5 Tips on How to Contact an Intentional Community

Smiling woman with long hair holding a coffee mug indoors.
Cynthia Tina
  • September 2, 2019
  • Membership Process
Person working on a laptop and taking notes on a notepad.

Taking the plunge to visit the community you’ve researched can be scary. Here are five tips to consider when contacting a community for the first time.

1. Be respectful of people’s time and busy lives. Communicate with the essential aspects of your request. How long would you like to say? What are your skills? Have you visited other communities before?

2. It helps if a community can quickly understand your intention for wanting to visit. Do you intend to live in a community? Do you have specific concerns or questions you hope to remedy through a visit? Keep it short and honest.

3. Demonstrate that you have taken the time to understand the intentions of the community you hope to visit. Refer to their mission statement or another aspect of the project that you resonate with. This will help the community determine if you are a good fit for what they have going on.

4. Make sure you are contacting the right person. Look for the person with “guest management” or “visitor inquiry” in their job title or email address. By reaching out through the message portal on each community listing at ic.org we will automatically connect you with the appropriate contact point. 

5. Include your contact information in the request. Let the community know what is the best way to reach you. Let them know your long term plans and if a visit will be an option in the future if they do not have availability now. Sign off with a friendly note and appreciation for their time.

Alright! That should give you what you need to reach out to the community you have in mind. And if you’re still searching for the right community, be sure to browse our extensive online map of communities around the world.

Wishing you all the best on your community journey!

– Cynthia Tina, Community Matchmaker and founder of Community Finders

Comments

Featured Blogs

Keep the conversation going with these pieces

Christopher Roth
Wed Mar 2018
  • New to community
Race, Class, and Our New Gift Economy Model March Blog Round-Up by Thomas Vecchio, Social Media Manager March has seen several of our most recent initiatives bear fruit―evidence of the new direction the FIC has been steering toward the last few years. While we envision community as a succes…
Molly
Sun Jun 2008
  • New to community
  • Sustainability
The Arizona Daily Star has an article on water conservation that highlights water conservation expert Brad Lancaster of Milagro Cohousing. The article doesn’t have much about cohousing, but describes the water conservation techniques that Lancaster demonstrates at Millagro Cohousing. In the foothil…
Christopher Roth
Tue Jun 2010
  • New to community
  • Sustainability
Author: Chris Roth Published in Communities Magazine Issue #147 I’m listening to the rain fall on the roof of Karma, the passive solar residence at Sandhill Farm where I’m staying this spring. In these first few weeks of March, I’ve helped with and learned about peach tree pruning, maple syrup …
Saul Of-Hearts
Mon Aug 2016
  • New to community
  • Sustainability
So many of the community structures that we write about here at FIC – such as community land trusts – have a long, but often overlooked, history. That’s why it’s important for writers, filmmakers, and historians to document stories of intentional communities over time. A new documentary, Arc of J…
Kim Kanney
Wed Jan 2019
  • Economics & Law
Essence of Permaculture Did you know we are continually adding new free resources to our catalog of offerings? Toolkits, epubs, organizers’ handbooks, and workshop guides are just a few examples, all located at the Free Resources category page. Explore all the topics ranging from Cooperative Ho…
Marcus Gardner
Mon Feb 2010
  • New to community
  • Life Transitions
Thanks for responses to the recent post about Transition Towns in Australia. This is also a thriving movement in the United States, and we wanted to share this link for those further interested: http://www.transitionus.org/welcome-transition-us
Saul Of-Hearts
Wed Mar 2016
  • Living in community
  • Economics & Law
Hi, I’m Saul, the new Social Media Manager here at FIC. I’m excited to join the team from my home at Foster Village, an urban eco-community in Southeast Portland, OR! If you have any feedback or suggestions for a future blog post, you can reach me via e-mail or on Twitter. Living in an urban …
Codicts Team
Sat Mar 2013
37 Day Summer Immersion Program Learn more, register now. Early Bird rates end soon! Details here: http://www.ic.org/in/enews/eNews2013March12.php
Lynn Farquhar
Fri Jun 2007
  • New to community
  • Sustainability
In the mountains of New Mexico, Lama Foundation is making new food decisions to unhook from the fossil fuel-based agricultural systems.
Kara Huntermoon
Tue Mar 2017
  • New to community
  • Sustainability
For the next generation, planting trees, growing food, and living in community are only the start.

Insights & Stories from the Communities Movement

Subscribe to our newsletter for fresh stories and community updates delivered to your inbox.

Join the Communiversity Community

Get unlimited access to courses, exclusive member events, and a supportive network of community builders

Unlimited Learning

Access all courses, books, and premium content

Community Network

Member-only workshops and community builders

Exclusive Events

Member-only workshops and gatherings

Update to a Public Profile

  • Log in
  • Go to your profile page
  • Toggle on the "Add my profile to the directory"
  • Save your profile

Information

Communities

A residential project: people live here as their primary home.

Organizations

An institution, business, network, or project that isn’t a residence (e.g. a learning center, farm, or network with no one living there full-time).

Plus Community Membership

  • Find people with Profile Match
  • Access to your community listing statistics
  • Create Discussion Groups
  • Access to our affiliate program
  • Member badge on your community profile
I am an official member of this community
Disclaimer
I affirm that my information is accurate and I am authorized to manage this listing
Foundation for Intentional Community FIC Member badge logo.

Free Plan

Free Membership
Free

Intentional Advertising

  • Subtotal

    {{ currencyFormat( pricing_summary.total_amount ) }}

Icon representing community connections and collaboration for intentional communities.

Plus Membership

  • Find communities with Profile Match
  • View detailed reviews about communities
  • Create free listings in Needs & Offers
  • Plus Member resources in CommUniversity
  • View communities detailed reviews
  • Plus Member badge on your profile