Village Earth understands that all community work takes place within a dynamic and often contested political space; personalities clash, cultural understanding and norms collide, organizational structures and practices can become too rigid or even irrelevant, and priorities can become warped by our obligations to funders or other outside interests. To be truly effective, we believe community organizations must be accountable to the communities they were established to serve. This requires that accountability be incorporated into both your organization’s culture as well as its organizational structure.