Your Complete Guide to Starting and Managing Social & Community Projects

This practical guide is based on the science of creating social change and aims to give you everything you need to know to start, manage and grow community and social projects that make a difference. After reading this guide you should be able to avoid the most common mistakes and have all the key info and start to make a difference to the people you care about.

Three Key Takeaways to Starting and Managing Social & Community Projects

This complete guide gives you the tools and techniques to create a project to change your world.

1. Introduction to Starting and Managing Community & Community Projects

Anyone Can Start a Community or Social Project

Both community & social projects are an active, positive response to the challenges we face in society. They aim to improve people’s lives and help us live in harmony with the world we live in. Anyone can start or get involved in their own social or community project. They can be of any size, from a small hobby project to a national campaign.

We all have unique skills and abilities. But the most important ones are our ability to understand the challenges and problems in front of us. We all have the capability to listen and learn what helps the people we know in the real world and what doesn’t.

Social & Community Projects Are Easy to Start But Hard to Master

Whilst it’s relatively easy to get started, people are complex and unpredictable. Ask anyone who has brought up kids! It takes years of learning to master the art of managing people and the processes of change. To be honest many people never master the skills of managing social change, not least because they just want simple solutions, rather than recognising that people and society are ever changing and ever growing.

What worked 20 years ago will rarely work today. This guide is aiming to give you a boost in your journey to manage community and social projects. Whilst the core goal of the Edge of Possible, is to help you on your journey of building the skills capability and knowledge for social change.

Community and Social Projects Are About How You Can Change the World.

There are many things you can do to help peoples lives: You could try addressing big society issues through a social project such as providing information or advice to help people live more healthily. Or you could choose to focus on a specific local problem with people directly in a community project. Such as volunteering your time to help local homeless people get employment. Or alternatively starting a social enterprise that helps older people to use technology. This guide is here to help you make the biggest positive social impact you can.

The goals don’t have to be big. Just starting a free football (sports) group playing in the park in my own experience has helped people get respite manage their mental health, improve their fitness and make new friends. With people very it is very often personal connection and doing things together that matters. Even the big theories of change like Everett Rogers Diffusion of Innovation Theory is based on the idea that people learn from each other.

About this Guide

Hi I’m John-Paul, This blog is built using my experience of 20 years experience in leading change I aim to give you the benefit of my knowledge in this comprehensive guide. With articles you click into to find more details and info. If you do have any questions please feel free to add a comment or contact me.

For personalised help and 121 support and advice, please check out Edge of Possible Consultancy service to learn how I can give you support that meets your needs and book a free 30-minute discovery call, to find out more about how I can help you make a difference.

What Are Social Projects?

A social project can be defined as initiatives, interventions or social innovations that aim to address and manage the big social issues, such as poverty, inequality, health, education, or community development. The aims of a social project are always some form of social change. Meaning that the impact will always be a social impact on people.

A social project is different in nature from many other types of project. This is because they are predominantly aimed at addressing and managing wicked problems. That does not mean they are evil! 

It means they are so complex they can never be fully solved. They can only be improved addressed and navigated, and certainly not through a series of goals and targets. For example you can’t ‘solve’ the problem of racism. But you can take steps to address and improve it.

Social projects are distinct from traditional projects which are designed for producing products in that they aim to create positive change in people, communities and society. They require different approaches to traditional project types.

People are not things. They need to be supported nurtured, guided and inspired. You do not change people using the same project management techniques you use to build a house.

What is a Community Project?

A community project is an initiative designed to address and manage a specific need or problem within a local community. Normally these problems are causing stress or challenges in people you know and come across locally. They are typified by a negative social impact on the health and well being of the community.

These projects aim to improve the quality of life for community members, enhance local environments, promote social cohesion, or address specific social, cultural, environmental, or economic challenges. Community projects are characterised by their focus on bringing local people together with passion to address problems and create benefits for their local community.

What is The Difference Between a Community Project and a Social Project?

A community project is similar to a social project, but it focuses on creating a specific change in a particular community. This may or may not include a social issue directly, but as it affecting the community the outcome will certainly be a social impact. So in practical terms a community project is a subset of social projects.

It is important to understand this. As very often when applying the funding we need to change the local problem we are addressing into the language of a social project so that government and funders can know what need that you are addressing. So a project teaching people to swim, may need to consider which groups of people they are working with and the health and wellbeing benefits.

Why Social and Community Projects Are Special

Both social and community projects both have in common the aim of starting to create and managing change in people. People and social systems are messy and complex. This means social & community projects are a special type of projects and is totally different from the types of projects used to build bridges or create software. Social and community projects are special because the people our communities and our societies are unique and special. There is no such thing as the ‘average person’. We may be average in one way. But in many others we are all different and constantly changing.

Why Are Social & Community Projects Important?

Social & community projects are our pathways to a better future. Social & community projects are vital as they help address pressing social issues. They also improve the quality of life for individuals and communities. Unfortunately, the need to create social & community projects is greater than ever. We have seen inequalities increase in our societies. According to the UN “Inequality is growing for more than 70 per cent of the global population.” As well as the impact of human behaviour on the environment. With pollution accounting for almost 50% of all pressures on the environment. (European Environment Agency)

People are also stressed and disengaged from their work. According to a Gallop global survey in 2022 just 22% of people were engaged with work whilst employee stress reached an all time high at 44%. Too often our management and planning techniques, with their narrow inflexible focus keep us locked in a cycle of stress.

At the same time, the pace of technological change means that the power of computers is increasing exponentially. Humans are struggling to cope with a world that is changing faster and faster. There is little evidence that we can expect AI, or the small centralised elite that own technology companies, to care about our communities.

While the idea that we have evolved to compete and fight for survival as the only way for social impact is based on bad science, in order to justify the positions of those in power. (We are not actually in a race to create the one last living all powerful superhuman) It is sometimes argued that the people in charge of society are managing us by keeping us unhappy and fighting each other. Blaming the poor and the weak for societies problems.

Whatever, your view our societies are producing many sick and unhappy people and we need initiatives and social & community projects alongside social movements to produce social innovation to improve our societies. It is important to give our communities pride and identity and the confidence to adapt in this ever changing world. We need to help each other to address the problems we see in our communities.

Why Can’t People Just Help Themselves?

Even when people recognise they are struggling, it is often hard for people to help themselves. The reason is so hard to change is we get stuck in our ‘comfort zone’. A comfort zone is akin to an ecological niches. A place we feel safe to operate and live our lives. When we go outside of our comfort zone it feels challenging and scary. Outside of our comfort zone is a place of stress risk and failure. So when given a choice most people choose to stay the same, even when it is a hard reality for them. If you would like to learn more about comfort zones and niches please read my blog post here. It usually requires the help and support of people known to them for people to change niches.

Why You Should Start a Social Or Community Project?

You should start a social or community project, so that you can use your skills, knowledge and passion to make a positive impact on the world. Most people are frustrated and unhappy with their jobs, as not given the chance to make a difference contribute to society in a meaningful way. According to a 2023 Gallup report a jaw dropping 90% of the UK workforce is disengaged at work. Why are we all so unhappy?

Look at this way who wants to spend all their energy and time on something they don’t care about. Who wants to work incredibly hard for 40-50 years, only to look back on their life when they retire and feel that they have not made the world a better place. We all feel it’s wrong for a reason.

Mental health is becoming an ever increasing issue in our fragmented modern societies. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that nearly a billion people were living with a mental disorder in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated this, with a 25% increase in the prevalence of anxiety and depression globally in the first year alone.

Even if you don’t feel you have the resources or political power to tackle these problems on your own. You can do a lot with a bit of creativity as I talk about in my blog about tackling the cost of living crisis. There are often so many opportunities around you, to work with people and help those in need. Social & community projects also help you build strong communities and rewarding relationships. People coming together to manage their problems and work towards a shared common goal can be a truly rewarding experience.

The Benefits of Social & Community Projects

Participating and creating social & community projects can have a profound impact on both the community and the individual. Here are a few of the benefits of getting involved:

• Personal fulfilment.
• Building relationships.
• Improve the quality of life for communities
• Bringing communities together
• Creating fresh opportunities
• Improving mental and physical health
• Developing new skills and building career opportunities
• Increasing confidence and investment in communities.

If you would like to read about more of the benefits I’ve created a list of the top reasons to create a social impact project.

Making a difference: The greatest benefit of participating and managing social & community projects is the impact that you can have on others. By using your knowledge skills and passion, you can create a living legacy that impacts not just the people you directly help. But also the people they in turn help and inspire too. Whether you’re running a social enterprise or doing something in your spare time, you can help make a real difference to the lives of those around you.

Creating Social Impact with Social & Community Projects.

Creating social change is the main objective of both social & community projects. Social & community projects create a positive social impact by addressing social, economic or environmental issues. Social & community projects aim to create a positive social impact, so that people can live happier lives in harmony with the environment and their community. They also ensure that new technological developments are used to create value for all, rather than for exploitive purposes.

Social & community projects can be of any size you want them to be. They range from small, grassroots initiatives, to large-scale efforts with significant resources. It is important to understand how your project fits into the range of other services, so that you can play to your strengths and resources and avoid duplication. The hierarchy of social intervention is a useful tool in this regard. The goal of social & community projects is to bring about positive change in communities and the world at large.

• Addressing social and environmental issues.
• Reducing inequalities and barriers to human development.
• To creating jobs and economic opportunities,
• Building skills and knowledge
• Promoting collaboration and partnership.

Types of Social Projects & Community Projects

There are many different types of social & community projects, each with their own unique goals and approaches. Some of the most common types of social & community projects include:

Community Development Projects: These are projects that aim to improve the quality of life in a particular community. By addressing issues such as poverty, unemployment, and lack of resources. Examples include: building a community garden, a youth engagement programme, or a care centre for the elderly.

Environmental Projects: These projects focus on protecting the environment and promoting sustainability. Examples include planting trees, cleaning up litter, or advocating for renewable energy.

Health and Wellbeing Projects: These projects aim to improve the physical and mental health of communities. Examples could include promoting healthy eating habits, supporting access to medical care, or running community sports.

Economic Development Projects: These projects focus on promoting economic growth and development. Examples include microfinance initiatives and business incubators.

Education and Literacy Projects: Projects that aim to improve the education and literacy rates. Examples include initiatives that provide access to education and resources for underprivileged children. Also adult education to help people to get back into work.

Human Rights and Social Justice Projects: These are projects that address human rights and social justice issues. Examples include those aimed at ending discrimination, promoting equality and protecting marginalised communities.

Social Enterprises & Not-For-Profit Organisations and Social & Community Projects.

Social enterprise & nonprofit organisations aim to address and manage social and environmental issues through their products, services, and business practices. Unlike traditional businesses, these organisations need to balance financial sustainability with social and environmental impact.

Social enterprises therefore must run social & community projects in order to achieve social impact. (Although many would often not describe their work as projects. In practice, that is what they are). In order to achieve their social impact social enterprises will typically run many social or community projects as well as conducting business activities.

If social enterprises and not-for-profit organisations can closely link their income with their social impact they have an opportunity to create a virtuous circle growing their organisation meeting community needs and gaining more income. So the more impact they create the more income is generated. Social & community projects can therefore be a vital strategic tool for both social enterprise and not-for -profit organisations.

2. Guide to Implementing Social Projects and Community Projects

How to Start Social Projects and Community

To start a social or community project you need to find an issue that you are passionate about. Identify a community you would like to impact. Then understand what resources you have at your disposal. In particular what knowledge and skills you have available to start addressing the problems that you see.

These are the ten key steps to starting a social project or a community project:

1. Identifying an issue you care about: Start by identifying a social issue in society that you would like to address. Talk to people, find out what your interested in. What gets you out of bed? This could be anything from homelessness to access to education.
2. Community research: Engage with stakeholders especially the community affected by the issue. They will help you understand what is likely to work and what isn’t,
3. Research: Research the issue in depth to understand how people are addressing the issue elsewhere. This will help you identify any gaps in the current approach and develop a unique solution.
4. Scope the intervention: What are the things you can affect and what are you best placed to do. The hierarchy of social intervention is a helpful tool. It may be that you are well placed to address a problem that would be much more costly for others.
5. Review your resources: Look at what skills knowledge and expertise you have. Appreciative Inquiry may be a useful process here.
6. Establish a Stakeholder Group: These key stakeholders and in particular representatives of the communities, are invaluable as a project steering group. They will help guide your decisions and monitor impact.
7. Test feasibility: Create and test and trial solutions and monitor community impact. It is highly likely that your solution will affect some people, but not others.
8. Project Design: Co-develop plans under the guidance of the stakeholder group, based on the results of the tests.
9. Resource acquisition: Acquire the necessary resources. Including funding, equipment and partnerships to scale the tests into a broader project.
10. Communication: Communicate regularly with stakeholders. Develop an engagement plan using tools such as the web of stakeholder engagement. Build engagement and support and momentum behind the project.

If you want personalised help and support please check out our 121 coaching and book a free 30min discovery call if you would like to know more about how i can help you make a difference.

How to Create Social Projects & Community Projects

The journey of Social impact sets out 11 stages to creating successful social impact using social and community projects.

I’ve created the journey of social impact is a 11 stage journey of transformation. Putting all my knowledge and experience as well management theory into one single journey that will take you from vision to scaling the heights of impact. I’ve been there and you can too.

The social impact journey guides individuals and organisations from the inception of a vision to the scaling of their impact. Stages can be skipped or missed for later, however, it may limit the future progress of a project at a later stage. e.g. a lack of engagement may limit future evaluations as you are not asking the right people, or a weak plan may make it difficult to optimise later as everyone is just ‘doing their own thing.;

Here is your 11 step journey to managing social change and making an impact:

1. Vision

Inspire and establish a sense of direction by exploring a wide range of possibilities and hypotheses. Consider multiple perspectives and set a clear intended direction to motivate change.

2. Engagement

Build a shared purpose within a community by recruiting and engaging individuals in your work, while adapting to their needs and expectations.

3. Testing

Experiment with low-cost prototypes or interventions to identify potential social impacts. Focus on preparing the environment for change rather than forcing it. Identify which intervention has the most chance of success. It is not uncommon for multiple different types of intervention being necessary to achieve a goal. e.g. stop smoking with nicotine patches and group support.

4. Planning

Map out and model the journey, identifying key waypoints based on the Cynefin Framework. Recognise dependencies, integrate various work streams, and make sense of the information gathered.

5. Funding

Secure the necessary funding and resources for the intervention based on the outcomes of the testing phase.

(If you would like to learn more about gaining funding please check out my guide here.)

6. Collaboration

Establish relationships and collaborate with partners, ensuring alignment on contracts, data sharing, and accessing expertise while managing co-dependencies.

7. Implementation

Execute the social or community project, putting your plan and resources into action. Implementation is not simply following a plan. as plans increasingly fail over time. It is a constant process of learning and adaptation. Include diverse perspectives to understand what might not be working and how it can be improved.

8. Measurement

Track both positive and negative impacts of the intervention, using dashboards, warm data, and meaningful information to capture unintended consequences and manage polarities. (Polarities are the tradeoffs if we do more of something what is the cost we have to track to properly understand the impact?)

9. Optimisation

Enhance the efficiency and consistency of value creation by refining processes and structures to support continuous improvement.

10. Evaluation

Obtain an independent assessment of the project’s impact and extract lessons learned to inform future initiatives.

11. Scaling Impact

Share and disseminate the project to reach a wider audience and increase its social impact on more people.

Learn more about the Journey of Social Impact at the edgeofpossible.com

3. How to Measure Social Impact Projects.

There is a much more in depth guide to measuring social impact in my complete guide to social impact leadership (Part 6.)

A Simple Guide to Get Started in Measuring Social Impact:

1. Define your goals: Clearly state the positive changes you aim to achieve. What social or environmental issues are you targeting? What would success look like? What would failure look like? Choose measures to capture both.
2. Research Evidence: Has someone tried this change before. What worked and what didn’t. Educate yourself about what is most likely to be successful.
3. Understand the system: Consult widely to analyse the situation. How do different aspects influence the impact you’re aiming for? Look for areas where you can make the most significant change.
4. Choose meaningful metrics: Pick a mix of quantitative (numbers) and qualitative (descriptive) data to comprehensively understand your impact. Consider what resonates with your goals and the communities you serve. Don’t collect data you don’t need to make any decisions.
5. Collect data smartly: Use methods that are both thorough and adaptable. Aim to gather information that informs your decisions at any time. Include interviews alongside numbers for a richer understanding. What data you need to collect may change as the project progresses.
6. Create a dashboard: Create a dashboard of measure to track progress.
7. Look at the distribution of the data: Are there clusters, can you segment the population? Don’t rely on averages.
8. See from all angles: Involve people with diverse perspectives when making sense of your data. Look at it from financial, user, and community and staff viewpoints for a fuller picture.
9. Learn and adapt: Use your findings to continuously improve your approach. Social impact leadership thrives on learning from experience and adjusting based on results. That means
10. Communicate your journey: Share your results in a way stakeholders can understand. Highlight both achievements and challenges to gain support and showcase progress. Use infographics make the information real to people. It is believed that less than 1% of Americans understand statistical data.

J-P’s Top tips for Managing Social Impact Measurement:

• Resist the temptation to measure everything: You wouldn’t try and manage a garden by measuring the size of every blad of grass. You would only look for the signs of growth or decline. The same goes for people.
• Focus on impact, not targets: Don’t let measurements become goals. Use them to guide your work, not manipulate results.
• Look beyond averages: Consider how problems and impact are distributed. Who benefits the most? Who’s left behind?
• Keep the data meaningful: Make sure that the data does not become disconected from people’s experience. This means that qualitive data should be collated alongside qualitative data.

Bonus Tip: Explore social impact measurement methodologies like SROI, Cost Benefit Analysis or Outcome Mapping. Choose one that best suits your project and resources.

How to Measure Progress on Social & Community Projects Using Waypoints for Milestones.

“When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure”.

Goodhart’s Law

The problem with setting targets, milestones KPIs as this often assumes there is only one route to success. In reality, social systems are constantly changing. Science is showing us that the future is less predictable than we imagined.

As described by Goodhart’s Law when a measure becomes a target it encourages and incentivises people to change their behaviour to hit the target rather than improve the desired outcome.

An example of this is in healthcare when targets reducing waiting times encourages hospital managers to prioritise quick and easy things like ingrowing toenails over operations over serious complex treatment like heart procedures.

Using waypoints instead or as well as milestones can help stop your project from getting stuck when things don’t go to plan. So for example a waypoint might for waiting list might be how many people waiting attend hospital requiring urgent treatment.

Incorporating waypoints into your social impact projects, not only enhances flexibility but also fosters a culture of continuous learning and adaption within teams and organisations. 

This method encourages members to be proactive in addressing challenges and seizing opportunities as they arise, rather than being confined by the constraints of traditional milestones. 

By focusing on movement towards or away from these waypoints, project teams can navigate changes more fluidly, promoting innovation and creativity while avoiding the pitfalls of fixed milestones that often become obstacles stopping progress and achieving social impact.

You can read more about using waypoints instead of milestones here.

4. Getting Funding For Social Impact and Community Projects

Complete Guide to Creating a Social or Community Project Funding Proposals and Grant Applications .

Gaining funding for social or community project is often very challenging. Not least because it is a highly competitive process. One survey found that charity success rates for funding range from only winning 1 bid in 7 to 50% for the most successful charities. Whereas the UK Research and Innovation fund reports a success rate of 27%. It is clear that you need to do whatever you can to write the best proposal possible to give tour social or community project the best chance of success.

To help you write the perfect funding proposal or grant and get funded I’ve created this handy guide.

How to Apply for Funding For Social & Community Projects.

To create a funding proposal for a social or community project there are ten steps.

The ten steps to managing successful project funding proposals are:

1. Study the requirements: Start by understanding the guidelines. Understand the funding organisation’s expectations. How does your project meet their needs?
2. Develop a comprehensive project plan: Gather all your information. Develop a detailed plan that outlines your goals, objectives and strategies.
3. Showcase your capability: Demonstrate your skills. Think about how you can demonstrate your knowledge and expertise to make the project a success.
4. Engage stakeholders: Adapt your plans to those of your stakeholders. Demonstrate that you have taken their interests and concerns into account.
5. Budget conscientiously: Allocate budgets wisely, taking into account factors such as inflation, overheads and equipment.
6. Measure your success: Set KPIs to monitor and evaluate your project and demonstrate that you can report on its impact.
7. Emphasise innovation: Highlight what makes your project unique and how it will stand out to evaluators.
8. Clarify your impact: Explain the relationship between your actions and the impact of your project. You want to convince the evaluators that your project will achieve its intended impact.
9. Plan for scalability and sustainability: How will your project’s impact be sustained? Paint a long-term picture of your project’s growth and lasting impact.
10. Submit: Avoid deadline panic by having a plan to finish on time. Make sure there is a margin for unexpected delays.

If you would like to learn more about creating a funding proposal I’ve created a complete guide to help you. I’ve created a guide which summarises and links to a lot of helpful information and advice so that you can your bid the maximum chance of success.

To test the strength of your bid. Please take the project funding proposal strength test.

If you want 121 coaching and guidance please find more details here.

5. How to Engage People with Social & Community projects

Engaging people with social & community projects is one of the biggest barriers to success. It requires work and effort and planning. Here are some tips to help:

• Create a compelling story: People are more likely to get involved with a social & community project if they understand the purpose and impact. Create a story that highlights the issue, the community’s need, and the positive impact that can be achieved.
• Make it personal: People are more likely to get involved when they feel a personal connection to the cause. Consider highlighting the stories of individuals or families who have been affected by the issue.
• Create an engagement strategy: Linking media and information to help people understand your work at a pace that works for them. I’ve created the web of stakeholder engagement for you to plan your strategy.
• Make it easy: Make it easy for people to get involved by providing clear instructions and materials. Create a presence in your community and be easily contactable.
• Use social media: Use social media like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to spread the word. I’ve created the social media amplifier to help decide on an approach to reaching new audiences on social media. 
• Build a community: Encourage people to engage with your social & community project by building a community around it. This could be hosting events, starting a newsletter. Or creating a dedicated social media group to bring people together and keep them informed and involved.
• Create tension: just like a love story pulls you in make sure you communicate from different perspectives. Create a space where people can discuss issues and make their own mind up about topics. I’ve called the model i made for this approach multi-dimensional engagement.
• Celebrate success: Celebrate your achievements and successes along the way. People work hard. Make sure they feel recognised and appreciated. This will keep people motivated and engaged. t will also help build confidence and momentum for future initiatives.

6. Strategy for Social Projects and Community Projects

How to Plan Social & Community Projects.

Planning Social & Community Projects can often be complex because of all the challenges we need to overcome. Therefore a great starting point is Cynefin framework by Dave Snowden. This framework helps us to understand the complexity of the problem and the environment. This enables us to break up social & community projects into the elements we can control and tailor our approach for different aspects of the problem. For example, in a clear environment with a best practice, a traditional waterfall approach would be appropriate. As there is a definitively right answer for us to categorise and act on. e.g. We want to reduce wasted food.

Where things are complicated we may need the help of experts to create a solution through an agile adaptive methodology. While in a complex problem, we need a community of people (or a steering group) to understand the issues across the environment, so that they can guide our approach.

Social & Community Projects are both complex and often require managing tradeoff’s. This is a huge weakness in project management and design thinking, which don’t have an appropriate response. Barry Johnston’s Polarity Management offers an excellent approach to recognising, monitoring and managing these tradeoff’s. Whilst The Adaptive Cycle can help us recognise what stage we are in our development and identify how we can successfully adapt our approach.

How to Lead Social & Community Projects for Social Impact.

There are a lot of knowledge required of a social impact leader. That’s why I’ve created this helpful guide to social impact leadership here. It covers everything from strategy to measurement and motivation.

In my opinion and experience leadership of social & community projects is best from the frontline. Either leading the way in person or just behind in contact with the people doing the work. The reason for this is that every community is unique and had its own complex challenges. You can see this in sports. You wouldn’t expect the manager of a sports team to be sitting several miles away looking a spreadsheet while the action takes place on the pitch. So why do we manage of our social interventions that way? If you can’t be there on the spot at least empower those at are to make on the moment decisions.

It is also important to be aware that the social impacts of social & community projects can be both positive and negative. Many impacts are connected and there is a tradeoff to achieve them. Polarity management, by Barry Johnson, is an excellent approach to managing these tradeoffs. If you want to know how to manage polarities for social impact please read my guide.

What are the Social Implications of Social & Community Projects?

Social implications encompass the nuanced and often unexpected outcomes of actions and policies on societal dynamics. We can only ever understand the social system by interacting with it. It is not cause or effect, but emergent. Science is showing us that we can’t accurately predict the future. This is all the more so with social systems.

It is a very common mistake of governments and public services and social impact investors to think that social systems are predictable and logical. When all the evidence suggests this is not the case.

The social implications of an intervention are not merely the product of individuals, but of patterns of interactions and relationships between individual behaviours and collective structures. Societies are complex adaptive systems characterised by intricate, adaptive networks where psychological factors, such as human cognition, emotions, and social interactions are rooted in previous knowledge and experiences, all of which add hidden variation, whilst playing a critical role in shaping social norms, values, and changes. 

Such a view encourages a deeper appreciation for the delicate balance between initiating positive social change and understanding the potential ripple effects through the social fabric. The social implications of an interaction are unknown and unknowable until you act. It is only through observing repeated patterns of outcomes that we can better understand the social implications of social interventions. This is the very reason I strongly advice taking a scientific approach so that you can build knowledge and learn about the community and society in which you operate and learn to act effectively.

How to Improve Social & Community Projects for Better Social Impact.

Creating successful social impact projects requires a shift away from traditional project management methods. We need to move from a focus on managing processes to a more people-centred approach. The OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) loop by Col John Boyd is a useful tool for achieving this, as it places human decision-makers at the heart of projects. By empowering individuals to adapt to changing environments, we can be more responsive to people’s needs.

The OODA Loop helps us to improve the project to the needs of an ever-changing world. Getting us to refocus our approach. Test and improve our decision making through a Bayesian approach. Empowering us to continuously improve our decision making and our project to keep pace with the ever changing social world. The OODA loop is a powerful tool to help you learn and get ever better at making social impact. As such I use it as a core part of my coaching to help people make a bigger social impact. If you would like to learn more about the enormously powerful OODA Loop. I’ve written about it in this article.

7. Getting Started With Social & Community Projects

Ideas for Social & Community Projects

Ideas for social & community projects can come from many sources:

Identify community needs: Start by researching the community to identify social issues. Talk to people and let them tell you their problems and suggest solutions. Consider speaking with community leaders, local organisations, and residents. It’s important to listen to people to get a better understanding of their needs and concerns. When you talk to people you often find that you may be able to narrow down an intervention into a limited number of options.

Get inspiration from others: Look to see what other organisations and individuals are doing in other communities. This can provide ideas for similar initiatives in your own community. Make contact with the people working on the project and they will be an invaluable source of insight and inspiration.

Use your skills and passions: Think about your own skills, knowledge and passions. How have you helped people in the past in your own life. Consider how you can use these to create a positive impact on others and the wider community.

Collaborate with others: Collaborate with other organisations, businesses, and individuals. The best way to create change is to talk to others and also make changes. If you help them they will help you. Joining forces can help you achieve far more than you would ever achieve on your own.

Involve the community: Engage the community in the planning process. This is called co-production. It is an essential steps to ensuring that your project aligns with their needs and values. Consider conducting surveys or hosting focus groups to gather feedback and input.

Be creative: Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and try new ideas. Challenge your assumptions. Don’t be scared to experiment. You learn far more from things that don’t work than things that do.

Start small: You don’t have to create a large-scale project to make a difference. In fact starting small and testing ideas is very much the best way to go. Starting small means you can try many things simultaneously. Rather than risk putting all your resources and energy into one thing that might not work. Plan on starting small and growing your initiative as it gains momentum and support. What’s more by starting small you reduce the risk of mistakes and misunderstanding that can plague social impact as you scale up.

Examples of Social Projects & Community Projects

It’s important to be inspired by the example of others. They show us what is possible and are a source of valuable knowledge we can then use to inspire others. In the realm of social impact, diverse projects around the globe have made significant strides in addressing community needs, environmental challenges, and societal inequalities. Here, we highlight a selection of initiatives that showcase the breadth and depth of social & community projects:

1. Kiva – A pioneering platform that enables micro-lending to entrepreneurs in developing countries, fostering economic empowerment and sustainability.
2. Water.org – Dedicated to providing access to safe water and sanitation, Water.org works in various countries to implement innovative, community-led solutions.
3. Room to Read – Focusing on literacy and gender equality in education, Room to Read transforms the lives of millions of children in low-income countries by improving access to quality education.
4. The Green Belt Movement – An environmental organisation that empowers communities, particularly women, to conserve the environment and improve livelihoods through tree planting.
5. Habitat for Humanity – An international non-profit that works towards building affordable housing and renovating homes for families in need, promoting shelter as a basic human right.
6. Teach For All – A global network of organisations aiming to expand educational opportunities to all children, Teach For All recruits and trains leaders to become teachers in high-need schools around the world.
7. Doctors Without Borders – Providing lifesaving medical humanitarian care, this organisation operates in conflict zones, after natural disasters, and in areas of endemic disease, regardless of race, religion, or political affiliation.

These examples represent a fraction of the myriad social & community projects making a difference worldwide. By exploring these initiatives, readers can gain insight into the variety of approaches and strategies employed to tackle pressing global issues. Each project offers inspiration and lessons on creating impactful change, demonstrating what’s possible when communities, organisations, and individuals come together for a common cause.

You can find 10 more examples of community projects here:

Getting Involved in Social & Community Projects

Find a cause that resonates with you: There are many social issues to choose from, so it’s important to find a cause that you’re passionate about. Don’t do it because you feel you should….do it because you want to.

Research different organisations: Once you’ve identified a cause that you care about, go on Google and research organisations that are working to address the same issue. Look for organisations that align with your values and beliefs.

Get involved locally: Find out what’s going on locally. Meet people doing the work. That’s the best way to create connection. This can be a great way to learn more about the issue and to connect with other people who are passionate about the same cause.

Don’t be scared to try something out: It’s hard to know what the right thing to do is. There is no harm in giving things a try. Then trying something else until you find something that works just for you. There is no wrong, only better.

Use your skills and resources: If you have specific skills or resources that you can bring to the table, use them to create your own social &community projects. For example, if you’re a graphic designer, you could work with local communities or vulnerable groups to co-design design posters or flyers that work for them.

Social & community projects are an important way for individuals and communities to positively impact the world. By getting involved, you can help address pressing social issues and improve the lives of those around you. Whether you’re donating your time, resources, or skills, there are many ways to get involved and make a difference.

What does a Social Impact Consultant do?

A social impact consultant acts as a guide and mentor. Helping individuals and organisations to navigate the complexities of social & community projects. Some of the key tasks that a social impact consultant may perform include:

Assisting with goal setting: A social impact consultant can help you to identify your goals and develop a plan of action to achieve them.

Providing guidance and support: provide guidance and support to achieve your goals. This may include offering advice, helping to overcome obstacles. As well as providing feedback on progress.

Build support and investment: helping to create an engagement plan for key stakeholders and the host community. Helping you to build strong partnerships and networks to achieve your goals

Build confidence and knowledge: A social impact consultant can provide training to help you to be successful in your efforts. This may include training in project management, leadership, or how to make the most of your skills to enable you to be successful.

I’ve created a helpful free guide to social impact leadership here

Support with funding bids and resource management: Provide guidance to develop stronger bids for funds. As well as advice on how to use the resources and skills at your disposal for greatest impact and creating sustainable change.

Advise on measuring social impact: The social impact consultant can help you on how to best to measure and track impact. This can be a particular challenge with social projects. But is necessary to build a process of continuous improvement for ever-increasing social impact. As well as provide an evidence base for future funding.

Getting involved in social & community projects is easy and can be a rewarding experience. It may even be a great way, to learn how you can turn your passions and skills into your own social & community projects. Here are a few ways to get started:

Please book a free 30min discovery call if you would like to know more about how i can help you make a difference.

Conclusion

Social & community projects are a powerful tool for making a positive impact on the world. Most of the big challenges facing humanity are social in nature. Social & community projects are the main tool we have for creating social change. Whether you’re creating your own projec1t or volunteering your time, resources, or skills, there are many ways to get involved and make a difference. By creating social & community projects, you can improve the lives of those around you, build strong connections with others, and find personal fulfilment. So why not create a social project or community project, get involved and start making a difference today?

Learn to create change that flows: Discover more at edgeofpossible.com