How do I start a Friends of Group for my local park?
A “Friends of Group” is a resident-led group focused on supporting a single neighborhood park (i.e. ‘Friends of Impett Park’). These groups are typically informal, and can range from a couple of passionate neighborhood residents to a few dozen taking care of a local park with consistent programming and advocacy.
If you and a few other community members want to start a Friends of Group for your nearby park, here are a few tips to help you get started:
Check to see if there is already a Friends of Group for your park. Before you go full-steam-ahead, search around on online or ask a few neighbors if they know of a group in existence (Chances are, there’s not, but it can never hurt to check!).
Gather a few other neighbors and community residents. You can do this by knocking on doors, distributing flyers, making an announcement at the next community meeting, posting to social media, or anything else to get the word out!
Determine the purpose and scope of your group. Once you’ve found a few other neighbors passionate about caring for your local park, hold an open meeting to discuss what you hope to accomplish. Some groups are focused on maintenance needs in the park, some care about increased programming, and some do a whole mix of activities. There is no one path, do what makes the most sense for your community! You can find a list of example events and programs here.
Create a social media page to spread the word. This is essential for expanding the reach of your new Friends of Group, and getting new members. Facebook is used by a lot of Friends of Groups, but do what makes the most sense for growing your group. Make sure to post events, meetings, and contact information here.
Connect with neighborhood nonprofits and other Friends of Groups across Cleveland. Building connections with your local CDC, other Friends of Groups, and city nonprofits will help you learn best practices, share ideas, and pursue funding.
Currently, there are no formal agreements needed between the City of Cleveland and Friends of Groups for a park. In the near future there may be opportunities for Friends of Groups to establish formal relationships with the City to help maintain parks.
Additional Resources:
See our post about what community members are allowed to do in City of Cleveland parks
Helpful Contacts:
Cleveland Parks & Greenspace Coalition, parkscoalitioncle@gmail.com
Your neighborhood Community Development Corporation (CDC), which can be found here
