Dolgeville Forward: Volunteer Power

“Dolgeville Forward is... committed to improving life for the residents of the Village of Dolgeville and its surrounding areas.”

— Dolgeville Forward Website

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“Start with petunias.”

— Project for Public Spaces

Dolgeville Beautification

Dolgeville is full of picturesque scenes and bright colors, and Dolgeville Forward’s beautification committee is a big part of it.

Dolgeville Streetscape

First impressions count for a lot. While Dolgeville Forward can’t change everything at once, it focuses a lot on bright, visible, impactful projects that immediately make a noticeable difference on Main Street and in people’s lives.

Dolgeville Vacancies

Dolgeville has its share of vacant properties and problems, from abandoned buildings to feral cats. Dolgeville Forward works on long-term solutions to those problems too, but something as simple as a flower basket can immediately change the feel of a vacant block while permanent change is in the works.

Dolgeville Businesses

New businesses are growing in Dolgeville, thanks again in part to a committee of Dolgeville Forward. The group surveyed community members on needs and helps to support new businesses.

Dolge Company Factory Complex

Small community groups can’t typically restore or purchase major factories or industrial sites like the Dolge Mill Complex. But they can develop parks, activities, healthcare, housing and other quality of life improvements. And those amenities make it more appealing and feasible for developers to take a chance on restoring a major facility or bringing in a major business.

Helterline Park

Small “pocket parks” like Helterline Park are a simple solution to a number of community challenges. They are an easy way to clean up vacant lots left when buildings come down. They instantly beautify spaces and can raise surrounding property values. And they can offer quiet places for people to rest, reject, and connect.

Pavilion and River View

Dolgeville’s village core is full of small parks and green spaces, which beautify the area, attract visitors, and create a sense of place. Dolgeville Forward volunteers have made most of these projects happen.

Pocket Park

Each small park is an opportunity to offer outdoor seating so people can read a book or grab a sandwich, to absorb stormwater, to address blight, and to create safe outdoor gathering spaces.

Dolgevile Little Free Library

The little touches and amenities often create the greatest sense of place, like the Dolgeville Little Free Library.

Dolgeville Community Center & Farmer's Market Sign

Rural towns need big community development strategies too, like ensuring healthy food access, healthcare, and housing. Dolgeville Forward organizes subcommittees to work on major community priorities like playgrounds and farmers’ markets, ensuring that real change follows the flowers.

Photos ©Community Workshop LLC

Where: Dolgeville, NY

What: Community-driven non-profit harnessing volunteers to advance all areas of town life

Dolgeville Forward is a community-driven non-profit organization that harnesses the power of volunteers for community development. Eight active subcommittees with dozens of members and volunteers advance everything from beautification and economic development to events and festivals, vacant property and feral cat solutions to fun and family-friendly activities.

Why: Make big community improvements on a small community budget

Small towns don’t typically have a lot of extra staff capacity and money, so they often lack the amenities and improvements that bigger towns enjoy. In Dolgeville, a tightly organized community group is boosting capacity by organizing local residents and volunteers to work on eight major community priorities. Many towns have volunteer committees and activities, but Dolgeville Forward takes coordination to a new level, retaining dozens of active volunteers and attracting major grant resources.

A big part of Dolgeville Forward’s success is communication and delegation — empowering different groups of volunteers to lead and work on projects that matter to them (whether arts or beautification or healthcare), but bringing those groups and leaders together every month to communicate and share progress and align their work.

More:

• Get involved: get in touch with Dolgeville Forward, attend a meeting, donate to a project, or learn how to get involved with a subcommittee

• Get resources: explore best practices, guides and resources for managing volunteers from the National Council of Nonprofits

Get inspired:

• Offer before asking: rather than asking volunteers to work on your project, try asking people in the community what projects they would like to work on — then helping them do it. You’ll be much more likely to get passionate volunteers who stay engaged.

• Come together: already have volunteer groups in your community? Try getting together once per quarter, or once per year, just to share what you’re each doing. Or set up a listserv or social media group to communicate.