Clear agreements and understanding up front are perhaps the number one reason for success, and lack of them, the number one reason for failure. It is well worth the time taken, even if it takes months, to work out these agreements in detail before major commitments of time or other energy are spent creating the project.
Even among friends, what each person expects and wants is often very different from what other people in the group believe is expected. So it is vital to elicit detailed answers about this. Sometimes people don’t know what they want or what they don’t want. Thus, it’s vital to ask those questions more than once, as the process unfolds and reality sets in.
This 19 step process created by Diane Leafe Christian, one of the leading experts on how to create a successful intentional community, is heavy on making agreements and ensuring they are clear. A founder can be an individual or a group of people. If more than one person, each step of this process should be very clear and in writing. The steps that state “(ongoing)” indicate that the approach may change depending on who ends up in the community.
The 19 Steps: How People Typically Start a Community
Founders of intentional communities typically do the following things to create their projects. Not all founders do all these things. Some of these steps, or processes, can be simultaneous, or ongoing, or can occur in a different order. Nevertheless, I hope this list gives you a basic idea of what community founders typically do.
(1) Choose the general community location and basic financial structure.
(2) Agree on and write up the group's shared Mission & Purpose.
(3) Choose and practice a fair, participatory method for decision-making and self-governance. (ongoing).
(4) Organize and make available to community members all meeting minutes, decisions, policies and agreements. (ongoing).
(5) Promote the group's Mission and Aim to others and encourage more people to join.(ongoing).
(6) Create and implement a clear, thorough membership process. (ongoing).
(7) Learn and practice good communication skills and an effective conflict-resolution pro- cess.(ongoing).
(8) Find ways to help people stay accountable to group agreements. (ongoing)
(9) Choose site criteria for the property they will buy together; begin the land-search process; choose the property.
(10) Decide how they will own the land together.
(11) Choose a legal entity for co-owning the property.
(12) Research zoning regulations and get a zoning variance if necessary, or possible.
(13) Figure out how to finance the property purchase and development; create a land payment fund; buy the property.
(14) Determine the internal community finances: how the land-purchase and development costs will be paid, how annual recurring costs will be paid, and what labor requirements will be.
(15) Keep track of community finances and set up a bookkeeping system.
(16) Create a Permaculture-based site plan for how the group will develop the property.
(17) Begin developing land according to the Permaculture-based site plan (ongoing).
(18) Organize a work exchange program to help develop physical infrastructure.
(19) Build dwellings and move onto the property (ongoing).
There are a number of great online resources that are free and give detailed information about what questions to ask potential members of a community to ensure important agreements are clear. We’ve included several of these in our “Further Study” section.
The e-book “Co-housing Legal Toolkit 3.0” found at the Intentional Communities website (a great overall resource) has some very good checklist questions to ask in the beginning of the book.
https://www.ic.org/community-bookstore/product/cohousing-legal-toolkit-3-0/#:~:text=Adapted%20from%20the%202012%20version,to%20bylaws%20and%20group%20process.