Leader & Connector Guide

Community Stewardship Program

Six community gatherings a year, hosted with friends.

American Stewardship Initiative · A 501(c)(3) nonpartisan civic initiative

What you’re signing up for

Pick a date, invite people you know, and show up.

A Community Leader hosts six gatherings a year in their own town: a park cleanup, a school-supply drive, a holiday food collection, and a few others. A small group of friends, your Connectors, help you invite people and run each day. ASI provides the templates, materials, coaching, and grant money for supplies.

ONE

Why this program exists

Most people care about the same everyday things: safe streets, good schools, careful use of tax dollars, and parks worth visiting. Fewer people feel they have a way to do anything about those things locally. In many towns, the service clubs and neighborhood groups that used to fill that role have faded.

The Community Stewardship Program helps residents start a local group built around regular, useful gatherings that are easy to invite a neighbor to.

This is a year-round community group. It is not a campaign and it is not connected to any political party. You don’t need any organizing experience.

The six pillars

Public Safety

Supporting local first responders and the habits that keep neighborhoods safe.

Accountable Education

Helping families understand how local schools work and how to get involved.

Fiscal Responsibility

Practical lessons in household budgeting and how community money is managed.

Conservation

Hands-on care for local parks, trails, waterways, and trees.

Healthy Lifestyles

Encouraging good eating, regular activity, and safe habits for all ages.

Opportunity & Abundance

Celebrating local businesses and the free enterprise that creates opportunity.

TWO

The year, and your part in it

Every group follows the same basic calendar.

Six community gatherings.

For example: a budgeting workshop, a park cleanup, placing flags on veterans’ graves, a school-supply drive, an event honoring first responders, and a holiday food or toy collection.

An invitation before each gathering and a thank-you after.

Short notes to neighbors about the upcoming gathering. Nothing goes out without your approval, and only under names you’ve approved.

Two invite nights.

You and your Connectors spend an evening calling people you know about the next gathering.

One neighborhood walk.

Connectors walk their own blocks, introduce themselves, and invite neighbors to the next gathering.

Getting started

Read through the six pillars and think about what each one looks like in your town.
Sign the Community Stewardship Pledge and complete a short orientation covering your group’s name, the look of your materials, and how invitations work.
Pick three friends you’d want as Connectors and ask them in person or by phone, not by email.
Hold your first gathering within about 60 days, and name a deputy by your third.

What ASI provides

A Community Leadership Director for regular planning calls and a monthly leadership conversation
Event templates, talking points, and checklists you can customize with your group’s name
Draft invitations and thank-you messages, sent only with your approval
Help with a simple website, flyers, and descriptions for each gathering
Connection to other Community Leaders, including occasional get-togethers

Connectors

Connectors are the friends who help you run the group. They’re volunteers, not staff. They bring extra supplies, help sign people in at gatherings, and know the people on their block.

Each Connector agrees to:

Attend at least two gatherings a year
Let their name appear on invitations to people they know (they always see these before they go out)
Join the two invite nights and the neighborhood walk
Bring along friends who’d like to help, if they can

When you ask someone, keep it personal: “Would you help me host a few gatherings in town this year?” Don’t open with commitments or numbers.

THREE

A sample year

Dates can shift to fit your town. Each group runs its gatherings under its own local name. Times are rough estimates.

When	The day	What it looks like	Time
Jan / Feb	Learning night	A local expert walks through household budgeting, followed by Q&A. Coffee provided.	2–4 hrs
March	Invite night	Call people you know about the April park cleanup. Do it as a group, with food.	3–5 hrs
April	Service Saturday	Clean up a public park and plant a small garden.	2–4 hrs
May	Honor day	Place flags on veterans’ graves before Memorial Day, followed by a short word of thanks. Families welcome.	2–4 hrs
June / July	Invite night	Calls about the August school-supply drive, a local fire department fundraiser, or a summer park night.	3–5 hrs
August	School-supply drive	A drop-off for preschool and elementary supplies, held somewhere parents already go.	2–4 hrs
September	Service Saturday	An event honoring first responders, such as a stair climb, a 5K, or a fire station open house with a service project.	2–4 hrs
October	Neighborhood walk	Connectors walk their own streets, invite neighbors to the holiday collection, and remind them that Election Day is coming. They never say who to vote for or against.	2–4 hrs
Nov / Dec	Holiday collection	Collect shelf-stable food and toys at a local drop-off for families who need help over the holidays.	2–4 hrs
Ongoing	Support	A regular 15-minute check-in with your Director (what’s next, what’s in the way, what’s going well) and a monthly 45-minute leadership conversation.	15 + 45 min

How we stay a community program

ASI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which limits this program to education, community service, and nonpartisan civic participation.

Gatherings are open to everyone; no one is excluded based on party or voting history.

Leaders and Connectors may not use the group’s name, contact list, or gatherings to support or oppose any candidate.

Questions about voter registration or polling places should go to the local election office.

We measure a good year by gatherings held, people welcomed, and service completed, not by election results.

FOUR

Grants and next steps

ASI awards grants to Leaders whose groups are up and running: Connectors who stay involved, gatherings that happen, a deputy who can host, and events open to the whole community. Grants cover real costs like supplies, park fees, flyers, small space rentals, and materials for conservation projects.

Next step

Start with one gathering and three friends.

Schedule a call with your Community Leadership Director. Review the Pledge, choose your three people, and pick a date for your first gathering.

Contact ASI americanstewardship.org