Grassroots Leaders Know What's Best for Their Neighborhoods

(from Neighborhood Leader, Summer 2005 issue)

Dear Neighbor,

In our initial business plan for the Neighborhood Leadership Institute (NLI), we said that the goal of NLI is to establish a network of grassroots leaders with the "skills, coaching, and support to exercise control over the future of their communities." With the participation of NLC grads on the Grant Making and Monitoring Committee for Neighborhood Connections, we have a promising example of grassroots leadership in action.

I love Neighborhood Connections' strategy of providing small grants for neighborhood projects, but I think what really sets this program apart is the composition of the Grant Making and Monitoring Committee. Why? Because a committee made up of grassroots leaders is more knowledgeable about the needs of the neighborhoods and more likely to make decisions in the best interests of those neighborhoods.

As committee member Janet Loehr (NLC Class 17) puts it, "All of us who are doing this live in the city. We don't work for the foundation. We're all volunteers." Pat Kawalek (NLC Class 6), who also serves on the committee, adds, "We can relate to the applicants and their situations. We've been through some of those situations ourselves."

That doesn't mean that the committee members are pushovers. Cynthia Jones (NLC Class 15) warns, "Whatever the group is applying for, they must have a passion for it. We can tell the difference." Or, as Loehr notes, "It's harder to fool someone who's done it."

The grassroots leaders on the committee also know how to distinguish projects driven by residents from projects directed by institutions. Kawalek worries that nonprofit organizations are looking at Neighborhood Connections as another potential source of funding, but Loehr stresses, "We really try to look at the small neighborhood groups."

Many of the original committee members are nearing the end of their three-year terms. They say it's time for new leaders to succeed them. Kawalek believes that NLC graduates should step forward: "I think everyone who has gone through NLC would put the skills they learned to use. I would encourage them. It's very rewarding."

I hope that those of you who live in Cleveland will consider volunteering to serve on the committee. If you are interested, please contact Lee Gleason here at NLI.

Let's not miss the chance to demonstrate how responsible and effective grassroots leaders can be when they have the opportunity to exercise control over the allocation of philanthropic resources in their own communities.

Warmest regards,

Don