One of the biggest causes people join is the "GOING GREEN" cause as it is more nessisary with all of the pollution in the world. See the Going Green page for additional information on going green and the GOING GREEN Campaign proccess.
Joining groups is an easier alternative to just making your own groups but in some situations you need a specific organization for help. This is where the necessity for a "Local Group" or "Local Team" comes to play. While the process of creating a local group can be difficult there are steps you can make to achieve your "Dream team".
One great first step is Analyzing local issues and deciding which ones your want to persue. Doing some reaserch wont hurt your inclination towards a cause. Once you've completed some reasearch you could also take a philanthropist survey to better understand what areas you have strength in. After that, you should start using the "GATHER" method to form the perfect alliance with your neighbors, City Hall members, etc.
GATHER METHOD
G roup together; the problems in your community are not a "One-man" job as this large issue was not created by one person!
A ssess the issues needing a fix; you need to already have an idea of what needs to be fixed before attempting a fix because more people may gain an interest and want to help.
T alk with everyone; communication is always the key in any sort of teamwork, without it things could be sloppy or even make the issue worse.
H ear what everyone has to say; great minds think alike and every contributer has the right to put some input in the circle.
E veryone is useful so all hands should be on deck; make use of every team member, a person would'nt join the cause to sit on the sidelines.
R emember your goal, it is your foundation and should stay respected the entire journey not just the beginning.
According to the GATHER method, once you have gotten past the research and gather phase you can start stabilizing local issues and supporting your local community groups. Of course, you will start with the chosen local issue and go on from there.