Community Engagement Guide Inform Engage Activate

Community Engagement Guide 2013 Inform | Engage | Activate Community Engagement Guide: Inform, Engage, & Motivate About this Guide The Metropolitan...
Author: Brendan Harmon
5 downloads 0 Views 443KB Size
Community Engagement Guide

2013 Inform | Engage | Activate

Community Engagement Guide: Inform, Engage, & Motivate About this Guide The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) is a regional planning agency serving the people who live and work in the 101 cities and towns of Metropolitan Boston. As a regional planning agency, community outreach and civic engagement is at the core of MAPC’s success. The Community Engagement Guide was originally developed by Emily Torres-Cullinane using previous project experiences, ideas submitted by MAPC staff, and guidance from other public agencies, and is intended as an internal tool to assist in achieving MAPC’s outreach objective. This version of the guide has been modified to allow any organization to use the strategies that have been developed internally to pursue their own community engagement efforts.

This guide is a tool to assist in achieving an organization’s outreach objective. It proposes a standard for public outreach and engagement, which is based upon the belief that if public outreach and engagement is to be successful, it must be thoughtfully integrated throughout the lifecycle of a place-based planning or outreach project. The guide breaks down the process making it easier to strategize engagement activities.

MAPC’s Outreach Objective To inform, engage and activate the people of Metropolitan Boston to participate in activities that will influence the decision making processes and planning of the region.

1. Community Engagement Timeline There is no one-size fits all approach when it comes to community engagement. There are a range of activities that one can do to reach out to the local community, engage the people most critical to the project and motivate those people to participate. This community engagement guide will follow the project timeline below. As you create your own engagement strategy for your project, this can serve as a visual aid to show you where certain activities fit in the planning process. The most important take away from this timeline is the more work you put into your community engagement strategy at the beginning of a project the more time and money you will save throughout.

1. Project Idea! 2. Set Goals & Project Deliverables

Project Scoping

3. Decide Purpose & Level of Engagement based on Type of Project 4. Identify Stakeholders 5. Brainstorm & Create Engagement Strategy 6. Start the Project & Implement Engagement Strategy

Implement

Follow Up

7. Evaluate Stakeholders & Strategies - Modify As Needed 8. Finalize Project 9. Follow Up with Stakeholders Post Project & Capture Relationships in Database

2. Project Idea! This is the first step. You have an idea for a project!

3. Set Goals & Project Deliverables The relationships you develop when you begin to work on a project become key to the engagement strategy. In this phase, your potential project partners and the people you work with to develop the scope internally or externally will be important people to check back in with as well. Document who you get information from. If it is external contacts, they may also be people that you can go back to for help finding other related contacts. This is where you start building relationships for your project, whether they be municipality contacts or other people in the community. In addition, having very clear goals and outcomes will help you later to identify stakeholders and put together your community engagement strategy.

Before you go further, who is responsible for the outreach, engagement, and participation of this project? If it is a municipality or another organization then they probably have a set outreach strategy. Find out what that is. Is there something you can do to compliment their efforts? Municipalities and nonprofits vary in size and resources. Some have more capabilities to do more than others. Find out what they will need from you. And always ask yourself: is anyone being left out of the process?

4. Decide Purpose of Engagement Based on the goals and outcomes of the project, decide on the purpose for securing public engagement. What are the interests of project partners? To what degree do partners want to invite public input and/or involvement? Conduct an honest assessment of the funding that may be allocated to outreach and engagement in the project budget, and develop realistic outreach and engagement goals and outcomes to match available resources, similar to how you have defined broader project goals and outcomes. The next section provides an overview of how to think about levels of public engagement. First, here are some examples of how different types of projects have engaged the public at various levels.

5. Decide Level of Engagement Based on the type of project, goals associated and outcomes expected, decide on the level of engagement. I am presenting four levels that build upon each other: Limited, Moderate, Deep & Broad Engagement. The higher the level of engagement the larger the budget will be for the project’s engagement activities. Keep that in mind during the scoping process and throughout the project. In the Appendix, there is a Community Engagement Scale Chart for specific examples of types of projects, types of engagement, MAPC examples and approximate percentage of project budget associated with each level. Use this as a measurement tool.

6. Identify Stakeholders The next step is to identify the people that live or work in the area that will be most impacted by the project’s results or key people or groups (i.e., for-profit or non-profit organizations or voluntary groups) that are influential to the project and implementation. These people and groups are the stakeholders of the project. What is your reach? Based on the Level of Engagement you can estimate how many people you want to reach. For example, if you chose a Limited Community Engagement strategy you are going to have a very targeted list of stakeholders in comparison with a Broad Community Engagement strategy where you will reach a much wider audience. Inform Yourself Based on your level of engagement you have to inform yourself and do some research to figure out who those stakeholders are. In order for your stakeholder list to be as specific as possible consider the following questions. 1. Do you have any project partners? Is there anyone that is already working with you on the project? Ask them for 5 contacts that you should follow up with. 2. Who are the “usual suspects”? Who always shows up? Who do you already know is a stakeholder? 3. Are there any contacts or stakeholders that your coworkers or other colleagues suggest? And why? 4. Who else should be invited to participate in this project from the community? Who is missing? Inevitably we can overlook some stakeholders. In order to engage people that may be missing from your original list you will have to inform yourself and do some more research. Step out of your comfort zone and natural way of doing things and challenge yourself to get all of the information you need to know about who needs to be involved. 5. What are the demographics of the area that you are working in? • Age • Race/ethnicity • Home ownership: Rent, own home • Language Spoken • Income • Educational attainment

Based on the demographics of the area, brainstorm a list of people that may be stakeholders. Note: This is also great information that can help you create a benchmark and see if you have reached your outreach goals. 6. Were you able to go to the area that you will be working in and do a walking/windshield tour? If not then go out there! Make some observations, collect information and ask people questions. 7. Think about what you observed. Who did you speak to while you were there? Did they share information on any contacts that would be important to the project? You will find that the more people you talk to the more stakeholders you will uncover. Are there people you did not plan for? 8. Be prepared for people that come into the project on their own or show up at your meetings. Do not be caught off guard. Just know that it can happen and be prepared to work with new stakeholders. Types of Stakeholders There are different types of stakeholders and you have to identify them separately because each will have a different strategy of communication and outreach. Project Partners – these are the people that you originally worked with in order to put the scope together. You can also consider these people to be the “client” of the project. “Usual Suspects” – these are the people who you already know is a stakeholder. At MAPC we use this term casually when we are talking about the people that usually participate and show up at community meetings. They may even be your partners on the project. These are generally the first people you meet or interact with. They have an interest in the project and are in the loop. Community Stakeholders - these are people that may not have knowledge about the project but might be most directly impacted. You have to research this list. These are people that you do not know exist yet. Go out and look for them. Who are they? In order to find community stakeholders, think outside the box. At MAPC we want to go beyond the “Usual Suspects” and engage diverse audiences that exist in the region. When we say “diverse audiences” we are talking about all demographics, not just race or ethnicity. Demographics include age, race/ethnicity, religion, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, whether one rents or owns the home they live in, language, income, and educational attainment.

Research Research the cities/towns that are involved in the project. What are the demographics of these areas? Use the demographics of the area as a point of measure when brainstorming a list of people that may be stakeholders. This will help you figure out if you are missing anyone from the process. Research within your organization 1. Do a search of your organization’s Contact database –Are there any useful contacts? Who are they? 2. Are there any useful contacts in any listservs you may have access to? 3. Use MetroBoston DataCommon - Community Profiles are available online for the region’s cities and towns. 4. Ask an MAPC SubRegional Coordinator – Each coordinator has in depth knowledge of the area. They may be able to connect you with people that are important to the project. 1 5. Ask the Community Liaisons – They may be able to connect you with people or organizations that they have developed relationships with. 6. Ask MAPC Colleagues - Especially if they have worked in the area before. Research outside of your organization 1. Windshield Tours – Drive around the area that you will be working in and make observations. Look for things that will help you determine stakeholders or organizations to reach out to. You can also look for places to go to reach people. Is there a place where people congregate? Are there locations other than the City/Town Hall that would be a good location for future public meetings? 2. Informal Interviews – Ask people from the community questions that will help you determine stakeholders. Many small business owners may not have the time to attend large public meetings. As a result, you may not be able to get their feedback unless you go to them. Visit their place of work and have a brief conversation where you are collecting their feedback 3. Reach people that are in similar interest circles – A great resource to tap into are the members of a Board of Directors to an organization or coalition that work on the issues that will be addressed in your project. 1

Visit MAPC’s website to find out who your sub-regional coordinator is.

9

4. Local Papers/Magazines/Community Newsletters/Local Blogs– scan these resources. If you are not familiar with the area they may provide you with a perspective on the issues of the area and perhaps a who’s who. It will also give you a listing of possible related past and upcoming events. Make a Specific List You want your stakeholder list to be as specific as possible. We always say that we want to reach out to the “general public”. This term is too vague. By being specific when you are crafting your list you can form a very intentional engagement strategy. It will help you out in the long run. Example: •

Don’t say “residents”. Who are they exactly? Are the residents that you want to engage seniors? Perhaps more specifically they are the seniors that live in a housing complex that is in the town that you are working in. Are the residents you want to engage the people that live on the border of where the project is being held or right along the transportation corridor?



Don’t say “businesses”. What kind of businesses do you mean? Are you referring to small businesses? Perhaps small businesses that are only located on the corridor? Or small businesses that are owned by immigrants?



Don’t say “non-profits”. Identify the list of non-profits that you would like to engage. This is a huge category.

10

Stakeholders Shopping List Who to involve? Below is a sample list of the people, groups, and organizations that might need to be involved in a community planning initiative. You can tailor your own “shopping list” for future projects. Academic Institutions Academic Institutions Academic Institutions Academic Institutions Academic Institutions Academic Institutions Art/Culture Business Business Business Business Business Business Business Business Business Business Business Business Business Business Business Business Business Business Business Business CDCs Commissions Commissions Community Leadership Environment Faith Based Institutions Government Agencies Health Health Health

English as a Second Language Programs (ESL) Day Care Centers Colleges & Universities – Target related Departments or Offices Schools – Administration Schools – Parent Teacher Associations Research Organizations (at academic institutions) Art Associations Bakeries Bookstores Chambers of Commerce Coffee Shops Developers and Real Estate Professionals Farm/Farmers Financial Institutions Gyms/Sports Related Centers Hair Salons & Barbershops Hotels Large Corporations Libraries Local businesses owners/small businesses Transportation Companies Restaurants Grocery Stores/Local Food Market Whole Foods Stop & Shop Commercial Centers Green Jobs Community Development Corporations Conservation Commissions Historic Commissions Local councils, politicians, and administrators Wildlife Groups Churches, Temples, Synagogues, etc. Regional agencies and key staff Community Health Centers & Hospitals Health Workers Sports Groups 11

Health Interest Interest Interest Interest Group Interest Group Interest Group Interest Group Interest Groups Media Media Media Media Media Municipality Municipality Municipality Non-Profit Non-Profit Non-Profit Non-Profit Non-Profit Organizations Non-Profit Organizations Non-Profit Organizations Non-Profits Resident Resident Residents Residents Residents Youth Youth

YMCAs Senior Groups Youth Groups Professional Networks Disability Groups Immigrant Groups or Support Groups Local History Groups Migrant Worker Groups Bike & Pedestrian Groups Local Cable Access Television Media (local and regional) Local Social Media Presence ex: Bloggers Radio Stations Authors of related editorials Municipal Partners Planners and planning committees Town/City Hall Mass Audubon Red Cross Voter Engagement Groups City Year Community & Voluntary organizations Environmental non-profits, groups and societies Local Disability Organizations Museums (especially local history) Neighborhood/Resident/Civic Associations Senior Housing Friends and Neighbors Landowners Board of Directors at related organizations/hospitals/universities, etc. Girl/Boy Scouts Boys & Girls Clubs

Want more? www.communityplanning.net/useful/docs/who_to_involve.pdf

12

7. Brainstorm & Create Engagement Strategy Now that you have chosen the purpose of your engagement (to inform, to solicit feedback, etc.), your scale of engagement (limited, moderate, deep, broad) and identified your list of specific stakeholders you are ready to think through ways to reach and inform your stakeholders, figure out what messages are going to engage them and think through ways you would like to activate your stakeholders to participate. Consider three questions when deciding on how to reach out to your target list of stakeholders: • • •

Inform: How are you going to contact or reach your stakeholders? Where do your stakeholders congregate? Engage: How are you going to engage your stakeholders in an ongoing manner? How will you message the value of participating for the different stakeholder groups? Activate: What are you going to ask from your stakeholders? What do you want them to specifically do?

Inform How are you going to contact or reach your stakeholders? Write your engagement strategy based on the Level of Engagement that you chose and the stakeholders identified. Once you have identified a list of stakeholders, consider: How are you going to reach out to different stakeholders or groups? • • • • • •

• •

Directly – call/email Meet in person – schedule coffee or a meeting Go to where they are. Attend their meeting or an event. Maybe it’s a scheduled event that occurs often. (ex: Church – go to the ceremony and speak to the Pastor after the ceremony) Ask someone to introduce you If it is a group then maybe you have to speak to someone that represents that group or that is a trusted member that you have access to. They can deliver the message to the group for you. If it is someone at an institution sometimes you have to take a top-down approach and reach out to the top person at the org and they will have your request trickle down to the appropriate contact (ex: Colleges and Universities – letter to president will be sent to appropriate person at the school). Maybe it’s a bottom up where you start with the lowest easiest accessible person at an institution and they will help you make your way up to the most important person. go to a standing meeting and speak to people as an agenda item 13

• • • •

do a presentation at an event Online presence – way to reach people, have information out there, Community Meetings – attend other community meetings in the area that you are working in. Informal Interviews – during a windshield tour or at a community event informally interview local residents to get information about the area. If they give you permission you can even audio record them or videotape these interviews.

Where do your stakeholders congregate? Are there any upcoming events where you can get the word out by setting up an information table? Consider outreach at the following non-traditional events: Festivals Pros: meet general public, meet organizations and businesses that could be potential partners Cons: have to have a clear conscise message or way of connecting with people. Festivals have lots of thimgs for people to engage in and it can be challenging to get people’s attention. Farmer’s Markets Pros: There are less distractions at a Farmer’s Market versus a Festival. It is a more laid back event. Also, its not a one time opportunity. People will got to the weekly Farmer’s Market. Cons: People might just go to the tables that they are interested in already and not spend time at your table because you are not selling groceries. Open Mic Nights Pros: Engage a new audience. You are “going to them”. You are meeting the community where they are and giving them the opportunity to express their interests on local planning issues. This allows people the freedom to talk about what they are passionate about. Cons: The community may be passionate about things that we as planners do not have control over in our planning constraints. It is important to set expectations with the community and let them know you are there to listen. Engage How are you going to engage your stakeholders in an ongoing manner? How will you message the value of participating for the different stakeholder groups? Messaging What are you going to say to engage this person/group? Craft the message. 14

The message is extremely important. The wrong message may turn the person away. Put yourself in their place. If I was ___[stakeholder]___why would I care about___[goals of project]___? Activate What are you going to ask from your stakeholders? What do you want them to specifically do? And what will it cost your stakeholder to actively participate in the activity you chose? Examples:  go to a focus group  get you in contact with others  host a forum  put together a meeting  give you information  Telephone Trees  Build Community Outreach Committees Feedback Forms/Surveys: Make sure to ask people how they heard about the meeting. That way you can figure out what strategies worked best and focus on them for the next event. Examples of how to connect with certain groups: Faith-Based Organizations – the best way to get in touch with leaders of Faith Based Organizations is to attend their services. Also try a top-down approach and contact the institution to get in touch with the sub-groups. Breakfast/Brunch Meetings are popular with these groups as long as you do not schedule something on their Holidays or during services. And on the other side of the spectrum, these institutions also have some very active congregations. You may find that a person that is very active in the faith-based organization is also very active in the community and would be a good contact for you. Small Businesses Local small businesses that are popular with the community make great partners. If you can get the attention of small businesses they usually support projects that benefit the communities they are in. The challenge is that you are competing with the priorities that take up their time. Many small business owners work all day every day. Chambers of Commerce are good to connect with because small businesses may be on their listservs but if you really want to engage them, go to them to their place of work. It is the best way to get in contact with them.

15

Small businesses with a lot of foot traffic are also a great place to hang flyers. When approaching a location for flyering try to speak to a manager and really explain and promote the public meeting or event. Always leave a business card in case someone wants to follow up with you. And some small businesses, like restaurants or stores, may serve as a good venue to hold small community meetings. Food is always a bonus. Maybe you can work with a restaurant to donate some snacks for an event or give you a discount. There are some places that would love to fill the place on a Monday night when otherwise it may be empty! Community Health Centers There are many Community Health Centers throughout the Region and are overseen by The Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. Most have a strong connection with the local community and are a safe and trusted place that people go to not only for medical advice but for other social services. These centers serve as a connector for local community members to find out about other helpful programs and services. If you find the right person at one of these Centers and you convince them that your project is aligned with their mission than they may be able to help identify community leaders and organizations especially from minority or immigrant groups. YMCAs – there are many of them in our Region. Their mission falls in line with making places a better place to live and work. Community Development Corporation Centers – MAPC has a strong relationship with the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations. If you need to find one closest to your project area, look it up on their map: http://www.macdc.org/members/macdc-members Colleges/Universities/Academic Institutions This is an excellent place to make contacts and meet people that are interested in supporting community projects or at least will connect you with other useful contacts. Think of colleges and universities as small cities or towns. There is a network of civically engaged people to tap into. And students are always looking for opportunities to volunteer especially on projects that they can add to their resumes! Related Departments – contact the Head of the Department or Professors. Research Institutions – these institutions have a strong network of specific groups that use their research. You can obtain information from research institutions, ask them for related contacts in the community or ask them to help publicize your event. Student Groups – there are numerous student groups that are active on college campuses. Find that ones that relate directly with your project. Or, if you are working on a robust community engagement strategy, there are public relations and marketing students that can help spread the word on projects and events. 16

Career Services – if you have some work that students can do, connect with the career center to publicize internships or short-term work. Government or Public Affairs – most colleges and universities are interested in ways that give back to the community. They are especially interested in projects that will enhance the community that they are in as it is a draw for prospective students. These institutions often do not pay property taxes so some have committed to giving back to the community in various ways. Find out if your project fits under the institutions’ interests. Community Service Office- some universities have students that are looking to do community service throughout the year. School Newspaper – if you are not familiar with a school, check out their school newspaper; it may give you a sense of who is who at the university and what their current issues are.

17

Organizers’ Top 10 Here is some advice from organizers! Below are ten things to keep in mind when working with the local community.

1. Listen! And then listen some more. 2. Relate to people 3. Be creative 4. Empower the community 5. Expose people to different things 6. Set “winnable” outcomes for the community and actions that can be achieved in 8-12 weeks 7. Be specific 8. Set clear targets 9. Build organization 10. Keep their self—interests in mind

18

8. Evaluate Stakeholders & Strategies Now that you have started the project and are implementing the strategies that you created, take some time to evaluate your progress at various points during the project – not just at the end • • • •

Review the list of stakeholders that you identified. Is anyone missing? Have you met new stakeholders that you originally did not know about? Is your strategy to contact and engage your stakeholders working? Are people attending your meetings? Are you receiving feedback from your various stakeholders? What kind of feedback are you receiving?

If your strategy is not working check these factors: Messaging Do your messages need to be modified? Is what you are saying getting people’s attention? Ask any strong allies for their opinion on how they think you should reach out to people and what message should you use to engage them. Mode of Communication Perhaps your messages are right on target but you are not sending them through the proper channels. Feedback Loops Are people able to get in contact with you through email, phone or a project website? Do you have someone recording the public’s comments at the meeting and also gathering comments informally after the meeting? Some people are more comfortable sharing their thoughts one-on-one after a meeting or at public events rather than speaking in front of a group or writing them down on a feedback form. Location of the Meetings Are you conducting your meetings in locations that are difficult to get to via public transportation? Is it in a setting that people might not used to be going to like City Halls or muncipal offices? Try chaning the location to a schools, church, public hall, restaurnat or a space where people naturally congregate.

19

9. Follow Up with Stakeholders Post Project & Capture Relationships in Database The relationships made during a project are very important to capture in a contacts database and share with subregional coordinators. Make sure you enter notes regarding how the person was beneficial to the project and what their main interests were. That way, if someone else from MAPC does a project in the same location, your new contact may be useful to their project. It enables that person to pick up where you finished. The contact is still engaged with MAPC even if it is not directly with you. New contacts should also be added to the Regional Record list in order to receive MAPC’s email updates, event invitations and MAPC’s annual report/calendar.

20