The manual is prepared to assist citizens, community activists, neighborhood groups, students, planners, government officials, and any person interested in grassroots organizing and planning neighborhood improvements by maximizing human resources through the concept of self-help. It offer two elements that are interrelated:
"Grassroots Organizing," and "Simple Approaches to Neighborhood Improvements.

Regardless of what stage of development neighborhood organizations are, this manual provides a wealth of information, ideas, and suggestions on organizing for success.

Once residential organization is functional, it time to get busy making improvements. The manual is a general guide for total neighborhood improvement programs. You may want to use the simple approaches and suggestions in the manual, or you may want to change them to fit your need. You may also have a specific issued you need to address, but you can still use these steps and techniques to find workable solutions.