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Block Captains, A quick Guide for Block Captains

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A quick Guide for Block Captains

  • As a Block Captain, you’ve volunteered to take an active role in bringing neighbors and community members together by developing partnerships with community leaders, business owners, law enforcement, and others to build involvement with people on the block.
  • A Block Captain can also act as a liaison between people on the block and the neighborhood association by sharing meeting dates, event announcements, and important updates.
  • A Block Captain might help organize volunteers to help with neighborhood events or collect donations for special causes such as food & clothing drives, emergency funds for neighbors in need, or even volunteers to help with home repairs or yard cleanup events.
What to do

Here are some ideas on steps to take:

  • Develop a contact list for people on your block; ask for a phone number or email address
  • Identify and work with your neighborhood SAFFE Officer
  • Talk to people on your block and get to know what concerns they have or skills they can share
Develop a contact list
This is also sometimes called a “Phone Tree.” This list of phone numbers or email addresses makes it easier for a Block Captain to open a line of communication with people on the block. One of your responsibilities may be to notify people about upcoming neighborhood meetings, food drives, yard sales, or other events.
Know your SAFFE Officer
Crime prevention or reporting neighborhood crimes might be one of the responsibilities of a Block Captain. Be sure to know who your SAFFE Officer is and share crime trends and crime prevention tips with people on your block.
Develop a questionnaire

Get to know the people on your block by developing a short questionnaire. Ask about concerns they might have or even special knowledge or skills they can share with neighbors. This is also a great way to recruit volunteers for community events like yard cleanups, food distributions, or crime watches.

You’ll find a sample questionnaire at the end of this guide.

more ideas...

Here are some more things a Block Captain might do…

  • Help access community resources,
  • Hold a block garage sale
  • Arrange an emergency preparedness class,
  • Start a used item recycling/sharing program
  • Organize a movie night
  • Find a place to hold block meetings/events
Be open minded

Remember that it is important to be flexible and creative as a Block Captain. Develop a strategy that works for you and your block. Get input from neighbors and slowly build over time. The main idea is to bring people together and get them involved in improving their neighborhoods.

Sample Block questionnaire
  1. Are you interested in attending Neighborhood Association meetings?
  2. What areas need improvement?
    • Crime prevention
    • Neighborhood appeal/look
    • Sense of community
    • Access to resident services
  3. Would you like to volunteer your time with…
    • Helping neighbors with handy-projects
    • Block walking to share information door-to-door
    • Organizing a block yard sale
  4. Please share your phone or email:
  5. Do you have special knowledge or skills to share?If so, what?
  6. What items can you donate if needed for the block?
    1. Food items
    2. Clothing or household items
    3. Time helping out
    4. Cash for emergency kits
  7. What is your name and address?