Build Community Projects

Practical guidance for social & mass civic engagement activists.

Last updated 2022-01-10 | 4.5

- Start a community project
- Improve an existing community project
- Get in-depth insights into specific areas of community projects

What you'll learn

Start a community project
Improve an existing community project
Get in-depth insights into specific areas of community projects

* Requirements

* Work with excel
* powerpoint
* word or online editing apps

Description

This is a complex course on the concept of developing community projects.

Part #1 focuses on building your foundation. We look at perspectives, roles, broader understanding of your engagement.
In terms of the learning experience, this part supports you to finding answers concerning:

  1. WHY do you want to build a community project?

  2. WHAT is the field you might activate in or collaborate with?

  3. WHAT are the roles in a project and what type of mentality & skills does each one require?

  4. Commonly overlooked aspects by community activists: personal growth, values, deal-breakers, and agendas (yours vs. others).

Part #2 focuses on explaining the actual structure of a project (from an administrative perspective).
In terms of a learning experience, this part offers concrete insights into:

  1. Building the project: people, commitment, how to let other people in.

  2. Milestones: what they are, insights into building them sustainably, and a working example.

  3. Step by step project presentation - your first connection to obtaining partners.

  4. A perspective on legal aspects and working with law enforcers (several foundational principles).


Part #3 focuses on teambuilding. In terms of a learning experience, it offers tools & insights concerning:

  1. What are the key people in the project, what their work means, what their skills and background should be

  2. Three videos about informal relationships, difficult team dynamics and a perspective on ethics when it comes to community projects.

Part #4 focuses on communication. In terms of a learning experience, it offers concrete working documents and step-by-step explanations concerning:

  1. The communication strategy

  2. The creative brief

Part #5 focuses on fundraising. In terms of a learning experience, it offers both working documents as well as experience-based recommendations for a healthy community project

  1. Downloadable and editable work documents

  2. Real cases from my years of experience in community projects

Part #6. focuses on legal aspects, working with public administration & an introduction into logistics. In terms of the learning experience, it offers both working documents as well as shared knowledge based on concrete community projects experiences.

Part #7 focuses on running the actual events. In terms of the learning experience, it offers both working documents as well as shared knowledge based on concrete past experience.

  1. Preparing for the event day

  2. Running the actual day

  3. After the event/action day.

Part# 8, the closure, contains not just a goodbye but also a recommendation from me when building community projects.

This course is built from:

  • 33 content videos
    (ranging from 20 to 30 minutes in length; each with an executive summary at the beginning)

  • Downloadable & editable documents
    (so that you have concrete documents to begin with)

  • Professional suggestions from me
    (in 16+ years of activity I've been through professional challenge, crises, breakdowns, start overs, etc.)



Note! This course is intended as a structured discussion and practice curriculum for building community projects. If you seek a certification, please remember this is not it. This is a knowledge shared and concrete guideline for making your projects happen.


Change the world through community projects.

Who this course is for:

  • NGO leaders
  • Community volunteers
  • Corporate Responsibility Specialists

Course content

8 sections • 39 lectures

Introduction. Getting Started. Preview 04:10

  1. General guidance for the class

  2. Setting the intention or your ”why”

  3. The importance of a clear „why”

  4. Your first written task

Who am I to teach community projects? Preview 09:00

  1. My story in 8 minutes

  2. A  message for your story

Matching you with your role - pt. 1 Preview 20:24

10 domains to volunteer in or find collaborators from

Matching you with your role - pt. 2 Preview 13:17

  1. The Founders

  2. The Team-Members

  3. The Experts

  4. The Institutional Partners (companies, organizations, media, public institutions, etc.)

Matching you with your role - pt. 3 Preview 14:57

  1. Personal growth or internal work

  2. What are your values related to work, peers & community projects?

  3. Who should adapt their work or personal style?

  4. What are your „deal-breakers”?

  5. Everybody in your community has an agenda

  6. How do you position yourself in this wider arena?

Interview #1: Building your NGO Preview 38:54

Interview #2. Educating Ourselves to Transformation Preview 38:53

Building your project - pt. 1 Preview 06:40

  • What is your initial team?

  • Build with 2 or 3 people that you know & trust

  • The project as a professional ”marriage”

  • When granting trust to other team members, present your entire body of work with dignity

Setting your milestones Preview 07:10

  • The reverse or end-to-beginning approach

  • An example of setting milestones

  • The pendulation required

More on Milestones and The Project's Structure Preview 08:27

A model document to help build the structure of the project.

Project Presentation Preview 18:42

Recruiting Key Members - Job Descriptions Preview 11:00

Key team members' responsibilities & job qualifications.

Managing Challenging Situations Preview 15:01

  1. Identify & Communicate Deal Breakers.

  2. Friendship in Community Projects?

  3. A perspective in managing team tensions.

Challenging Human Dynamics Preview 11:52

From my most challenging experiences Preview 06:52

  • The difference in perspectives within the team

  • People's behavior is seen differently from the outside

  • The tough role of managing criticism inside the team

Interview #3: Managing Volunteers Preview 27:11

Communication in Social Projects Preview 23:36

  1. Brand Archetypes

  2. Communication elements:

    1. Mission / Vision

    2. Measurable Objectives

    3. Audience

    4. Message

    5. Communication Specialists

The Creative Brief Preview 11:39

The Communication Strategy Preview 33:33

Interview #4: Working with Creatives & Advertising Agencies Preview 12:22

Interview #5: Approaching Journalists Preview 09:49

Foundations of Fundraising Preview 12:51

Fundraising Strategy Preview 24:15

Build your fundraising strategy - step by step

Build a Sales Budget Preview 10:24

Build the sales or individual company budget - step by step

The Sponsorship Packages Preview 09:50

Build the Sponsorship packages - step by step

Approach Companies for Fundraising - part 1 Preview 08:09

Emailing to companies for fundraising.

Approach Companies for Fundraising - part 2 Preview 16:06

Interview #6: Communicating with Companies Preview 16:12

Manage the Team's Financial Rewards Preview 10:11

Logistics Preview 11:03

Legal Aspects Preview 04:19

  1. The legal frame for community events & actions.

  2. The first local specialist to seek guidance from.

Interview #7: Working with Lawyers & Law Firms Preview 20:27

Working with authorities Preview 13:05

  • Community projects on public terrains/spaces

  • Approval of the institution that administers the public terrain

  • Other types of authorizations

  • More ways to involve authorities (first aid, water, food, volunteers, etc.)

The Status Document Preview 16:02

Difficult Scenarios as Preparation Preview 13:23

Instructing Volunteers Preview 19:02

The Action Day Preview 18:53

A soulful essence in our actions Preview 09:09

  1. The planet as a living organism

  2. The people who still ”feel” the planet

  3. Documentaries worth viewing

Closure Preview 01:45