50+ SAMPLE Community Proposal

What Is a Community Proposal?

A community proposal is a formal written proposal that outlines plans that aim to foster progress and development within a community. By community, this could concern a neighborhood, a particular locality or area, county or even a city. 

According to an online resource published by the University of Regina, there are two main types of community. A community may either be geographical or non-geographical. Geographical or vertical communities are physical areas such as neighborhoods or streets. Whereas, a non-geographical or horizontal community consists of societal units or groups such as social classes or teachers unions. 

Suggestions for a Community Proposal

Community is a fairly broad term and can cover multiple facets of a society. If you are looking for a way to give back to your community and encourage people in your neighborhood to do the same, there are dozens of ideas and activities that can help promote a greater sense of solidarity in the community. The following examples below are some popular ways to give back to your communities.   

Clean-up Drive. A great way to get the community to come together is by organizing a cleanup drive. Not only is it one way for people to interact with one another, it is beneficial for the environment and community’s surroundings as well. A cleanup drive is the perfect activity that anyone can take part in. Families, children and schools can all join in and work together to create a healthier and safer environment for everyone in the community. If your community is a nurturing one, essentially anyone can propose a cleanup drive. You can gather friends or family and submit a proposal as a group. With the right support, you can convince local leaders of the benefits of conducting a cleanup drive. Tree Planting. Another fun way to bring the community together for the environment is a tree planting or mangrove planting activity. Taking care of the immediate surroundings in your locality benefits not just the environment itself, but the people living in it. A healthy habitat breeds better conditions for healthy individuals to thrive. And the presence of trees contribute greatly to a healthy environment. For coastal areas, mangroves are critical for a thriving ecosystem. Thus, tree planting and mangrove planting activities are an excellent way to take care of the community while at the same time promoting fraternity and strengthening societal bonds. Market Fair. From an economic perspective, a fair and friendly exchange of goods and services can help promote community ties. People in the neighborhood can showcase their homemade products, whether food or non-food, while interacting with other members of the community. This is an excellent way to stimulate both economic activity and social interaction. Crafting a community proposal that targets the needs and interests of the residents is bound to be a success and garner support. Families, groups and individuals not only get to enjoy a wide variety of products or services, but they also have the opportunity to work together to achieve a common goal in the organizing of a market fair. Soup Kitchen. One selfless way to really connect with the community is by going out of your way and volunteering your time to serve those at the fringes of your community. These may be the people who are less fortunate and less privileged in your society such as the homeless, elderly, abandoned, poor, disabled and even those struggling with mental health conditions. A community proposal that seeks to uplift or alleviate poor conditions in the neighborhood like organizing a soup kitchen or a clothing drive is a fulfilling and worthwhile goal. Projects That Serve the Elderly. Another excellent way to create a thriving and caring community is by remembering and serving the elderly. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for many societies today to discard senior citizens or consign them to nursing homes. Senior citizens are just as important as any citizen in the community. They deserve the same amount of respect and attention as any other member of a respectable society. Crafting a proposal that targets the well-being and health of the elderly is a good way to honor them as important members of the community. Whether it is senior-friendly exercise programs, simple entertainment programs or social events, anything that can boost the morale and spirit of senior citizens will make a good community proposal.

Key People In the Community

The community, like the family, is a vital component in social relations. It is essential to maintain strong ties with people in the community if we are to have a healthy social support system. Feeling isolated or alienated from societal ties can bring about a host of problems and issues such as depression or anxiety. And although much depends on the individual, a large part of the responsibility also falls on certain people in the community to uphold and offer the proper support for its members. The following are some of the key people in a typical community.

Local Leaders. You’ll find that in almost all societal structures, there is always the presence of a leader. Nations, cities, counties down to the smallest neighborhoods, all have leaders that people elect, appoint and look to for guidance and order. Local leaders are major players in a community because of the influence they yield. And these leaders can fall under the state or civil society. Business groups, women’s groups and various other interest groups all have leaders that are tasked to represent their collective interests. Parents. If local leaders are the head of a community, then a parent or parents are the head of a family. Raising a family is far from easy and child-rearing is anything but simple. Parents are tasked with the heavy responsibility of caring for and looking after children, who eventually become part of the broader community. This make a parent a key player in the creation and maintenance of a livable and sustainable community. When children grow up to be mature, nurturing and responsible adults, they are likely to contribute to the community in positive ways. Thus, it is important for all parents to fulfill their duties morally and responsibly for the sake of the wider community. Teachers. Aside from parents, teachers and educators are also pivotal figures in raising upright citizens. And just like parents, school teachers, mentors or even tutors are tasked with the early formation of children. These make them instrumental in the creation of a healthy and productive community. They mold and influence the students they instruct. In turn, these children carry with them the lessons and examples set by their teachers and formators. A thriving and sustainable society has citizens that are concerned for the common good; and these are invariably linked to a good and functional education system.

How to Create a Community Proposal

To create an effective community proposal, you need to structure it according to the immediate needs of your community. Whether it is trying to solve a problem or upgrade a basic service, your proposal ought to contain several essential components. Follow the detailed guide below to get started.  

Step 1: Provide a Title and Background

As an introduction, give your community proposal an appropriate title. This should be directly related, of course, to the problem or issue you are trying to address in your community. You want to formulate a title that is both brief but direct. Aside from the title, it is a good idea to also give a quick overview or background of the community you serve. Whether you touch a little bit on history or expound on the locality’s demographics and general information, it helps to give the reader some framework or backstory in relation to your proposal’s objectives. 

Step 2: State the Problem

What are the urgent needs of the community? What pressing problems need to be addressed? What are the issues and concerns raised by the members of the community? These are the types of questions you should ask when stating the problem in your community proposal. Since the proposal is aimed at community development and advancing the needs of its residents, a focused and targeted strategy is necessary. And without pinpointing the problems, the appropriate solutions cannot be applied.      

Step 3: Provide Details of the Program 

Perhaps the most important portion of your community proposal is the discussion on the programs and solutions that will solve the problem that was previously stated. This section should be able to describe and outline the concrete actions and measures on how to address the problem. For a more organized presentation, you can arrange your action items in bullet points or in a table. Make sure to include other vital information too such as your proposed budget, schedules and timelines of implementation.  

Step 4: Create a Monitoring Mechanism   

Lastly, it is advisable to integrate a goal tracker or monitoring tool that will enable you to properly evaluate your proposed programs. You want to ensure that your programs are effective and are delivering the desired results. To obtain this certainty, post-implementation action should also be in place in addition to the actual execution plan. This post-implementation action or tool could be a simple rubric or a couple of success indicators. Simply put, assessment is key if you value improvement and continuous learning.     

FAQs

How do you write a community proposal?

To write a community proposal, you need to establish both the problem statement and the objectives. A background, framework, budget, timeline, description of action plans and strategies are also crucial components in any community proposal.

How do you plan a community project?

To effectively plan a community project, you need to actively consult the members in the community or the ones directly impacted by the project. Once you get the green light for a project, you need to conduct several sessions of intensive planning and preparation before the actual implementation of the program.

How do you write an introduction in a community project proposal?

When it comes to a community project proposal, you can start by providing a brief background of the target community. Who makes up the community? What are some interesting facts about the community? For example, you can present a bit of history or use a framework that is relevant to the community’s values.

The growth and progress of a community is everyone’s business. Ideally, each member of the community should take an active role in its development. Browse the sample collection of editable templates above to create your very own community proposal!