Community engagement is a lot like modern art: It means different things to different people, it’s much harder than it looks, and it comes in all shapes and sizes. Fortunately, effective community engagement processes have a great deal in common, and well-executed efforts rival the grace and meaning of any piece by Mark Rothko or Robert Rauchenberg.

Pursuing community engagement in the context of collective impact efforts requires additional considerations, and these were outlined quite well in a recent webinar hosted by Living Cities and the Tamarack Institute.   

Although this post can’t do justice to the full array of lessons outlined in the webinar, I’ve highlighted five principles that resonated with my experience as a community engagement facilitator in the context of collective impact efforts:

1. Begin by asking yourself “why” you want to engage the community

As Living Cities’ Jeff Raderstrong explains, "when doing community engagement it's all about the 'why?' – your goals will determine the process.” Organizations frequently skip this step and go straight to the “how,” but doing so weakens one’s efforts and can result in a frustrating and confusing process for both the “engagers” and the “engaged.”

2.  Determine the appropriate process based on your goals

Community engagement can mean anything from informing the public about an issue to fully empowering a community with final decision-making authority. Regardless of where your effort falls along this spectrum (see below), community engagement requires an iterative approach. Community engagement is a process, not an event, so resist the pressure to simply “check the box” by holding a town hall meeting and declaring that you “did community engagement.”

3.  Listen

If you don’t begin by listening, then it’s probably not engagement. Listening is always a critical step in community engagement, but it’s even more important when you’re using the model of collective impact. Take into consideration the perspectives of all stakeholders early in the process, and analyze what you hear in order to identify key themes. In addition to using what you’ve heard to inform your decision-making, make sure to close the loop and share your findings back with the community. Doing so will both ensure the accuracy of your data and demonstrate respect for the community’s participation.

4.  Acknowledge the past

Most communities have been subjected to less-than-effective “engagement” efforts in the past, and it’s best to acknowledge this upfront. Listening is a strong first step here, but, especially in the current era of diminished public trust, you may need to go further and explicitly differentiate your efforts from previous failures. Here, as always, actions speak louder than words.

5.  Establish feedback loops

As Tynesia Boyea-Robinson explains, creating feedback loops means “collecting the information that is needed to know whether or not you are on track.” Establishing feedback loops provides at least two significant benefits: First, they continuously deliver information about how different stakeholders perceive your efforts, which is data you can use to improve your work; and second, they demonstrate respect for the community’s perspectives, which in turn helps to foster mutual trust.

These principles can go a long way toward helping you to achieve your goals in any community engagement effort. And, like modern art, the value of meaningful community ownership grows significantly over time. Collective problems, like chronic absenteeism in San Antonio, become collective solutions, and no one can question the beauty of a stronger, healthier and more prosperous community.  

For more information about community engagement in the context of collective impact efforts, check out the free e-course on this topic developed by Living Cities.

Do these principles resonate with your experience? What’s missing? Please share your comments and questions below, and contact Isaac Rowlett directly at [email protected] and on Twitter at @isaacrowlett.