Hero image
Image
Icon
Image

Community Mobilization + Engagement

Body

Accelerate Your Efforts

If you are already implementing all or most of the engagement strategies listed above, consider adding some of these to deepen your efforts:

Building elements
4columns
Building elements
Icon
Image
Body – primary

Develop shared expectations for community engagement and assess each engagement effort during and after it is complete. Creating goals before the engagement will ensure that you prioritize equity values. Evaluation of these goals should occur throughout the process and successes reported and reviewed upon completion.

Icon
Image
Body – primary

Prioritize community-driven initiatives. When engaging the community, be willing to adjust or abandon agendas that are not deeply informed by and developed with community residents, especially those most impacted by the issue. This adaptive approach will optimize lessons learned in the process. Be willing to leverage the brand reputation to amplify and channel the authentic voice of the community with donors to inform, educate, share with them community concerns. Shared learning for all partners is an investment in equitable engagement.

Media
Image
Icon
Image
Body – primary

Compensate participants in your community engagement efforts. This acknowledges systemic inequities and supports equitable access for partners with different resources.

Icon
Image
Body – primary

Establish and invest in community-led decision-making bodies in your process. Being explicit and transparent about the timing and roles encourages participation and shared expectations.

Icon
Image
Body – primary

Invest in building the leadership capacity of community residents, where needed, to advocate for their community. Identify opportunities for community members to share their experiences and perspectives in external communications and with partners. More leadership opportunities can amplify the impacts of equity in the process.

Icon
Image
Body – primary

Continue to broaden your reach. Engage youth, artists, and elders in your community engagement efforts. Inviting diverse skills and perspectives allows for more robust responses, and therefore better data input.