Running an ongoing, successful Neighborhood Council can be a challenge.  Most people lead busy lives, and unless an activity matters enough they will not participate.  However, by following a few simple guidelines you can generate enough support to keep your council active and successful.

Focus on the right issues:

1. Choose issues that affect many people. It may take some effort, but find out what issues affect the people in your neighborhoods.  The more widespread an issue is, the more widespread your support can become.
2. Choose issues that matter. After you know what issues interest people, choose those that invoke strong reactions and emotions.  The more your neighbors care about an issue, the more likely they will want to participate in addressing it.
3. Choose for success.  This does not mean to only address issues that are easy, nor does it mean to only address issues that are resolved quickly.  What this means is to choose issues that, when a plan is carried through to the end, there is a high likelihood that the resolution will be positive.

Find the right people:

1. Advertise issues, not meetings.  Most of your neighbors lead busy lives, and they may not be enthusiastic about attending a meeting.  So, instead of focusing on a meeting you are holding, always advertise the issue you are addressing first.
2. Target the right people.  Not everybody is interested in every issue a neighborhood council may address.  That is okay.  The key is to find and target the people who are most affected and most interested in whatever issue you are addressing right now. 
3. Personally contact your neighbors.  When people are personally invited to participate they are more likely to do so.  After you target those neighbors most likely to be interested in an issue, contact them personally.  Of course, nobody has time to personally contact everybody in a neighborhood, so use flyers or mailings to advertise to everybody to everybody else.

Generate real participation:

1. Make assignments.  Once you target the people most likely to be interested in resolving an issue, invite them to participate in the resolution.  Give them assignments that are small enough to be done and important enough to generate commitment from the participants.
2. Follow up on assignments.  Whenever you make an assignment also plan how you will follow up on them.  This will increase the chance that the assignment will be fulfilled.  Additionally, always give recognition to each assignment a participant completes.  Everybody must know that their work matters.
3. Avoid burnout.  One person cannot do everything, so make certain you spread assignments out among many participants.  If you have few participants then plan more time to resolve an issue.  When people are overworked and burned out they will be less likely to continue participation.

Nurture growth:

1. Use current participants.  Everyone participating now is an additional person to help find more neighbors and more issues to resolve in the future.
2. Use social activities.  Block parties, neighborhood barbeques, and other social activities are a great way to meet more of your neighbors, find out what interests they have, and discover issues they are concerned about.
3. Address a variety of concerns.  Every issue interests different people.  The more you diversify the issues you address, the more you will be able to diversify the people who participate.

Build on success:

1. Report success stories.  Let your neighbors know when you successfully resolve and issue.  Send out a flyer to everbody in your neighborhood to let them know and personally contact and thank everyone who participated in the resolution.
2. Refer to previous success when advertizing new issues.  When your neighbors know that you have successfully resolved concerns in the past, they will be more likely to voice new concerns and participate in their resolutions.
3. Use the excitement generated by success.  We are all excited when we are successful.  Express your enthusiasm when contacting new neighbors, let previous participants express their excitement.  Enthusiasm will only generate greater interest and confidence in the work of your neighborhood council.