Requirements are detailed for those who want to obtain nonprofit status and recognition of exemption for their "Friends of the Library" group. Included are (1) a sample constitution, (2) a sample set of bylaws, (3) a sample form for Articles of Incorporation, (4) an application for recognition of exemption, and (5) a proposed budget. (DS)

An examination of AmeriCorps in five communities focused on its impact on the capacity of local community-based organizations to achieve community goals. Most partner organizations were unable to build sufficient commitment for self-governance; few programs were designed to encourage collective goals. Getting things done in local communities may…

Discusses the benefits and costs associated with participation in voluntary organizations. Suggests that understanding benefits and costs is important because they can be used to enhance performance in voluntary groups. Discusses implications of research and makes recommendations for further research. (Author/JOW)

Reviews findings of an empirical study relating to the differential perceptions laymen and professionals have of each other. Such differences are accounted for by reference to professional norms associated with clinical and/or community organizational practice. (Author)

Volunteerism in third-sector charitable/volunteer organizations takes different forms and involves different practices depending on contexts. Four operating frameworks--charity, activist, welfare state, and market--facilitate, co-opt, or impede volunteer practices in different settings. (Contains 18 references.) (JOW)

Case studies of two British and two Danish community-based organizations show that they developed as a result of both top-down government support and bottom-up community activity, and they operate both in and against the state. Recent reductions in government support threatens the future development of the community base of social policy, even…

Provides an overview of the issues facing community development in Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Discusses possibilities for international cooperation across Europe in the 1990s. (SK)

This document provides a working definition of youth development based on existing theories and discussions, and crafts a strong case for strengthening the role of the non-school voluntary sector in promoting youth development. Part I of this three-part report focuses on this working definition of youth development, examining the need for such a…

In an assessment culture, credit-based education and training are increasingly important in voluntary and community sectors. Examples from Hungary and Britain were used to develop a democratic participative model to identify the need for and relevance of credit and to use qualifications to further civil society. (Contains 53 references.) (SK)

Reviewed are the history and public relations, financial and service roles of lay "Friends of the Library" groups. Programs and techniques useful in the pursuit of these roles are suggested. Guidelines for a constitution, fee schedule, and administrative structure plus a bibliography give potential friends organizations help in…

Examines the experience of Special Services for Children, a New York City public agency which has a specific department charged with carrying out agency planning on a formal, systematic, overall basis. (BR)

Lancashire Adult and Community Learning Alliance is developing a plan to mobilize a network of community and volunteer resources to promote lifelong learning. As a local authority, it has the capacity to facilitate joint solutions, access nonparticipants, and use prime community centers for service delivery. (SK)

The increase in the number of community organizations offering educational programs prompted the first national survey of adult education sponsored by the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES). All private, nonprofit organizations were included whose prime reason for existence was to offer services, or to serve as a vehicle for…

The history and current nature of local race relations work in Britain are reviewed in this paper. The development from voluntary local committees in the 1950s through the establishment of the national Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) in 1976 is traced. It is shown that the functions of local work have changed from those of information,…

Voluntary funding organizations face increasing public demands for accountability in the use of funds. This article presents a model for evaluating the effectiveness of agency programs and discusses its applicability to the process of allocating funds. (Author)