Start a Neighbourhood Association

What is a neighbourhood association?

A neighbourhood association is a group of residents who live in a certain area and who work together to take on neighbourhood projects or to speak up on issues that concern residents. An association needs to set goals and objectives and to make them realistic and achievable. You can always start with a small project first and then build on your successes.

 What can it do?

The association can discuss and act on issues such as:

• Social & recreational activities and special events
• Neighbourhood clean-ups or other improvement projects
• Parks & playgrounds    
• Volunteer activities
• Crime prevention and community safety ideas
• Traffic
• Zoning and development issues

 How can you get involved?

The first step is to talk to your neighbours and organize an information meeting. It is important to define the geographical boundaries of your association and invite everyone in your neighbourhood so you can benefit from different perspectives and skills and so that no one feels left out. If there is already an existing association in your neighbourhood, you can attend a meeting to find out how you can help build on what’s already being done. 

How to structure it and how to run it

A neighbourhood association may be big or small, formal or informal. It depends on what works for your neighbourhood and for the people who want to get involved. 

It is important, however, to have some structure to your meetings in order to make sure things get done. If you want to follow a more formal structure, the following structure and positions might be considered:

A board of directors, who are elected at an annual general meeting, with the following position:

• Chair - conducts the meetings and sees that tasks are being completed
• Vice Chair - fills in for the chair when not available and assists Chair with any/all tasks
• Treasurer - responsible for the association’s finances
• Secretary - keeps people informed through taking and distributing meeting minutes and informing residents of upcoming meetings
• Board meetings occur regularly, probably once a month
• The Board follows written rules (by-laws and a constitution) to guide its operation
• Special sub-committees are created to address specific issues like:
  • Communications – writing a newsletter or creating a website to keep other neighbours informed of the association’s activities
  • Fundraising – for special events or causes
  • Community and social events
  • Seniors’ and/or youth events

In order to have an effective neighbourhood association, it’s important to ensure that everyone feels involved and that the whole community is represented, not just the opinions of the people who sit on the board. You should make sure there are clear and simple channels for communication, invite feedback and encourage attendance and participation at meetings. Remember that not everyone is comfortable speaking out or talking in public so having a variety of feedback tools (e.g. suggestion boxes, a confidential voicemail line, a feedback email address, one-on-one conversations, etc.) is a good idea. 

Be sure to include people from all ages when starting a neighbourhood association. For example, seniors have lots of experiences to share and often have more time to get involved than working parents do. Young people bring another perspective to the table and can be helpful getting other young people involved and interested. Bringing together people from all ages and stages of life helps bridge the gaps between generations. 

When forming a neighbourhood association you want to make sure everyone in your area feels included and valued and has a chance to participate and contribute to your neighbourhood’s success. By changing board members regularly so that new people can participate, you will always have fresh people and ideas around the table, and will be sure that not just a few people are doing all the work or making all the decisions. 

If your neighbourhood association is being formed to address a specific problem in your neighbourhood, you might want to consider inviting your local Community Police Officer to your first meeting to help moderate or talk you through some of the issues. You should always remember that there are many problems you can take on as a neighbourhood association, but it is always good to have people with experience in problem-solving at the table with you. You can find your local Community Police Officer at: http://www.ottawapolice.ca/en/ServingOttawa/cpc.aspx.

 Insurance

Because individuals can be held liable for decisions or actions they take as part of a board of directors, insurance for board members is a good idea. 

Volunteer Canada offers an insurance program for volunteers: http://new.volunteer.ca/en/membership/benefits/generalliability or call 1-800-670-0401 

Or you can check with your own home insurer or an insurance company like PAL Insurance (1-800-265-8098), to see what kind of rates they might offer you. 

The Insurance Bureau of Canada offers information on how to manage risk. For more information call (902) 429-2730 or visit http://www.ibc.ca 

You might also check out the Volunteer Protection Act for information about volunteering: http://www.gov.ns.ca/legislature/legc/bills/58th_2nd/3rd_read/b098.htm