Bobo, Kim, Jackie Kendall and Steve Max
Organizing for Social Change: A Manual for Activists in the 1990s. 2d ed., 1996. (Seven Locks Press, P. O. Box 25689, Santa Ana, CA 92799)
Authors Bobo, Kendall and Max are organizers and trainers with Chicago's Midwest Academy. They have written a comprehensive manual on the techniques and fundamentals of direct action organizing – a majority strategy for building, using and altering the relations of power.

Independent Sector
Charity Lobbying – You Can Do It! Resource guide and video. (Independent Sector, Publications Center, P.O. Box 343, Waldorf MD 20604-0343. www.IndependentSector.org)
Think that your nonprofit can't or shouldn't lobby? Think again. Three experts – Sanford Cloud, Jr., Wendy Hamilton, and John Kemp – have been involved in charities for years. They explain why lobbying is important to your mission.

Smucker, Bob
The Nonprofit Lobbying Guide. 2d ed., (Independent Sector, Publications Center, P.O. Box 343, Waldorf MD 20604-0343. Download a free copy at www.IndependentSector.org)
Smucker offers a basic guidebook for nonprofits engaged in advocacy: How to work with elected officials, how to deal with IRS and laws governing lobbying, using phone, fax and e-mail networks to get your message across are just a few topics he explains and illustrates with stories and examples.

Fisher, Robert
Let the People Decide: Neighborhood Organizing in America. Updated edition. 1994. (Twayne Publishers, Macmillan Publishing Co., 866 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022)
Fisher categorizes neighborhood organizing according to three dominant
strategies: social work, political activist, and neighborhood maintenance. Then, he compiles a selective history of neighborhood organizing movements, beginning with the 1880s and ending with the 1980s. He concludes his study with his analysis of the nature, potential and prospects for neighborhood organizing.

Putnam, Robert D.
Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. 2000. (Simon & Schuster, Rockefeller Center, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020)
After studying all kinds of clubs and organizations in America and other countries, Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam concludes that our social capital accounts have suffered tremendous losses in the last few decades. He offers several intriguing reasons why this has happened. Some will surprise you. He also offers hope that we can turn this situation around. His findings and recommendations led to the creation of the "Saguaro Seminar" (more below).

Putnam, Robert D. and Lewis M. Feldstein
Better Together: Restoring the American Community. 2003. (Simon & Schuster, Rockefeller Center, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020)
There is no better way to learn how social capital works than to see it in action. This book tells twelve stories of how people came together to solve problems and then draws important conclusions on strategies for connecting people and overcoming barriers to community-building.

Rivera, Felix G. and John L. Ehrlich
Community Organizing in a Diverse Society. 3d edition, 1998. (Allyn & Bacon, 160 Gould Street, Needham Heights, MA 02194)
Written primarily for professional community organizers and social workers, this book discusses insights and experiences for bringing people of different ethnic, racial and cultural backgrounds together. It includes chapters on women of color, Chinese-Americans, Japanese-Americans, Central American immigrants, Southeast Asians, and others.

Saguaro Seminar: Civic Engagement in America
(John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge MA 02138. Phone: 617-495-8809; fax: 617-495-1589; e-mail: saguaro@ksg.harvard.edu)
Three dozen people drawn from across the U.S. met for three years to ponder our declining social capital. The result is a report called Better Together, which offers four principles for rebuilding community. This report is available on the Saguaro Seminar's website, www.bettertogether.org.

Kretzmann, John P. and John L. McKnight
Building Communities from the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community's Assets. 1993. (ACTA Publications, 4848 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60640)
Traditional community development focuses on needs and wants (the glass half-empty). Kretzmann and McKnight say this is the wrong approach – it's far better to discover a community's assets and talents (the glass half-full) and use them as the foundation for unleashing the capacity of people to help themselves. Their book guides you through the process of mapping and inventorying neighborhood capacities and gifts and then helping them achieve their potential.

Temali, Mihailo
The Community Economic Development Handbook: Strategies and Tools to Revitalize Your Neighborhood. 2002. (Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, 919 Lafond Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104. www.wilder.org/pubs)
Written by the founder and executive director of the Neighborhood Development Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, this book offers a comprehensive, step-by-step guide for neighborhoods that want to rev up new economic engines through commercial district revitalization, micro-business development, workforce development and job creation.

Adler, Bill Jr.
Outwitting Neighbors: A Practical and Entertaining Guide to Achieving Peaceful Coexistence with the People Next Door. 1994. (Alder & Robin Books, Inc., c/o The Lyons Press, 123 West 18 Street, New York, NY 10011.)
The chapter titles will get you hooked – "Cars and Parking," "Foliage Wars, "Slob Neighbors," "Weird and Uncivilized Neighbors," "Horrible Pets." Adler offers stories upon stories – along with strategies and tactics full of humor and sound advice. The last chapter is perhaps the best--it gives his prescription for "How to Be a Perfect Neighbor."

Brinkman, Rick and Rick Kirschner
Dealing with People You Can't Stand: How to Bring out the Best in People at their Worst. 1994. (R. R. Donnelly & Sons Co.)
This insightful, entertaining book gives you specific strategies to deal with the 10 most unwanted difficult behaviors epitomized by such characters as the "Tank" (pushy, ruthless), the "Know-It-All," the "Maybe" person (fence-sitter) and many others. Written chiefly for workplace problems, you can easily transfer the authors' descriptions and tips to just about any other setting where human beings have to work together and get along.

Decker, Lance
Over My Dead Body! Creating Community Harmony Out of Chaos: The Basic Training Guide for Managing Community Involvement. 2001. (LL Decker & Associates, Inc., 5135 North 41st Place, Phoenix AZ 85018-1664. www.communityinvolvement.net)
The author's goal is to "(help) public decision-makers find ways to do the right thing and make their decisions work." Citizen participation in public policy-making is not only the right thing to do, in many places it is now the law! Decker's instruction book uses the example of "Chicken Grove," a community undergoing rapid growth to illustrate how officials, administrators and citizens can actually work together to make community-based planning really work.

Fisher, Roger and William Ury
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. 2d ed., 1991. (Penguin Books, 275 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014)
With examples and scripts galore, Getting to Yes is one of the best how-to books for learning negotiating techniques. You'll discover how to separate interests from positions and develop options for dealing with all kinds of disagreements. You'll also learn how to recognize tricky tactics, such as deliberate deception, psychological warfare and positional pressure. Getting to Yes is very easy-to-read but packed with powerful ideas.

Jordan, Cora
Neighbor Law: Fences, Trees, Boundaries & Noise. 4th ed., 2001. (Nolo, 950 Parker Street, Berkeley CA 94710)
Even if it isn't their job, neighborhood leaders inevitably are called upon to resolve private disputes between neighbors. From quieting the kid with the boom-box to dealing with errant leaves, limbs and roots that find their way onto the wrong property, Attorney Jordan helps you understand what the laws generally say and how you can help foster good neighborly relations.

Kovach, Kimberlee K
Mediation: Principles and Practice. 1994. (West Publishing Company, 610 Opperman Drive, P.O. Box 64526, St. Paul, MN 55164-0526)
Kovach, an assistant professor of clinical studies at South Texas College of Law, has written an advanced textbook for those who want to become professionals in the field of alternative dispute resolution.

Lickson, Charles P
Ironing It Out: Seven Simple Steps to Resolving Conflict. 1992. (Crisp Publications, Inc.)
Written by the founder of the nation's first technology-Alternative Dispute Resolution firm, Ironing It Out shows you how to recognize different kinds of conflict and offers nine basic ground rules that will empower you in a conflict situation. This short book is full of exercises and scripts to help you practice using his seven simple steps to resolve conflict.

Moore, Allen B. and James A. Feldt
Facilitating Community and Decision-Making Groups. 1993. (Krieger Publishing Company, Krieger Drive, Malabar, Florida 32950)
Using metaphors drawn from dance, the authors describe the process of facilitating problem-solving for those who might be interested in facilitating as a profession.

Schwarz, Roger M.
The Skilled Facilitator: Practical Wisdom for Developing Effective Groups. 1994. (Jossey-Bass, Inc. 350 Sansome Street, San Francisco, CA 94104)
Facilitation skills are essential nowadays for effective group results. This book helps you understand the techniques necessary to help groups achieve their potential and includes a particularly important section on the topic of facilitative leadership.

Slaikeu, Karl A.
When Push Comes to Shove: A Practical Guide to Mediating Disputes. 1996. (Jossey-Bass, 989 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94102-1741, www.joseybass.com)
Slaikeu offers a textbook for people who want to become neutral third-party mediators or who need to understand the mediation process to accomplish their goals. Each chapter progresses through the steps involved in formal mediation, from arranging the first meeting of the parties in conflict and ending with a written agreement resolving the conflict. The author provides sample ground rules, forms, case studies and exercises to sharpen your skills.

Urban Land Institute in cooperation with the Program for Community Problem Solving
Pulling Together: A Planning and Development Consensus-Building Manual. 1994. (ULI-the Urban Land Institute, 625 Indiana Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004-2930)
This manual presents the key ideas and techniques from the fields of alternative dispute resolution, citizen participation and meeting management in order to produce consensus.

Conner, Roger and Patrick Burns
The Winnable War: A Community Guide to Eradicating Street Drug Markets. 1991. (American Alliance for Rights & Responsibilities, 1725 K Street, NW, Suite 1112, Washington, DC 20006)
Drugs and crime do not have to be pervasive problems in any neighborhood empowered with the well-researched, proven strategies that Conner and Burns explain in detail. The authors describe how drug markets work and offer nine steps to breaking the back of the open-air drug market in your neighborhood.

Driggs, Cheryl F.
Simply Prepared: A Guide to Emergency Preparedness and Food Storage. 1999. (Cheryl Driggs, CFD Publications, 6727 Saffron Hills, Spring , TX 77379.)
Driggs has compiled a thorough, easy-to-read handbook on emergency preparedness for families that offers instructions for food preparation and storage, sanitation, before and after disaster tips, record-keeping, and many other topics. Also included is a fun, fact-filled "Preparedness Party Game" to help even the youngest in the family learn and understand emergency preparedness information.

Join Together (www.jointogether.org)
Join Together, founded in 1991, supports community-based efforts to reduce, prevent, and treat substance abuse across the nation. It is primarily funded by a grant from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to the Boston University School of Public Health.

National Association of Town Watch, Inc. (www.nationaltownwatch.org)
This organization spearheads the National Night Out program annually. Its website provides information on how to obtain its publication, The Block Captain's Handbook, become a NATW member, and it publishes selected community watch program success stories from the New Spirit newsletter

National Crime Prevention Council On-Line Resource Center (www.ncpc.org)
The On-line Resource Center offers program ideas and examples, news from communities who are fight crime, tips and information for mobilizing your neighborhood, activities for children and teens, access to McGruff the Crime Dog® and Scruff® public service merchandise and materials.

National Sheriff's Association (http://www.sheriffs.org//crimepre.html)
The National Sheriff's Association offers educational brochures, signs, T-shirts, decals and crime prevention materials for the National Neighborhood Watch Program as well as information about upcoming conferences for law enforcement professionals and citizens.

Alberti, Charles E., George S. Macko and Mike B. Whitcomb
Money-Makers: A Systematic Approach to Special Events Fund Raising. 1982.
Published and distributed by the authors, this book may be hard to find. Look in your local library. It is chock full of ideas and instructions for spaghetti dinners, chili suppers, flea markets, art and antique auctions, bike-a-thons, dance-a-thons, golf and tennis classics, etc.

Arledge, Rick and David F. Friedman
Dynamic Fund Raising Projects. 1992. (Precept Press, Inc., 160 East Illinois Street, Chicago, IL 60611)
This book gives you step-by-step instructions for rummage sales, carnivals, haunted houses, custom t-shirts, concession stands, auctions, and many other fundraising ideas.

Neighborhood Funders Group (http://www.nfg.org)
The Neighborhood Funders Group is a national network of grant-makers working to expand support for organizations that help low-income people improvement their communities. NFG members rely on each other for fresh enthusiasm, advice on new approaches and the latest information on grant-making strategies.

Neighborhoods Online: National (http://www.libertynet.org/nol/natl.html)
The fundraising page of this website links to foundations and corporate givers as well as to online charity sites that offer nonprofits commissions on items bought via e-commerce through the site. It represents virtual "one-stop-shopping" in finding public and private donors willing to contribute to neighborhood groups.

Angelica, Emil
The Wilder Nonprofit Field Guide to Crafting Effective Mission & Vision Statements. 2001. (Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, 919 Lafond Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55104. www.wilder.org)
Quick! What's the difference between "vision" and "mission"? Presented in a workbook format, this field guide answers this question clearly and offers a seven-step process for developing a mission statement and a six-step process for articulating a bold vision to guide your organization toward a positive future.

Dietel William M. and Linda R. Dietel
The Board Chair Handbook. 2001. (National Center for Nonprofit Boards, 1828 L Street, NW, Suite 900, Washington DC 20036-5114. www.ncnb.org)
Written for the Board chair of a "traditional" nonprofit service organization, grassroots and neighborhood board chairpersons will find this resource valuable and practical also. It offers tips on developing processes and procedures, cultivating talent and planning for succession. It also includes a computer diskette filled sample letters for recruiting a prospective board member and asking a board member to step down, sample job descriptions for board chairman and board member, meeting agendas and other items.

Masaoka, Jan
All Hands on Board: The Board of Directors in an All-Volunteer Organization. 1999. (National Center for Nonprofit Boards, 1828 L Street, NW, Suite 900, Washington DC 20036-5114. www.ncnb.org)
Written especially for the boards of AVOs ("all-volunteer organizations"), this 22-page pamphlet divides the roles of board responsibilities into two different categories – governance and leadership – and then lists the ten jobs boards must carry out to serve those roles.

Budd, Kenneth
Be Reasonable! How Community Associations Can Enforce Rules without Antagonizing Residents, Going to Court, or Starting World War III. 1998. (Community Associations Institute, 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 300, Alexandria, VA 22314. www.caionline.org)
Doing the right thing is very different from doing the thing right – a distinction that many POA leaders have a hard time understanding. This booklet attempts to help leaders of property owner associations to approach rules and restrictions with reason and flexibility. Budd deals with controversial rules about children, flags and flagpoles, holiday decorations, paint colors and many other hot topics that land typically POAs in the newspapers and on national TV.

Community Associations Press
Rather than listing every title available from the Community Associations Institute, the best favor a POA member, volunteer or leader can do for him or herself is (1) join CAI, and (2) get a copy of CAI's 2003 Bookstore catalog. CAI offers the most authoritative resources for information, education and training. Visit www.caionline.org/bookstore.cfm to take a look at the catalog.

Greenwalt, Joni
Homeowner Associations: A Nightmare or a Dream Come True? 1997. (Cassie Publications, Inc., P.O. Box 261368, Denver, CO 80226)
Joni Greenwalt, president of a homeowner association in a happy community, reveals the good, the bad, the ugly about homeowner associations from her own experience and those of many others. The stories she has amassed from across the country are guaranteed to raise your hackles and inspire righteous indignation. At the same time, she offers good, solid advice on how to have a harmonious association.

McKenzie, Evan
Privatopia: Homeowner Associations and the Rise of Residential Private Governments. 9914. (Yale University Press, New Haven, CT)
Privatopia examines the development of mandatory property owners associations from the 19th century to the present and how these organizations impact public policy, segregate economic classes and limit personal liberty.

Overton, Bill, editor
Community First! Emerging Visions Reshaping America's Condominium and Homeowner Associations. 1999. (Community Associations Institute., 1630 Duke Street, Alexanderia, VA 22314)
Recognizing that the professional side of property owner association operations has been more at ease dealing with technical issues, Overton has collected a number of articles written by members of the community association industry that call for more people-oriented approaches.

Palmieri, Denise
"Do You Have a Hearing Problem?" Common Ground, November/December 1995, p. 27-31.
This article outlines effective procedures for property owner association boards to use in conducting hearings with owners and residents. This article is particularly helpful for associations who are just now adjusting to the requirements for hearings with aggrieved property owners set forth in Chapter 207 of the Texas Property Code, which took effect in January 2001.

Regenesis.net
Based in Oregon, this fee-based website is an excellent resource for POAs anywhere. Articles, sample policies and forms, links to state laws, hundreds of HOA websites and other resources are just a few of the features available through Regenesis. Various subscriber levels allow you to tailor an affordable information package to fit your needs. Access it at www.regenesis.net.

National Center for Nonprofit Boards
Board Members and Risk: A Primer on Protection From Liability. 1992. (Special edition of Board Member, National Center for Nonprofit Boards, Washington.)

Herman, Melanie L. and White, Leslie T
Leaving Nothing to Chance: Achieving Board Accountability through Risk Management. 1998. (Nonprofit Risk Management Center, 1001 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 410, Washington DC 20036. www.nonprofitrisk.org)
Only 34 pages long, this pamphlet guides nonprofit boards through ten steps toward achieving accountability, beginning with establishing risk management policies and goals.

Lai, Mary L., Chapman, Terry S., and Steinbeck, Elmer L.
Am I Covered For . . . ? A Guide to Insurance for Non-Profits. 1992. (Consortium for Human Services, Inc., San Jose. Available from the Nonprofit Risk Management Center, 1001 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 410, Washington DC 20036. www.nonprofitrisk.org).

Minnesota Office on Volunteer Services
Planning It Safe: How to Control Liability & Risk in Volunteer Programs. 1992. (Minnesota Department of Administration, 500 Rice Street, St. Paul, MN 55155)
Any group that involves volunteers also involves risk. What happens to your organization if a volunteer harms someone or something? How can your organization recognize and deal with risks, regardless of whether it is an informal, unincorporated grassroots group or an established nonprofit agency? Although this book was written for Minnesotans, it offers excellent checklists to help any nonprofit organization anywhere assess risks, understand insurance, and develop policies and procedures.

Seidman, Anna and Patterson, John
Kidding Around? Be Serious! A Commitment to Safe Service Opportunities for Young People. 1996. (Nonprofit Risk Management Center, Washington)

Tremper, Charles and Kostin, Gwynne
No Surprises: Controlling Risks in Volunteer Programs. 1993. (Nonprofit Risk Management Center, 1001 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 410, Washington DC 20036. www.nonprofitrisk.org)
Another short, pithy pamphlet, No Surprises begins by dispelling dangerous risk management risks and guides you through ways to run your organization without surprises by avoiding G U I L T (Groupthink, Uncertainty, Inaction, Limiting yourself, Taking the easy way out.)

Macduff, Nancy L.
Building Effective Volunteer Committees. 1986. (Macduff/Bunt Associates Inc., 821 Lincoln, Walla Walla, WA 99362).
It's one thing to have a good project idea. It's another to carry it off successfully. Macduff''s book offers 10 steps for building and developing strong committees, the backbone of any volunteer-based organization.

MacKenzie, Marilyn
Dealing with Difficult Volunteers. 1990. (Heritage Arts Publishing, 1807 Prairie Avenue, Downers Grove, IL 60515, phone 708-964-1194)
There comes a time in every volunteer organization when a volunteer just isn't suited for the job. MacKenzie shows you how to deal with the inexperienced, the discourager, the founder, the abdicrat, the procrastinator, the dictator, the fantasyland volunteer, the timid mouse, and the disaffected.

McCurley, Steve
Recruiting Volunteers for Difficult or Long-Term Assignments. 1991. (Heritage Arts Publishing Division, VMSystems, 1807 Prairie Avenue, Downers Grove, IL 60515, phone 708-964-1194)
How do you attract that special person who will be willing and able to carry out a complex or long-term assignment – especially in today's time-crunched, fast-food approach to life. McCurley knows, and he shares his tips in this booklet.

McCurley, Steve and Sue Vineyard
101 Tips for Volunteer Recruitment. 1988. (Heritage Arts Publishing, 1807 Prairie Avenue, Downers Grove, IL 605115, phone 708-964-1194)
And you thought all you had to do to get volunteers was to issue a plea in the neighborhood newsletter! Wrong! Here's a book that leads you through the essential planning you need to do to recruit volunteers to settling them into their roles.

McCurley, Steve and Sue Vineyard
101 Ideas for Volunteer Programs. 1986. (Heritage Arts Publishing, 1807 Prairie Avenue, Downers Grove, IL 60515, phone 708-964-1194)
The authors call this book a "collection of odd ideas and thoughts that occurred to two people as useful for setting up and maintaining volunteer organizations."

Vineyard, Sue
Beyond Banquets, Plaques and Pins: Creative Ways to Recognize Volunteers. 1989. (Heritage Arts Publishing, 1807 Prairie Avenue, Downers Grove, IL 60515, phone 708-964-1194)
Volunteer management expert Vineyard helps you discover new ways to energize your volunteers with recognition programs that grab the imagination!

Clifton, Robert L. and Alan M. Dahms
Grassroots Organizations: A Resource Book for Directors, Staff, and Volunteers of Small, Community-Based Nonprofit Agencies. 2d ed., 1993. (Waveland press, Inc., P.O. Box 400, Prospect Heights, IL 60070).
Clifton and Dahms have written a no-nonsense compendium on how to run a small but successful nonprofit service agency. Illustrated throughout with testimonials and advice from people involved in grassroots organizations, this book also contains important information on financial management and where to go for more information and training.

Cunningham, James V. and Milton Kotler
Building Neighborhood Organizations: A Guidebook Sponsored by the National Association of Neighborhoods. 1983. (University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame, IN 46556)
This paperback has been around a number of years and is likely to be out-of-print. Nevertheless, it's worth a search to find a copy. The authors explore the definition of "neighborhood" – which isn't as easy to define as some might think. Then they describe structure and strategies used by successful neighborhood groups, offering lessons learned from case studies of low-budget/high pressure groups, big budget service and economic development organizations, and organizations linked to politics and government.

Hummel, Joan M.
Starting and Running a Nonprofit Organization. 2d ed., 1996. (University of Minnesota Press, 111 Third Avenue South, Suite 290, Minneapolis, MN 55401-2520. www.upress.umn.edu)
Documentation, structure, planning, budgeting, fund-raising, community relations – Hummel has a chapter on each of these important topics and more. Replete with sample forms, worksheets and lists of resources.

Mancuso, Anthony
How to Form a Nonprofit Corporation. 5th ed., 2002. (Nolo, 950 Park Street, Berkley, CA 94710).
All the legal steps you need to take to set up your nonprofit corporation and maintain its status with your state and with the IRS are compiled here in this easy-to-use book that comes equipped with a CD (available for PCs and MACs) full of forms and instructions.

Scheier, Ivan H
When Everyone's a Volunteer: The Effective Functioning of All-Volunteer Groups. 1992. (Energize, Inc., 5450 Wissahickon Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19144)
Scheier provides very creative ideas for building and maintaining a successful 100% volunteer organization with tips on fundraising, budgeting, distributing work, and sustaining passion for the organization's mission.

Academy for Educational Development, Center for Youth Development and Policy Research (http://www.aed.org/us/youth.html/zero)
This organization has a youth mapping model where young people are engaged in asset-mapping their own communities.

Do Something (http://www.dosomething.org)
Do Something offers an excellent youth mobilization/empowerment guide. You can order it free from Do Something. Click on the Community Connections Campaign icon.

The Search Institute (http://www.youthserve.net/toolkit.html)
The Search Institute has a survey of student resources and assets surveys they came up with in conjunction with America's Promise.

Youth Service America (http://www.youthserve.net/toolkit.html)
This site gives an on-line toolkit for youth mobilization, particularly in the area of community service.