The story of the Sherman Park Community Association illustrates how concurrent commitments to ideology, community, and organizational viability pose challenges to a community-based organization. Information was gathered from public documents, archived records, and retrospective, audio-taped interviews to review the history of an organization's survival through twenty-five years of changing demographics and public policies. Institutionalization, professionalization, funding, and goals and strategies were identified as tensions which surfaced periodically throughout the history of the organization. Considerations for macro practice are presented.

Mode of access: Internet.