How to Start a NeighborLink

Each new NeighborLink has begun with an individual or a group of people who have a history of performing similar work in their own community. As they look for ways to expand their efforts, they learn about the NeighborLink model and contact us to figure out how to replicate or use our technology. This begins a dialogue about how the model works and whether it’s a good fit to continue the conversation.

Each NeighborLink is its own separate 501c3 organization with its own board of directors and executive director. We require that the board be made up of people from 3-5 different churches, commit to providing financial support to cover startup fees, and appoint a director before we'll move forward with starting a new city.

We encourage them to contact other local churches to gauge shared interest when it comes to mobilizing congregations. At the same time, we suggest contacting social service organizations to begin to learn about what needs are going unmet in their community and whether they’d fit a web-based bulletin board model like NeighborLink. Organizations serving fixed-income homeowners are great places to start. The goal is to identify the level of need going unmet and what communities could be potential volunteers. If those exist and you can identify a team to get started, then we start moving forward with the process of getting a NeighborLink launched in your own community.

We have created an affiliate model where we license the name and website to each new city and allow local leadership to manage day-to-day operations and decision making. NeighborLink Network staff works with each new city closely during the launch phase and would be happy to provide more information should you like to learn more. We believe every city can sustain a NeighborLink with the right leaders and supporters.