Gain Support for a Group
To make a visible impact in the area around you, you are going to need to make an imprint on the populace that effects you locally.
Many groups strive to gain acceptance among the community, but are prevented from doing so due to social stigmas. The purpose of this article is to give various groups a way to gain acceptance in to the community, and a way to better their community in general.
Contents
Steps
- Commit to simple works, such as organizing a cleaning of local streets, repainting of local buildings with owner's permission, or helping to donate blood. Creating a visible organization within the community leaves a distinct impression.
- Ask the city for permission to complete larger items, such as painting city buildings, repainting city parks, cleaning city toilets, cleaning highways, removing graffiti from public works, or holding children's events in public parks. These will not only generate a public image of doing good for the people, but it will also have a public record of you helping the city.
- Organize fund raisers for local schools who can not afford certain items. Attempt to raise enough money to replace a certain set of textbooks, or have new toilets installed. Many schools will put a dedication to organizations that actively help schools, once you have shown you are trustworthy among the community.
- Hold open meetings for anyone to attend, explaining your ideas, beliefs, and be ready to answer questions to the general public. A quick example would be this: Say a group of "Goths" wanted to disperse of stereotypes. They would hold an open seminar, where people could attend. They would then have a few keynote speakers, and address the concerns of the public, parents especially.
- Ask the police for permission to form night patrols. Have your members actively travel in groups of five six, and as a group, your group would attempt to maintain law and order, and escort people too and from places in the middle of the night.
- Run a public carpool. In many small communities, there is not enough of a voter demand for public transportation to be available. If your group has had the success and foresight to make it to a large group, attempt to provide public transportation at little or no cost to the public. There is no reason why your group can not have your sponsorship on the side of the vehicle.
- Organize local events. These can include sporting matches where all of the equipment is provided, gatherings such as concerts, or any other type of event you can think of. Make sure you obtain the city's permission to provide such a service, if you are going to use city space.
- Complete works at churches and soup kitchens. Seeing one or two of your members at a soup kitchen may have an impact at one or two people. Seeing an entire collective of people serving the public can have an influence on another entire group. For instance, if you are running a group to dispel the stereotypes of punks as violent, having twenty to thirty punks show up at a soup kitchen can radically alter people's opinions.
- Develop alliances with other public groups and gain their endorsement. For instance, if you believe that a religious organization may be the most apprehensive towards your group, attempt to openly befriend said religious organization. If you believe that a police department has a dislike for your particular group, be cooperative and help the police at any possible moment.
- Be friendly and courteous at all times, when supporting your position. Hostility will not win over the minds and hearts of people. However, actively helping people will.
- Join an organization such as the Peace Corps. Have large numbers of your group head internationally to aid other countries. This will not only create a public record of doing good for other countries, but will gain support on a global level.
- Repeat any of the above steps, except for 11, at any village, town, city, or state across the globe. It will help better your image globally, and help organize people of the same beliefs in other countries.
Tips
- Go to poorer areas first, as improving areas in poverty will have a "Trickle Up" effect, showing areas of higher wealth that you are dedicated to performing good deeds.
- Make sure you maintain a well trained staff who are up to date on first aid techniques. In doing public works, you can encounter a need for first aid, in which case this will be the best possible option for the success of your group.
- Reach out to children by volunteering to talk to their parents, if they choose to become involved in your group and the parent dislikes the group.
- Encourage your own members to strive in their own lives. Encourage the teenagers and children in your groups to keep in school and maintain high GPAs, as teachers are also influential members of the community.
- Extend yourself out specifically to those in need. People will look favorably on those who have helped them out during a hard time.
- Most likely, there will not be an immediate reaction. People have built up biases over the years, and it may take time to break down these biases.
- Seek to actively increase the integrity of the community. If a flood is imminent, volunteer as many people as possible to sandbag the local area. Also volunteer to evacuate as many people as possible from the premises.
- Advocate that all of your members learn the letter of the law, and their rights under whatever the founding legal articles of the country are.
- Make fliers and pamphlets to hand out to people, if they come to you and ask questions. Generally, placing them on car windshields, or going door to door, will only get the pamphlet thrown in the trash. Instead, place them in publicly accessible places, such as train stations, mall stands, or if permitted, on public grounds such as parks.
- Keep all of your organizations finances legal, and file yourself under the appropriate tax codes. Pay your taxes as regularly and accurately as possible.
- Help local businesses. Many small business vote, and you can influence their votes with your own cash.
- Maintain an active website detailing your mission statement first and foremost. Then casually list all of your accomplishments, in order by either location or chronology.
- Go through legal channels for any activity. The more you are on the side of the law, the easier it is to operate without repercussion from the law.
- Actively commit to, and complete, deeds on a regular basis. Doing one thing on the 25th of April, and then another on the 21st of December, will not create a lasting image. For an image to be maintained, it must be persistent and constant.
Warnings
- When you organize big events, make sure to have plenty of water available for anyone who wants to have water. This will prevent dehydration.
- Refrain from becoming hostile for any reason, whatsoever. Hostility will most likely lead to imprisonment, which doesn't look good to the society in general.
- Protect your members as much as possible from outside pressure, without resorting to violence. Reassure your members that your hard work will pay off eventually.
- Opposing groups may actively try to harm you. It is best that you try to make peace with the group, or otherwise let them rest in peace. If they physically attack your members, go through legal measures to retaliate.
- Be wary of having a "head figure", and becoming "cult-like". Doing deeds for the community will benefit the community. However, having a totalitarian at the head of an organization may lead the group astray.
