We're working to connect and unite the many movements that are looking at issues of aging from a grassroots point of view.

We welcome existing groups working in this area and will help new groups start within the Alliance.

Reasons to start or add your Local Group to Aging In Community

1. It's free! While we may offer additional services and outreach opportunities, basic listings are free.
2. It makes it easier for people to find you. We are engaging in extensive outreach, search-engine placement, and other guerilla (and conventional) marketing to promote the concept of Aging In Community and this particular site.
3. You can link up with other groups, learn from each other, and avoid reinventing the wheel. Put your effort into building local connections, having deep discussions, attracting great speakers.

What is expected of local groups working on Aging In Community:

1. Keep active! We have some powerful tools here that can bring attention. But the fuel they run on is your scheduled activities and news updates... meetings, socials, reports and other updates will keep your group bubbling to the top of the "recent activity" list, for highest visibility, and will keep people coming back to learn more. We may "de-list" a group that appears to be dormant, to keep up the quality of our list.
2. Be clear, honest, and open! "Elder abuse" is a major issue in the aging industry, and some firms are notorious for promoting a particular risky financial scheme or commercial interest in the guise of a community group. While we can't check every claim or investigate every group, and make no warranty as to the suitability of every group for every person, we want to make it clear from the get-go that the Aging In Community movement is people-powered, about people taking control of their lives and supporting each other, not about people selling products to a market and filling meetings with pitches. While sponsorship is fine, we may refuse to list or de-list groups that appear to be dominated by commercial interests. It's OK to charge fees for membership and/or meetings, to pay for space and other operating expenses, but don't surprise people.
3. Take care of yourself. From a quarter century working on nonprofit grassroots development in the community sector, we have seen lots of people burn out or get into deep conflicts that result in splits in leadership and the breakup of groups. Remember to keep it simple, keep it fun, be open to new ideas and new energy, and mix time for business and social.

We're figuring out how to support new groups working on Aging In Community. What do you need? Please let us know.

How to get involved: