GET ORGANIZED

You will have a much better chance of making things better in your building if you work with other tenants to get the things you need. Most tenants don't have a lot of money or time available to solve their problems. Instead, tenants can come together as a group to share their talents, ideas, information, work, and to have the power of group action. Your landlord, HUD, and other people who have the power to change things at your building are more likely to listen to your concerns if your neighbors are by your side!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ORGANIZING

• Why organize as tenants?
• How do I organize and keep others involved?
• What's the purpose of a tenant meeting?
• How do we plan meetings and write an agenda?
• Why select a Chairperson?
• How do we get people to come to our meetings?
• What are the tasks of a tenant association?
• How do we ask people to become members and do we need a certain number of tenants?
• Tenant association structure
• What are the typical components of a tenant association?
• How do we decide which issues to tackle?

RUNNING MEETINGS | SAMPLE FLYERS | DEVELOPING BY-LAWS | GRASSROOTS FUNDRAISING

Check out our Meeting Center to find out everything you need to know about conducting a successful Tenant meeting. The Meeting Center is filled with samples for minutes, agendas, and even a few dos and don'ts..... GO!

Ready to formalize your group? Think about having some By-Laws. Find out what “must have” elements you should include, and take a look at some examples of By-Laws for diffrent types of tenant organizations....GO!

What is grassroots fundraising? And why do you need it? Check out a few tips and other information to find out what you need to know.....GO!

Also check out these helpful articles on how to raise money:

This website includes "53 Ways for Board Members to raise $1,000"
Sample Fundraising Letters to Politicians and Community Groups
"Opportunistic Fundraising"
"Planning a Successful Fundraiser"
"Fundraising Methods"
"Sure-Proof Fundraisers"
"How to Ask for Money"
"Writing a Winning Proposal"

DOOR KNOCKING

• A Short And Simple Guide to Door-Knocking by Michael J. Brown of Jewish Organizing Initiative (JOI)
• 10 Truths of Recruitment by Gregory F. Augustine Pierce © 1991
• Working In Organizations - 20 Tips to Get People to Help by Michael J. Brown of JOI
• One-on-One Meetings: A Simple “How-to” Guide
• Recruiting: Guidlines for a “One-on-One” or “Home Visit” by Michael J. Brown of JOI
• ONE Leadership Training: One-to-One Meetings by the Organization of the Northeast (ONE)

READING LIST AND LINKS

SUGGESTED READING:
• Tenants' Rights: A Manual for Tenants who live in privately owned, federally subsized housing
• Save our homes news clips
• SAVING OUR HOMES: The lessons of community struggles to preserve affordable housing in Chicago's Uptown
• The Organizer's Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know to Organize a Successful Tenant Association (2nd Edition)