COMMUNITY

ORGANIZING
PHASES AND
PROCESSES
CO Process: Four Interrelated
Phases
1. Social Preparation

2. Leadership Development and Capability Building

3. Organizational Development and Management

4. Consolidation and Expansion/Phase Out

1. Social Preparation

 Institutional Preparation
 Review of VMG
 Program Orientation
 Staff Selection
 Staff Orientation
 Site Selection and validation
 Area Selection
Consultations and interviews with local
officials and stakeholders
Review of existing documents
Actual survey and data gathering
Observation and site visits
 Community Entry
 Consultations/meetings with local officials
 Consultations/meeting with local groups and
agencies
 House
to house visits with key leaders and
community residents
 Launching of the CO Program
(formal/informal)
 Community Integration
 Undergoing same experiences with the
community
 Participating in social and economic activities
 House to house visits
 Informal group conversations
 Social Investigation
 Ocular visits and actual observations
 Informalinterviews with key informants and
stakeholders
 Dynamic interaction
 Literature/records/documents review
 Focused group discussion
 Community meetings (General assembly or by
cluster)
2. Leadership Development and
Capability Building
•Spotting of Potential Leaders
•Observe individual characteristics of spotted
potential leaders, their strengths and weaknesses
•Prepare profiles of each spotted potential leader
and prioritize them
•Validate information through interpersonal
interaction
•Gradually give them responsibilities and tasks
•Assess their performance in group activities
•Help them develop their self-confidence and
credibility
•Core Group Building
•Groundwork and follow-up of spotted potential
indigenous leaders
•Bringing together the leaders to exchange
knowledge and insights towards deeper
understanding of community dynamics
•Individual/group discussions
•Capacity Building of Core Group
•Groundwork and follow-up
•Individual and group discussion
•Formal and informal training
•Individual and group mobilization
3. Organizational Development and
Management
 Setting-up of the Organization
 Ground
working and follow-up of potential
members
 Series
of consultations among potential
members and stakeholders
 Conduct of group activities among members
(i.e. to formulate VMG, etc.)
 Actual formation of the organization
 Establishment of the GA and election of
officers
 Committee Formation
May be task-oriented or program-oriented
Provides a structure and mechanism for share
responsibility and collective action
Involves electing or assigning people to
particular tasks
Committee membership composition should be
equitably shared and distributed among all
members
 Election of Officers
 The general membership should be oriented to the roles and
responsibilities of officers before an election takes place
 The terms of office should be clear to all members
 Elections of officers and appointments to leadership posts are
usually conducted by the GA as mandated by the Constitution
and By-Laws

 Establishment of Organizational Systems, Mechanisms and

Structures
 Strategic planning
 Setting-up of systems, policies and procedure (flow of
communication, decision-making processes, program policies,
organizational policies)
 Formulation of Constitution and By-Laws
 Serves as the primary references for organizational processes
and decision-making. It should be extensive enough to cover all
levels of organizational policies and procedures (i.e.
membership)
 Should be well discussed by members before submitting for
ratification by GA
A task force or standing committee may spearhead the
formulation by the Constitution and by-laws, instituting
mechanisms for discussion and consultations among members

 Direction Setting
 Clear the vision, mission, and goals
 Clear plan of action
4. Consolidation and Expansion/Phase Out

 Strengthening Organizational Mechanisms

 Formulation of policies responsive to the needs of the
organization
 Venues for wider participation
 Strengthen flow of communications for informed
collective decision-making
 Involvesregular meetings, consultation, action
planning, and summing up sessions
 Education and Training
 May be formal or informal sessions
 Regular
and continuing educational sessions to
deepen understanding of members and leaders on the
community situation

 Committee Work
 Strategy for accomplishing specific tasks, as well as
strengthening group skills
 Decentralized decision-making facilitates delegation of
responsibilities especially among second-liner leaders
 Project Development for Organizational Stability
Groupprojects may concern livelihood, health
cooperatives, fund-raising and micro-enterprises
Objectives of group projects, two-pronged:
Asimmediate response to poverty or welfare
needs
As consolidation/strengthening activity for the
organization
 Resource Mobilization
 Maximization of resources ensure project sustainability
 People are the most important resources
 Other agency programs and services may be tapped for
resource complementation

 Group Mobilization
 Local issues are often used as key starting point for mobilization
 Local campaigns or campaign support for issues at regional or
national levels offer other venues for mobilization
 Groups can be mobilized around specific programs or projects

 Networking and Advocacy