Community Engagement

Our Core Beliefs

Our work in communities is anchored by these core beliefs:

1.) Nonprofit organizations can do great work, but the local public, business, and civic sectors need to be on board for real change to happen.

2.) It’s hard to drive community change without supporting community-based organizations and neighborhood groups through real investments.

3.) Great communities have diversity of race, gender, generational, and socioeconomic interests.

4.) To get community-building efforts right across the United States, we need to invest in under-resourced geographic areas outside of major cities, too. 

5.) Local context is paramount. However, outside expertise can be useful. :-)

Our Approach

We provide:

o   Tailored consulting to stakeholders with deep roots in and proven commitments to neighborhoods and local communities.

o   Build on existing relationships with local residents and community partners.

o   Advance organizational strengths while working with staff to identify areas of growth to achieve maximum impact.

o   Connect local efforts to national conversations and networks as a way to align local work with a larger community of practice.

o   Technical assistance to strengthen community-based networks that promote a collective agenda across residents, businesses, civic groups, and nonprofits.

o   Catalyze efforts to identify and advance shared interests while underscoring the importance of racial, gender, and economic equity to drive stronger community outcomes for all.

o   Engage youth, young adults, and next generation leaders to connect their voices and perspectives to community conversations about what works.

o   Leverage arts, culture, youth sports, and other tenets of creative placemaking to support environments where people from diverse backgrounds build bonds.

o   Support a network of strong anchor institutions.

o   Planning to help communities think about long-term sustainability.

o   Share best practices for securing local, regional, and national financial support.

o   Help communities build local knowledge around how to increase capital flow to community efforts.

o   Support skill-building to implement local fundraising efforts with individual donors and businesses in communities.