. Individuals, organizations, corporations, funders, churches, etc. givers.
A. Corporate gleaners and givers (these are ALL around you!).
–products –goods –volunteer time –services –cash ($1 to $1 million).
–ongoing volunteers –in-kind giving –human capital
–connections/relationships. –corporations with over-runs –other: ________________
See "A Discussion of Gleaning, Leveraging, and Multiplying Talents."
B. Foundations (these are around you! Think RELATIONSHIP! See www.ArtfulAskers.com Workshop)
C. Government. Local, county, regional. Federal/Sponsored programs –HHS, DOE, DOJ –Faith and Community Initiatives.
State–80% of federal dollars to serve the poor come through State level.
D. Individuals (these are ALL around you. Build healthy and good R.E.L.A.T.I.O.N.S.H.I.P.!)
E. Pastors and religious leaders of churches, associations, and denominations.
F. Many other funders, funding entities, financial supporters, United Ways, etc. Gleaners, Leveragers, People who multiply talents.
G. OTHER: Alliances who study and present guidelines for product donation, acceptable accounting practices and other criteria for
nonprofits. Learn to Google (and/OR www.GoodSearch.com / www.GoodShop.com )
III. Other Community Servants/Supporters: Bring interest/support and help build support.
You may not know how this group works NOR be able to tell them how they help--focus on common Vision in your community. United Way is a great place to start! Who shares what you are doing? School systems know what is going on/what the needs are. . . See "Homeless Poster" AND "Resource Directory."
A. Prayer Warriors: Support/covering in need and ongoing. Don't leave out the Faith Community.
B. Your mailing list, constituents, donors, etc. In a relationship, keep in contact, informed, sharing vision, etc.
C. Government and policy-makers (political) and others. Learn! Writing letters is 250% more effective!
Especially if they know you, know what you are doing, etc. Write thank you notes to collaborators, others.
D. Connectors and facilitators. Logistics people: trucking companies, business-people, technology folks, etc.
E. Encouragers: Written notes, phone calls, words of encouragement, etc.
F. “Sharpening stones” and critical thinkers. Iron sharpens iron. It helps you. Accountability people are good.
G. Nay-Sayers and skeptics–Are Nay Sayers negative? No. Hear them as purifiers and stone sharpeners.
H. OTHER interests and/or supporters!
There are 3 Primary Keys. . .
Key #1. You MUST BE engaged and fulfilling your part in the Community: BE-----> then, Do----->then, Have
You are a thread. An important thread in the Tapestry. No more. No less. An individual, valuable thread!
1. Who are you? Are you “BEing?” What are your motives? What is your “heart.”
2. Are you seeking to walk that walk? Aligned with talk?
3. What are your gifts, talents, and special trainings? Are you helping others, too? Other oriented?
4. What are your skills and abilities? What is your personality fit for?
5. What is your experience and how can all of you/your gifts, etc. build community?
6. What is your purpose? What is your calling?
7. Are you willing to be used in an other-oriented and larger way to meet community needs?
Are you willing to cooperate with others? Are you willing to work together? (We are all different. . . We are all the same!)
8. The average person spends 70% of their emotional energy focusing on the future and spends 18% on
the past! We can gain 88% of our emotional energy by letting the past go and living day-by-day.
9. Another way we defeat ourselves? 80% of what we worry about never happens so we spend our emotional energy worry about nothing. The same energy used to create something rather than worrying about what will not happen can change the world around us. The energy we waste is the energy we need.
10. Related, the average person who meets someone new has 64% doubt, judgement, or other negative thoughts and energies toward that person–yes, this includes believers. . . In fact, according to the research, when the average person in our society looks in the mirror–the negative thought and energy level increases to 75% negative against ourselves. We DO love our neighbor as ourselves--we don't love ourselves! Where’s the GRACE?!? We are trying to help people who need what we need--so let's find it first!
11. Most importantly, an Alliance around you will help you:
--Gain leverage.
–Affirm YOU in who you are and in what you are doing the best you can.
–Encourage/allow you to BE who you are while allowing same to others accomplishing MUCH!.
–Challenge you to BE and grow in your own, others in their own, and in the community benefitting everyone!
–Inspire you to BE. BUT enabling you to DO! This will allow you a comfort and freedom level of
turning your energy and efforts to help the homeless, poor and needy of your community!
Key #2. You MUST DO Your Gifting, Calling, and Contribution to Community: Be-----> then, DO-----> then, Have
You must recognize your value AND the value of others equally! Then, the placement of your thread on the table with the other threads in making the Tapestry will be more complete and less dependent upon an individual as you share each other's value--creating these communities of alliances multiplies our effort and the effect of our work. We are stronger when we help each other to be stronger and focus on meeting the needs in our community.
1. Are you other-oriented? Do you value others as much as you want to be valued?
2. President Reagan had a plaque on his desk, “We can succeed at anything if we don’t care who gets the credit.” Credit for quote was to President Truman but he had the same plaque on his desk with credit given to “Anonymous.”
3. Are you purpose driven and passionate about who you are and what you do?
Do you know who others are and what they are doing and what their passion is?
Are you cooperating and collaborating in meeting common needs of common clients?
Do you look for ways to work together and share information from everyone FOR everyone?
4. Don’t always speak with ALL religious words–focus on the value of what you do.
5. Can you write out what you are doing? Record it, share it, and get ready?
6. Work as though it depends on you!
7. Document, demonstrate, and share effect on people you are serving. Allow everyone to share in the good stuff--even the people that you serve! See attached letters AND the "Thank you request card."
8. Communicate effectively–message convincing, compelling, and concise for your audience.
9. If you have appreciation within you, learn to express it!
10. Be teachable! Again, the Learning Process.
Unconsciously Skilled (know more than you think you do)
Consciously Skilled ^ (know where to go to find more than now)
Consciously Unskilled ^ (you know there is more than you know)
Start: Unconsciously Unskilled ^ (don't know what you don't know)
11. An Alliance around you will help you:
--Gain leverage.
–Affirm YOU and others in what each are DOing and the value to the community.
–Encourage YOU and others to continue to DO what you were created to DO.
–Challenge you and others to continually rise to meet what needs to be done by DOing your part.
–Inspire you and others to DO more.
Key #3. Cooperating/Collaborating: Community Building Community: Be----->then, Do----->then, HAVE
The placement of your thread with other threads and adjustment for The Tapestry (see attachment).
1. Be strong where you are strong; work on areas in which you are weak; ask and receive others’ help
through the process of cooperating and collaborating.
-partnerships -coalitions -alliances -cooperative work -co-labor opportunities
-collaborations -M.O.U.’s (Memorandum of Understanding)
2. Pro-actively engage and find where you fit–then, join others there!
3. Move from independence and co-dependence to inter-dependence.
4. “Ask NOT what your community can do for you–Ask what you can do for your community.” Giving IS Receiving.
Keep the main thing the main thing—focus on the people youserve.
When there is a victory—SHARE IT with others!
5. What permeates all? Respect, Grace, Faith, Hope, Love. . . The greatest of these is love.
6. A paradigm shift is necessary! We can do more together than any of us can do independently.
BUT we don’t have to do everything and we don't have to do it all ourselves.
Just BE and DO your part and allow others to BE and DO their part!
7. An Alliance around you will help you:
--Gain leverage.
–Affirm YOU and others in what you HAVE.
–Encourage you and others to HAVE who you are/be/do/HAVE.
–Challenge you and others to be good stewards in HAVING it.
–Inspire you and others to HAVE enough and help others to have enough. . .
Summary Points
Being committed in an Alliance allows:
1. Individual support and strength: Be strong in areas you are strong in and work on weaknesses. Allow others.
2. Organizational support and strength: Offer your strengths and ask for help in your weaknesses. Allow others.
3. Leveraging of resources.
4. Exponential efforts: Accomplishing more together than alone. For each other, others, and constituents.
5. Strength in numbers: Two are better than one; Five are better than two; More are better than fewer.
6. Help meet the need: Affirm, encourage, pray, inspire, challenge, assist, empower, etc.
ACTION POINTS:
1. Be. Teachable, yourself, real, authentic, etc.
2. Do. Meet needs, do what you can as best you can.
3. Look around and find your “need” to fill.
4. Value difference and find strength in cooperating and collaborating.
5. Join one other there and work together starting with at least one other person in a committed, steady time..
6. Fill the role that you play to the best of your ability. No more NOR less.
7. Join others who play their own role as best they can--albeit different and engage in Community Work.
8. Have.
Build good and Healthy Relationships in your community.
A common struggle in working with thousands of leaders throughout the country is this: They have moved away from the “basics” of treating people following successful models that work. There are certain characteristics that MUST be present AND growing in ALL horizontal relationships (from www.ArtfulAskers.com):
R espect and Honor: Respect, honor, and dignity MUST be present for all relationships to work and flourish. . .
E xpressions of Encouragement: Positive words MUST be the norm NOT the exception. . .
L isten, Acknowledge, and Consider Response: "Listening. . . actively pursuing a common understanding."
A ppreciate and Affirm: Value what is there–even if it is different from you/especially if it is different . . .
T RUST In-Spite Of/Through Brokenness: Reasons or results? You can be happy OR right. Rarely both.
I dentify and Build on Common: Choose to see common things–add and multiply NOT subtract and divide.
O rder in Place and Deliberate Actions: Order helps us to assure common and equal treatment. . .
N urture and Understand: You MUST say 7 positive for each 1 negative–increase positive OR decrease negative.
S elf-less Orientation: Be other-oriented. Think of, see, feel, love, etc. others as much as self.
H ope, Faith, and Pursuit of Consistency: Merge faith and works. Be- -> Do- -> Have.
I ntegrity Journey: Integrity does NOT mean perfection. It is the pursuit and increase toward positive.
P ardon, GRACE, and Mercy MUST Abound: Not little–bucketloads! Truth will not be present without GRACE.
