21 Ways to Start Health Solution Centers

4. Identify your community’s strengths.

Even if your community suffers from certain prevalent problems.

It undoubtedly has certain strengths as well.

For your community center to be successful, you should try to determine what those strengths are so that you can build upon them. You might consider:

• How well does your community rally around a common cause?
• Does your community have certain traditions that bring them together?
• What kinds of networks exist in your community? This includes religious groups, sports teams, businesses, non-profit organizations, and clubs.
• What types of skills do the members of your community have? Who can you rely upon during the process of starting your community center?

Health Solution Centers

5. Decide what services you want to offer.

You will need to decide what specific services you want to offer your community.

These services should appeal to both the goals you have set for your center as well as the needs and strengths of the community.

Some types of services you might consider include:

• Adult education classes
• Legal aid
• Exercise programs
• Community events such as movie screenings, festivals, or dances
• Support groups

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6. Think about location and other practical matters.

While you do not need to decide on a specific location yet.

You should begin brainstorming sites where you might potentially operate your community center.

You will also want to think about what kind of facilities or positions you will need.

Some questions you should consider:

• Will the community center require staff? If so, what positions might be required?
• What kind of building will it need? Will it need an outdoor area for a garden or sports?
• What kind of equipment will it need?
• How will the center support itself financially?
• Will it depend solely on donations?
• Will it charge for classes and events?

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7. Create a budget.

You will need to have a rough estimate of how much the community center will cost.

This includes start-up costs, building costs, the cost of services (such as classes), and running costs.

To form your budget, contact other non-profits in your area to ask about how much their services cost per month.

Compare that with what you want to offer to the community.

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8. Consider:

• What is the average property cost in your area? How much will it cost to buy or rent a building?
• How much will it cost to offer certain services, such as classes, to the public?
• How much will it cost to fundraise? This includes the cost of events, mailing campaigns, and advertising fees.
• What kind of equipment will you need? Is there any special type of technology that you will need to invest in?

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9. Meet with potential donors.

Early in your planning process, you should identify who in your community might be willing to donate money.

Call these groups on the phone, and ask if someone would be willing to meet to discuss your community center.

You can contact:

• Local businesses
• Sports leagues
• Corporate foundations
• Religious groups
• Charities
• Media organizations
• Professional networks
• Philanthropists

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10. Apply for government funding.

You may be eligible for funding from the government.

Typically, you will have to prove that you are providing an essential service to the community.

You can search for funding opportunities on your government’s website.

You may also contact your local government to ask them about what kinds of resources might be available to you.

• You can search for funding on the Catalog for Federal Domestic Assistance.
• If you are offering services to a certain population, you may qualify for different types of funding.
• You should contact your local council for information on community funding schemes.

Health Solution Centers

11. Try direct marketing.

You can get donations from the public by sending out mass solicitations that ask for small amounts from each donor.

This will help you rally public support while building a strong financial base.

There are many ways that you can do this. They include:

• Mailing solicitations for donations
• Telephone campaigns
• Media coverage on the news, radio, or in newspapers
• Door to door fundraising

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12. Hold a fundraising event.

A good way to get larger donations is to host an event where people pay to enter.

The profit would go towards your community center.

Fundraisers should be budgeted very carefully to make sure that you are earning money from the venture.

13. Form a committee for this event.

You might even want to find a corporate sponsor to help defray the costs.

 Some ideas for events include:

• Gala dinner where participants pay by the plate
• Music event with ticket sales benefiting the community center
• Outdoor movie screening
• Wine or beer tasting event

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14. Gain signatures from supporters.

You should have your supporters sign a petition supporting your community center.

On this petition, they should include their names and email addresses.

You can present this petition to potential donors and politicians to demonstrate the interest in your project.

You can also use it to form a mailing list to inform members about your progress.

• You can have volunteers stand outside of shopping centers to ask pedestrians to sign.
• You can also take names and email addresses from any mailing campaigns that you might have started.
• You may be able to pass around a petition at a community meeting, such as a town hall meeting, PTA meeting, or a local society meeting.

Health Solution Centers

16. Hold a town meeting.

Once you have found a few supporters, you can bring your idea to the town.

Host a public meeting in a central space where community members can come and listen to your pitch.

You may invite donors, policymakers, and the local media to attend.

During this meeting, you should present your mission.

At the end, allow members of the audience to provide their own ideas and suggestions.

• Good places to hold meetings include schools, houses of worship, or a government building such as the town hall. Call ahead to reserve a room.
• At the beginning of the meeting, clearly outline your goals for the evening. Have multiple speakers present the different aspects of the community center, such as financial backing, potential services to the public, and government support.
• You can use this meeting to solicit donations from the public.

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17.  Write bylaws.

Your community center needs a set of bylaws that will list the rules and procedures of your organization.

These bylaws must follow state and federal laws regarding nonprofit organizations.

The bylaws should clarify how your organization’s internal structure will operate.

 Your charter of bylaws should be broken up into different articles that include:

• Name: What name is your organization known as legally?
• Purpose: What does your center do? What is its aim? What types of services does it provide? This is where you should list your center’s tax status.
• Board of Directors: Who runs the community center? What powers does the board of directors have? How are directors elected or appointed to their position? How can directors be removed from their position?
• Finances: How do you manage the finances of your community center? Who has access to its funds?
• You may also want to include policies on how the center will share information with the public, how records are stored and kept, and how meetings will be conducted.

Health Solution Centers

18. Find a location.

You will need a physical location to house your community center.

This should be in a place that is easily accessible to the community members that you want to reach.

While you can buy your own building, it may be cheaper to rent a place while you get off the ground.

• If you are providing one on one support to your community members, you may want a building with smaller offices where consultants can meet privately with people.
• If you are looking to host events, you will need at least one large room to hold people.

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19. Register the center as a non-profit.

You can gain tax-exempt status if your community center is a non-profit organization that fulfills a local community need.

Depending on the services you offer, you might be classified as either a private foundation or public charity.

You should consult a tax attorney for help throughout this process.

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20. Advertise your services to the community.

Once you have started your community center, you just need to make sure that people come.

You may even decide to have an opening event, such as a big dinner, to welcome members of the community to their new home. You can advertise by:

• Posting an announcement in a newspaper
• Contacting the local TV station
• Putting up flyers
• Mailing announcements

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Health Solution Centers