---
title: "Community Home Cooking Checklist"
url: "https://justaddpeoplebook.com/2/book/100/community-home-cooking-checklist"
---

**Before you outsource or over-engineer, ask:**

### 1. Is this something a community member could help create?

- Playlist? Let a member curate it.
- Welcome message? Invite someone to write it.
- Signage, graphics, or setup? Ask for early volunteers.

### 2. Does it feel too finished to be contributed to?

- If it looks done, people won't feel invited to shape it.
- Leave some rough edges. Let people fill in the blanks.

### 3. Are you prioritizing perfection over participation?

- A perfect event run by staff does not equal a great experience for members.
- A little chaos invites collaboration.

### 4. Have you shown your own fingerprints?

- Did you write the note?
- Make the playlist?
- Share the behind-the-scenes struggle?

Reminder: People connect with the messy middle more than the polished ending.

### 5. Can people point to something and say, "I helped build that"?

- The most powerful form of belonging is ownership.
- Leave space for people to co-create, not just consume.

---

### When in doubt: take a breath. step back. chill.

You're not throwing a gala. You're hosting a block party.