White Plains Council of Neighborhood Associations
An instructor teaching adults in a classroom during a workshop.

Join the CNA

Membership

How to join the CNA

The CNA is a council of White Plains’ established neighborhood associations — a forum where organized neighborhoods share ideas, work with the City, and speak with one voice. It is not an organization individuals join on their own: your neighborhood takes part through its association, whose officers or representatives attend meetings, pay dues, and vote on CNA matters.

Who can join

A neighborhood association is eligible to join the CNA once it has:

  • a recognized White Plains neighborhood it represents
  • a bank account
  • officer leadership (such as president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary)
  • a board of members
  • dues collected from its members
  • regular, documented meetings

Neighborhoods that have not formed an association yet are warmly encouraged to start one — the workshop guide further down this page shows how. CNA meetings are open to the public; the meeting schedule is shared with member associations rather than published publicly. Dues-paying member associations have the right to vote on CNA matters.

  1. Find your neighborhood association

    These are the member organizations of the CNA. Check whether your neighborhood already has one on our Neighborhoods page.

  2. Become a member of it

    Join your local association and pay its dues. That is how residents take part — there is no separate individual CNA membership for the general public.

  3. No association yet? Start one

    Use the workshop guide below to adopt bylaws, elect officers, and hold a first meeting. WPCNA will help you get going.

  4. Your association joins the council

    Once organized, your association pays its CNA dues and sends representatives to the council’s monthly meetings — the second Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm, in person or on Zoom.

  5. Add your voice

    Attend meetings, share ideas, and connect with City officials and other neighborhoods across White Plains.

Questions about joining or dues? Contact the CNA

A practical starting point

WPCNA supports residents who want to build stronger neighborhood organizations in White Plains. This handbook grows out of last year's workshop and is meant to be a practical guide for people who are starting fresh, reviving an older association, or figuring out what organized neighborhood work looks like in real life.

The material below walks through the basics: building a contact list, setting a regular meeting rhythm, working with the City, and staying connected to other neighborhood groups through WPCNA.

What’s inside the workshop guide

The deck below is a practical playbook for starting and running a neighborhood association, distilled from WPCNA’s March 2025 workshop. Here is what it covers — so you can find what you need without sitting through the whole presentation:

  • The CNA & the City — how neighborhood associations work with White Plains officials and the Common Council, and why an organized neighborhood carries a stronger voice.
  • Writing your bylaws — using Robert’s Rules of Order as a ready-made template, then tailoring it to your neighborhood’s needs.
  • Officers & board — the four core roles (President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary) plus a board of roughly 10–15 members.
  • Holding elections — how to nominate and vote in officers at an annual meeting, with a simple ~60-day timeline.
  • Recruiting volunteers — practical ways to find, welcome, and keep neighbors involved.
  • Dues & budgeting — setting dues, building a yearly budget, and tracking income and expenses (including the association’s CNA dues).
  • Becoming a nonprofit (optional) — the three steps to form a 501(c)(7) social club in New York, plus the basic tax filings.
  • Events, meetings & communication — planning and publicizing neighborhood events, and running consistent, well-organized meetings.

Workshop guide and slides

Full presentation deck from the March 11, 2025 workshop, covering organizing basics, sample agendas, and practical templates.

Download slides (PDF)

Workshop flyer

The original flyer with the workshop date, location, and agenda.

Download flyer (PDF)

Use it with WPCNA

If you are thinking about starting a neighborhood association, this is a good first resource. Use it to get oriented, then reach out to WPCNA if you want help talking through the next step, finding out how other associations are organized, or getting connected to the wider council.