Group Structure
If you decide that forming a new group is the best course of action, it’s important to think strategically about which type of group is best suited to meet your objectives and community needs. There are various different group structures, each associated with unique pros and cons (see table below).
Organizational Committee (if your organization is part of a larger group such as an employee green team, a church sustainability committee, a student environmental club, etc.)
Neighborhood Group
Municipal Committee (such as a Sustainability Committee or Climate Action Taskforce)
Community-wide Citizen group
Creating a local chapter of a statewide or national organization (such as Sierra Club, Maine Youth for Climate Justice, Third Act, etc.)
Creating a new non-profit
Community Story:
Resources:
CEBE's Building Local Climate Leadership Toolkit: A Guide to Forming Climate Committees & Groups in Maine
This toolkit provides a step-by-step, short, and practical guide for rural communities with reduced capacity who are interested in establishing climate committees and groups. We share development tools, templates, and resources that can help your community build momentum for climate action.
Built-in structure, resources, and credibility.
Provides a clear audience and engagement base (employees, students, congregation, etc.).
Easier to build deep trust within a small geographic area.
Highly flexible and responsive to local needs.
In Maine, state funding is available through the Community Resilience Partnership to form a municipal committee. A municipal committee is also well-aligned with the process of receiving additional project funds from the Community Resilience Partnership.
Provides a direct channel for influencing municipal policy/initiatives by serving as a municipal advisory body.
Has some informal decision-making authority due to municipal affiliation.
Clear, established structure.
Greater ability to access municipal funding sources for projects.
Greater flexibility in projects.
Formation does not require approval from the selectboard or city council.
May be a good fit in communities where a municipal committee would be unfeasible or in which the community does not have high respect for the municipal government
Potential to access some funding if working with a fiscal sponsor.
Sustainable through political changes.
Greater level of support.
Pre-developed structure and organizational direction.
Avoids duplication of effort.
May establish trust and respect sooner, if the umbrella group is well known and respected.
Greater autonomy over the group’s focus and direction
Ability to process tax-deductible donations and apply for grants
Eventually may be able to hire staff
Eventually may be able to access non-profit funding streams
Sustainable through local and state political changes.
May have bureaucratic constraints and require approval for initiatives.
Limited to the priorities and scope of the parent organization.
Limited access to funding and resources.
May struggle with sustainability and long-term commitment.
Generally serves as an advisory body and does not have direct authority over municipal decision-making.
Vulnerable to changes in local politics (could be disbanded).
Reliant on volunteer efforts (can lack capacity depending on numbers).
Projects may be limited based on what is politically feasible and/or what town staff has the capacity to move forward.
Formation depends on approval from city council or selectboard.
May take longer to establish respect in the community (because it is not municipally affiliated)
May be more challenging to develop a relationship with the local municipality
May be difficult to secure funding for projects.
Limited access to funding and resources.
May struggle with sustainability and long-term commitment.
Process to establish as a non-profit and ongoing organizational maintenance
Requires more specific knowledge of nonprofits
Greater risk of duplication of effort with existing organizations and strain on foundation funding
May take longer to establish respect in the community (because it is not municipally affiliated- depending on how the community views the municipal government)
May be more challenging to develop a relationship with the local municipality
Accessing funding may be highly competitive and difficult
Hallowell Climate Action
Hallowell Climate Action, an umbrella group under the Hallowell Conservation Commission, was formed in August 2022 in response to an opportunity to join the Community Resilience Partnership (CRP). Hallowell Climate Action shaped its focus and scope by anchoring their efforts in the community’s existing vision, as outlined in the 2020–2030 Comprehensive Plan. With a clear commitment to low-carbon initiatives already in place, the group concentrated on translating this vision into actionable goals. Their initial priorities emerged from their first community climate workshop in 2022, where residents identified reducing municipal emissions—starting with City Hall—and expanding EV infrastructure as top concerns. Guided by the CRP’s structured list of climate actions, the group ensured their scope remained both ambitious and attainable, aligning their work with the community’s most pressing climate needs and the municipality’s capacity to implement solutions.
