Community Building Barriers: Part 3 of 4

Every community has them. We call them "heavyweights." Heavyweights come in three garden varieties, which I call the "3 C's:"

1. Those with CASH: wealthy benefactors, profitable corporations, big foundations;
2. Those with CLOUT: the mayor, powerful elected officials or long-recognized community leaders;
3. Those with CONNECTIONS: they have rolodexes that are well-stocked and lubricated.

Step One: Identify your heavyweights and test them for the fourth "C:" COMMITMENT. Some heavyweights are truly committed to their community; they write checks, spear-head committees, and get things moving. Others just constipate the process. Choose your heavyweights wisely.

Step Two: Ask strategically. What you ASK from heavyweights should be determined by the community's NEED and the heavyweight's ABILITY and INTEREST. For example, ask for money from the heavyweights who have proven that they can and want to write checks. Many community heavyweights have deep personal interests in specific issues. A simple matrix of community needs and the heavyweights interested in each will help you see your heavyweights as strategic community assets.

Step Three: Blow your own horn about every forward move. Susan Judkins in Indianola, IA writes:
"My experience with Indianola and other communities throughout Iowa is that there are plenty of people, including community heavyweights, who want to make a positive difference. What they don't want (or have time for) is spending a lot of time talking about it -- they want to be doing it. The trick is to show concrete proof of movement. Was an asset map created? Put the results in a report, issue press releases and make sure existing groups know about and start promoting the positive results. Continually work to bring people of any age who have energy and passion into the community-building process; a leadership development program can be used to connect people who are new to the community or not yet part of the power structure with opportunities to contribute their talent. Involving the community heavyweights in kicking off such a program, asking them to nominate participants and letting them know of progress helps them feel some ownership in the process. This encourages financial support for the operation and mission of the organization, buy-in to the projects, and a willingness to welcome new leaders to work on the community heavyweights' own causes."

This is part 3 of a 4-part series on Community Building Barriers. To view the other articles, click on the links below:

Part 1: My Board Doesn't Get It

Part 2: Where Should I Start?

Part 4: How Do I Involve Young Talent?

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