Typical Neighborhood Association
Typical (neighborhood) Community Club

Although this, and many other neighborhood associations and neighborhood community clubs have existed in this city for, in some cases, over 100 years, and although none of them have ever been neighborhood housing associations, they have been erroneously listed as such on the official City of Waterbury website as such.  To be clear, neighborhood housing associations are very much different from condo associations, and both of those are very different from organizations such as Neighborhood Housing Services of Waterbury (NHSW) and Loyola Development Corporation, and all of those are vastly different from any of Waterbury's neighborhood associations and neighborhood community clubs.  The function, purpose, and manifestation of each of these types of organizations is significantly different, and none should be confused with the other.
A typical neighborhood association and a typical (neighborhood) community club have most or all of the below-listed components.  Likewise, several of the neighborhood association and community club pages herein include much of this information.
  1. Description of the Typical Neighborhood Association or Community Club 
    1. ​This is a general description which helps to 
      1. ​Educate others on the existence of the neighborhood association or neighborhood community club
      2. Is often used in Public Service Announcements (PSA).
      3. Is often used in Press Releases (PR).
  2. ​Management of the Typical Neighborhood Association or Community Club
    1. ​President
    2. Vice-President
    3. Recording Secretary
    4. Correspondence Secretary
    5. Treasurer
    6. Deputy Treasurer
    7. Sargeant-at-Arms
    8. Deputy Sargeant-at-Arms
    9. Board of Directors
    10. Board of Trustees
    11. Board of Advisors
    12. Committees
      1. ​Public Relations Committee
        1. ​Performs as the "face" of the Typical Neighborhood Association or Community Club
        2. Ensures that the appropriate messaging is conveyed appropriately to the public and to public, private, and partnering organizations.
      2. Communications Committee
        1. ​Ensures that members, internal committees, the board of directors, and the officers have an appropriate means of communication between and betwixt each other.
      3. Beautification Committee
        1. ​Provides for the guidelines to define beautification within the Typical Neighborhood Association or Community Club territory.
        2. Manages the implementation of authorized beautification projects with the Typical Neighborhood Association or Community Club parameters.
        3. Acts as a liaison to external groups, as authorized, with external organizations.
      4. Fundraising Committee
        1. ​Define the fundraising activities of the Typical Neighborhood Association or Community Club.
        2. Manages the implementation of Typical Neighborhood Association or Community Club fundraising activities.
      5. Safety Committee
        1. ​May or may not work with a neighborhood association or neighborhood community club, whether  sanctioned or endorsed or not, Citizen Patrol.
        2. Often includes the local City of Waterbury Department of Police Community Officer, who typically
          1. presents local crime data to members at their meetings
          2. preventative best practices
          3. other safety-related data
        3. ​Although sometimes this is done solely by the Safety Committee, or the Chair or Member thereof
      6. Membership Committee
        1. ​Promotes membership
        2. Tracks membership data
      7. Welcoming Committee
        1. ​Welcomes new Typical Neighborhood Association or Community Club members.
        2. Introduces new members to other members of the Typical Neighborhood Association or Community Club.
        3. Onboards new members so that each new member understands the nuances of the Typical Neighborhood Association or Community Club, and the responsibilities of each member.
      8. Ethics Committee
        1. ​Outlines appropriate and necessary behavior of all members who are acting as representation of the Typical Neighborhood Association or Community Club.
        2. Provides a safe and secret line of communication for members to file appropriate complaints.
        3. Endeavors to resolve any ethics violations and complaints.
        4. Processes complaints in a timely, professional, respectful, and private manner.
      9. By-Laws Committee
        1. ​Is responsible for providing the by-laws, in print or digital fashion, to all new members.
        2. Maintains a current and validated copy of the by-laws.
        3. Reviews the by-laws annually for appropriateness.
        4. Provides recommendations to the Board of Directors for further action and implementation.
      10. Hospitality Committee
        1. ​Welcomes members and, especially guests, at meetings, events, et cetera
        2. Facilitates the hospitalities of various additional events, et cetera
      11. Events Committee
        1. ​Helps determine what events the neighborhood association or neighborhood community club
          1. ​Sponsors
          2. Hosts
          3. Participates in
        2. ​Coordinates the dates and times of various neighborhood association and community club meetings and events
        3. Acts as a liaison to macro meetings, events, et cetera
        4. Reports to Officers, and/or Executives, and/or Members
      12. Sports Committee
        1. ​Most neighborhood associations and community clubs do not have a Sports Committee.
        2. Some will invite a liaison from external Sports organizations to speak or otherwise communicate with the neighborhood association or neighborhood community club regarding various sporting events et cetera.
          1. Examples of such external organizations include
            1. The Bunker Hill Sports Association
            2. The Town Plot Sports Association
            3. et cetera
      13. Youth Engagement Committee
        1. ​Most neighborhood associations and neighborhood community clubs do not have a Youth Engagement Committee, or anything similar
        2. An exception is the Willow-Orange-Walsh (WOW) Neighborhood Revitalization Zone (NRZ) [which is, for all intents and purposes, equivalent to the more typical neighborhood association or neighborhood community club] , which
          1. Hosts its meetings and some events out of their own Community Learning Center, 
            1. Which has a WOW/NRZ Youth Council
            2. and other youth-related partners
      14. Guidance Committee
        1. ​Most neighborhood associations and neighborhood community clubs do not have a Guidance Committee.  Rather,
          1. ​Some rely on past Officers, Executives, and Members to, unofficially, guide the organization
          2. Some rely on other, typically external, allies and partners for guidance
      15. Nominations and Elections Committee
        1. ​Understands the neighborhood association or neighborhood community club by-laws, particularly as they relate to nominations and elections of Officers, Directors, Chairs, and such.
        2. Is responsible to ensure that at least one person is nominated for every available position at their election time
        3. Handles nomination and election related concerns
  3. History of the Typical Neighborhood Association or Community Club
    1. ​Most neighborhood associations and neighborhood community clubs cherish their history, yet many have done a poor job at documenting their history.
  4. ​​Other Names for the Typical Neighborhood Association or Community Club
    1. ​Over their existence, many neighborhood associations and neighborhood community clubs have changed their name, or have had more than one such organization, yet not typically concurrently. ​
  5. Business Plan for the Typical Neighborhood Association or Community Club
    1. Purpose of the Typical Neighborhood Association or Community Club
    2. Vision of the Typical Neighborhood Association or Community Club
    3. Mission of the Typical Neighborhood Association or Community Club
    4. Methodology
    5. Strategy
    6. Tactics
    7. ​​Some neighborhood clubs and associations have business plans which guide what they do and how they do it.
      1. Typically, the business plans are available to Officers, Executives (Officers and Committee Chairs), or Members, especially if the association or club is a legal entity, and most especially if that legal entity is a non-profit organization.
        1. In fact, the business plan of non-profit organizations may be a matter of public record and, therefore, be available to any legal citizen of the United States of America upon request.
      2. Many neighborhood associations and clubs hold their business plans close to the vest, and only distribute them to Officers, or Executives, or Members.
  6. By Laws of the Typical Neighborhood Association or Community Club
    1. ​Most neighborhood clubs and associations have by-laws which govern what they do and how they do it.
    2. Typically, the by-laws are available to members, especially if the association or club is a legal entity, and most especially if that legal entity is a non-profit organization.
      1. In fact, the by-laws of non-profit organizations may be a matter of public record and, therefore, be available to any legal citizen of the United States of America upon request.
    3. Many neighborhood associations and clubs hold their by-laws close to the vest, and only distribute them to members.
  7. Partnerships of the Typical Neighborhood Association or Community Club​​
    1. ​For neighborhood associations and community clubs, this often includes
      1. Various government agencies
        1. Although there is no funding for neighborhood associations or community clubs in Waterbury, except by special request and the granting of such request, the City of Waterbury is the only (known) municipality which has such neighborhood associations and community clubs which also are members of a larger, quasi-governing, organization, which does not have a permanent funding, or, at least, partially-funding, mechanism in place for these organizations.
      2. Other neighborhood associations and community clubs
      3. Safety organizations and Citizen's Patrol groups
      4. Advocacy and Improvement groups
        1. For instance, in Waterbury, some neighborhood associations and community clubs work with Waterbury's
          1. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
          2. The Connecticut Community Foundation (CCF)
          3. The Neighborhood Housing Services of Waterbury (NHSW)
            1. Primarily in the Centre District and bordering neighborhoods
            2. Serving mainly lower income neighborhoods or blocks
          4. The Loyola Development Corporation
            1. Primarily in the South End District
            2. May be defunct in Waterbury, and is certainly not a predominant organization in Waterbury as it once was
          5. ​Several other worthy organizations
      5. ​​A "parent" (for functional, not legal, purposes) organization
        1. ​In Waterbury, this, more than any other, includes the highly-troubled Waterbury Neighborhood Council (WNC)
          1. ​A once viable and influential force within the City
  8. Sponsors and Benefactors of the Typical Neighborhood Association or Community Club
    1. ​Citizens and residents who live in the neighborhood
  9. Events that are sponsored by the Typical Neighborhood Association or Community Club​
    1. ​Monthly or other interval member meetings
    2. Annual Christmas Parties, and/or similar religious events
      1. ​The Historic Overlook Community Club typically hosts an annual multi-denominational party
        1. ​Which, primarily, honors and celebrates the Catholic and Jewish holidays
        2. Which also honors and celebrates the faith and beliefs of other religious backgrounds 
  10. Typical Neighborhood Association or Community Club Citizen's Patrol
    1. ​Typically, but not always, sanctioned by the neighborhood association or community club
    2. Typically, but not always, with the unofficial support of the City of Waterbury's Department of Police and Public Safety.
      1. ​In which case the Citizen Patrol typically abides by the requests, suggestions, and guidance of the City of Waterbury's Department of Police and Public Safety.
    3. ​Typically, but not always, 
      1. ​The citizen's patrol and the neighborhood association or community club encourages participation in the City of Waterbury's Department of Police and Public Safety's Citizens' Police Academy program,
        1. ​which is often offered several times per year
        2. which is typically a 7-week, one day per week, 2 hour, cost (to citizen students) free program
  11. ​Contact the Typical Neighborhood Association or Community Club
    1. ​Most neighborhood associations and community clubs do not have a web page
    2. Several neighborhood associations and community clubs have a, sometimes officially sanctioned, social media presence
    3. Telephone numbers, email addresses, and mailing addresses are typically made available to all members of their prospective neighborhood associations and community clubs, and sometimes to the public at large
  12. Supporting and Related Links
    1. ​Social Media Page
    2. Social Media Group
    3. Dedicated Website
    4. WaterburyLife.com page