Cohousing-L Mailing List: 6 reasons group fail (repost)

[Cohousing-L listmgr (fholson]

dqs [at] world.std.com (Diane Simpson)
is sent the message below but due to a problem it was posted 
by the Fred the list manager: owner-cohousing-L [at] cohousing.org
********************  FORWARDED MESSAGE FOLLOWS ***********************

Here it is--Rob's inspirational message of a couple months' back--I take it
out and read it each evening while lighting my votive candles:.)

---Diane

                          *   *   *   *   *   *

Date: Sun, 5 Jan 97 20:56:38 UT
From: "Rob Sandelin" <Floriferous [at] msn.com>
Subject: 6 reasons group fail

Six Reasons groups fail:

1. No burning soul. The person who organizes all the first meetings, keeps
things moving, never gives up, even when all seems lost.

2. Trying to find a site without help. Groups often fail at finding a site,
and then don't ever bother to get help with this task for some wierd reason.
There are a great number of professional brokers who, for a fee, will locate
property on your spec. I am amazed that cohousers do not use these services
more often. Take a developer to lunch and pick their brains on how THEY find
sites.

3. Initial group dysfunctional/lacks group skills to get through it. This has
killed 4 groups in the Seattle area that I know of. Very fixable with help.
Remember, very few people who get involved with cohousing will have the skills
needed to work effectively as a group. You need to grow these, and there are
lots and lots of resources to help you.

4. Group buys land without adequate research into infrastructure or other
criteria and finds out land is not developable. This killed a group on Vashon.

5. Group can't attract capital, has unrealistic fiscal expectations, for
example, oh we'll just get grants to pay for everything.

6. Give up after first crisis. Too many projects have gone away because of one
or more of the above problems, or other problems, then everybody bails on the
idea. I heard a story of a group that found a good site, but did not have its
act together to make the purchase, took them a month to get organized with
down payments, attorney, etc. only to find the property sold in the first
couple of days on the Market (It actually had an offer on it when they first
heard about it).
All five families then gave up on cohousing!  Sheesh.

Reverse these and you will have a list of six ways to make your group succeed:
 Have at least one totally committed person, Get professional help to find
your site if you can't do it yourself, Get training about effective group
decision making and conflict resolution, Do your homework on the site and have
a good option agreement that you can bail on the site if need be, Be realistic
about the capital required to do real estate development in your area, but
also investigate ALL sources of capital, not just your own bank accounts,
DON'T GIVE UP, EVER. Even if the whole group folds, just take a short break,
then put in another ad, set up another meeting, and try again - maybe with a
new name.

Rob Sandelin
Sharingwood
Northwest Intentional Communities Association

>------------------------------
>
>Date: Mon, 24 Mar 97 18:22:07 UT
>From: "Rob Sandelin" <Floriferous [at] msn.com>
>Subject: RE: Cohousing-L tailing off
>Message-ID: <UPMAIL03.199703251521470547 [at] msn.com>
>
>
>>Re-read Rob Sandelin's inspirational note from a couple of weeks back on
>>why groups fail and what to do to prevent it.  (Rob, how about posting that
>>from time to time to give us all a kick in the butt.)
>
>could be achieved by posting Rob's note on the web and Joani (or anyone)
>periodically mentioning it and it's url on the list.
>
>
>Gad how embarrassing, er, I don't have it anymore. If somebody does and wants
>to post it go for it. I can't even remember what I said  :-)
>
>------------------------------

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