COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT
OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to:
1. differentiate community organization from community development
2. enumerate and explain the steps in organizing the community
3. explain the guidelines for community workers and
4. implement strategic planning as well as the steps of planning community development
program/projects.
PERSON IS A SOCIAL BEING. He/she cannot develop unless he/she is a part of
society. He/She must work together with his her fellow human beings for common interests.
The problems of other men are his/her problems. Together, they must search for solutions.
Thus, it is the people of the community who must organize themselves.
Community is a dynamic entity composed of people living in a given territory who
share common culture, needs, aspiration, resources, lifestyles, and the like bounded by a
feeling of belongingness and interacting with one another in consonance with its structure
and institution to achieve common goals. (Norman 1998a).
Community organization is a process forged along people's empowerment and the
essential formation of a self reliant organization that will facilitate development in a
sustainable manner (Norman, 1998b). As a process, it involves a series of interrelated
activities aimed to unify the people into an organization. It also involves people's participation
in all stages of the organizing process. Lastly, it manifests the people's collective will to
participate, voice our and be hard, and to decide as a unified group.
Community development is an intermittent process of social action of the
people of a community in organizing themselves for democratic planning and action on
common problems and solving the felt needs of the society.
Goals in Organizing the Community (Norman, 1998b)
1. People's empowerment
2. Building organization
3. Building alliance/coalitions
4. Popular democracy
5. Social transformation
6. Leaders in development
Step in Organizing the Community
Entry in the Community
1. Gather basic information about the place such as culture,
practices and the lifestyles of the people. 2. Do not regard yourself
as superior or different from the people in the community
3. Dress simple as possible and act as naturally as you can as you enter the community
4. Do not appear as a savior or someone who will solve the people's problems.
5. Remember that development must be for the people and from the people.
Integration with the People
1. Integrate yourself with the people living with them, eating their food doing their chores, and
slowly learning their way of life.
2. Gradually join their small groups so you can continue to expand your knowledge about the
conditions of the community or place.
3. Slowly start working in the community. Begin to realize the hardships and problems that the
people are facing. Realizing that their problems are also your problems, you have to learn
the way how the people feel about these problems.
Community Study or Situation Analysis
1. You have entered the community, now you are with the people.
2. You are now with the people, not alone by yourself.
3. Facilitate people's participation in analyzing their situation and problems.
4. Adjust the level of the study or analysis to the level of the community people.
5. Do not limit their participation to merely answering the survey questionnaire.
6. Raise the awareness and consciousness of the people in handling national problems.
Identifying and Developing Potential Community Leaders
1. As early as possible, identify potential leaders from among the people who seem to have
a deep understanding and concern in solving their problems.
2. Equip them with useful knowledge and experiences to develop them into leaders.
3. Educate and convince then that they can be potential leaders to represent the group.
Core Group Formation
1. Form a core group consisting of the identified potential leaders. These leaders are expected
to meet and accept the challenge to organize the rest of the community projects.
2. Each core group is expected to represent its organization.
Setting Up and Developing the Organizational Structure
1. At this stage, the people are now ready to set their organization
2. They will elect their own leaders through the democratic or participatory process of
selection or rotation.
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Strengthening the Organization
1. Do everything in you capacity to strengthen the organization
2. Give a chance for the leaders to move and work together on their own.
3. Let the people learn how to identify the issues and problems confronting them.
4. Let them plan the various activities they can perform together for the common good.
5. Let them see their financial problems and how to solve them be coming up with
income-generating projects.
Community Development
Community is a planned and organized effort to assist individuals to acquire the
attitudes, skills, knowledge, and general capabilities required in their democratic participation
in the effective solution of community problems in an order of priority determined by
increasing level of competence.
The Aims and Objectives of Community Development
The aim of community development is community action. In reality, the primary
object of community development is to: 1) promote, 2) sustain, 3) support, and 4) maintain
community action.
Major Purposes/Objectives of Community Development
1. To help people employ the right methods to organize self-help initiatives
2. To develop techniques relevant to the situation for socio-economic and cultural
progress.
Principles of Development
1. Development should focus on people's participation
2. Development should be attuned to the demands of the people
3. Development should be based on a theory that is tested, validated and relevant
4. Development should be integrated in approach.
5. Development should lead to the empowerment of people
6. Development should sustain the natural environment as a socio-economic base.
Five Elements of Community Development
1. A focus on the goals and needs of the community
2. The encouragement of self-help
3. Technical assistance from governmental or voluntary organizations which may include
personnel, equipment, supplies and money
4. Integration of various specialties such as agricultural, animal industry husbandry, public
health, education, home economics, and work
5. Felt needs of the people in the community
Four General Phases of Bask Community Development/Organization Work (Andress, 1994)
1. Issue/problem identification and information dissemination – This is the phase where real
needs are distinguished from felt needs; problems are defined and analyzed; relationships are
developed; rapport is established, and face to-face interaction with people is made. In this
phase, opinion are elicited and information is disseminated.
2. Mobilization of people/community - In this phase, people are stimulated to come together to
discuss problems. Meetings are called to identify community problems; to analyze the
problems together with the people; to set objectives, and plan and implement action. In
this, phase potential leaders are identified and committee work is stimulated.
3. Organization – Thisis the combination of constructive forces of men and materials,
machinery money, so that these may work together in an orderly way, to turn out finished
goods for profit, or render services, to the community.
4. Education - This is the phase, where the members of the community are educated to
assume responsibility for their organization and to acquire the organizational skills and
techniques essential to organization maintenance.
Qualifications of a Community Development Worker (Andres, 1994)
1. He/She has demonstrated potentials for community development work.
2. He/She has demonstrated professional commitment, direction, motivation and maturity as
manifested in his her work history.
3. He/She is willing to understand and respect the values and culture of people
4. He/She has the genuine intention of sharing whatever goods he/she has with his/her
fellowmen.
Guidelines for Community workers (Norman 1998c)
1. Work with the poor and oppressed, not for them – Help them to understand, analyze, plan
and carry out their developmental program/project. But do not do it for them. They have
the right to reject expert advice and to make mistake. Development comes from within a
people's own understanding of their needs and how to tackle them.
2. Development is an awakening process – Development is a way in which people see
themselves and awaken their right to live as human being. Without this awakening, there
is little that the animator can do or should try to do. The people are intelligent and have
much experience. Draw out their strength. Listen to them.
3. Let the people grow – Development is building up the people, so that they can build a future
for themselves. Development is an experience of freedom as people choose what to do. It
is a difficult experience for those who have lived in dependence and without hope for a
long time. Deciding and doing something bring dignity and self respect. Development
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efforts should, therefore, start with the people's potential, and proceed to their This outline help a real working group plan practically
enhancement and growth. 1. Diagnosis – What are the problems? What are the needs?
4. Build up the people's solidarity – Development occurs as liberated people build together with 2. What do we want to achieve (objective) in a particular period?
other people, in solidarity. As oppressed people, moving into freedom and opportunity This, week, this month, this year? 3. What are the possible ways
can either make then become selfish and oppressive or place them into relations of of achieving this objective?
solidarity with others, sharing and caring for one another, and marching together towards 4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each proposal? – How much time,
a new society in which their own full humanity is assured. money, and personal effort will be needed for each proposal?
5. Build up the people's organization – People must carry out liberating activities which keep 5. Which proposal (plan) do we accept? – This may include several suggestions.
their local community free from exploitation. 6. Who will do what, when, where, and how?
7. At what point do we need to evaluate? – Who should be involved in the evaluation?
They must establish links with other groups and with national coordinators in
order to increase their bargaining power, make it possible to participate more widely in
the struggle for a new society.
Strategic Planning
All leaders plan and think about what the organization should be doing and how
objectives might be achieved. Planning contributes to strategic management in several ways
(Thompson, 1997).

1. Planning system represents analytical strategy creation and can lead to an intent.
2. Planning system provides a useful framework for managing the organization's strategic
resource. It can provide a means of controlling resource allocation and fostering internal
linkages.
3. The primary benefit of planning is that it forces people to think. Planning is
everything.
4. Planning is one aspect of strategy creation. It is necessary for the organization to plan.
5. Planning is the process of translating goals/objectives into specific activities to meet
community needs or solve community problems. It involves a holistic situational analysis
of the community towards identifying community needs/problems, resources, and
responses.

Planning basically answers the following questions:

a. How much? (quality of resources);
b. Of what? (programs, projects, services);
c. For whom? (target beneficiaries/clients);
d. Why? (to achieve what goals);
e. For how much? (the social and economic costs); and
f. What conditions? (with what other consequences).

Seven Steps of Planning

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