Community action requires organized, on-going support. This is especially true in rural communities where there are fewer resources, fewer organizations and no formal governing structure. Rural community-action groups must find ways to deal with obstacles like long distance telephone calls, low population density, distance between communities, community distinctiveness, and language and cultural differences. They need funding and opportunities to communicate with provincial and national organizations. People from various sectors of the community have credible contributions to make, even though they may not be seen as a logical partner.
Community development requires many different kinds of skills, expertise, and knowledge.
It can sometimes be difficult for community-based groups to locate and access existing resource materials. No one project coordinator or community group will ever have all the skills and expertise involved. Credibility can be maintained by recognizing limitations and getting help when needed. Acknowledging limitations can give groups the impetus to seek new members who have specific skills to offer. Even when a community group has a paid staff person to send to participate in the work of a partnership, he or she is often overworked and underpaid, with too many issues to address and too few people to work with.