{"id":214842,"date":"2022-06-07T06:00:43","date_gmt":"2022-06-07T10:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicinput.com\/wp\/?p=214842"},"modified":"2025-12-11T08:01:31","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T00:01:31","slug":"6-ways-to-increase-equity-community-engagement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicinput.com\/wp\/2022\/06\/07\/6-ways-to-increase-equity-community-engagement\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Ways to Increase Equity & Racial Justice in Community Engagement"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Equitable Community Engagement is a Critical Component of Newly Funded Federal Priorities<\/h2>

Since 2020 with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement there has been a growing call for change in our communities\u2014and we are beginning to see these calls for change translate into public policy. From the White House\u2019s\u00a0Justice 40 Initiative,<\/a>\u00a0directing 40% of federal investments to impact disadvantaged communities, to the recently released\u00a0Disadvantaged Community Dataset<\/a>, state and local organizations are beginning to get clarity on how these policies will shape project prioritization and funding decisions.\u00a0\u00a0

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Under the Biden administration federal agencies have committed to operationalizing the priority of advancing equity and racial justice.\u00a0 More specifically,\u00a0increasing the incidence of community input from disadvantaged communities<\/b>\u00a0is of particular importance to local engagement practitioners.\u00a0<\/p>

Community Engagement Tactics For Increasing Equitable Community Engagement<\/h2>

It is our hope that these practical suggestions can be used along with a\u00a0unified engagement<\/a>\u00a0strategy to help your community capitalize on engagement opportunities and increase effectiveness in reaching those who are most impacted.\u00a0<\/p>

Community Engagement Tactics for Equity:<\/h2>

Inclusive Outreach<\/h3>

A willingness to listen is not the only ingredient needed for inclusivity.\u00a0 Understanding your audience and the environment are critical to\u00a0lowering barriers to public participation<\/a>\u00a0and providing opportunities for education and engagement.\u00a0\u00a0There are a wide range of publicly available sources of community data ranging from basic (ex.\u00a0US Census demographics<\/a>) to specific (ex.\u00a0USDA data on food deserts<\/a>).\u00a0 Community data is designed to help community engagement practitioners and other professionals who are looking for good ways to identify and reach stakeholders in specific project areas.<\/p>

Social Characterization<\/h3>

Before \u201cengaging\u201d can begin, every good community engagement strategy should start with a proactive effort that seeks to collect, organize, and analyze the issues and behaviors of the targeted community or project area.\u00a0 This \u201csocial characterization\u201d will help you develop an accurate picture of the area in the community most impacted by the anticipated decision-making.<\/p>

Segmentation<\/h3>

Once identification and outreach has been done, establishing a rapport and closing the feedback loop is critical. Maintaining a\u00a0stakeholder dashboard<\/a>\u00a0that stores historical data over time and across projects is critical to future proofing community relationships.<\/p>

Community Engagement Tactics for Accessibility:<\/h2>

Asking for Input<\/h3>

Make opportunities accessible by tailoring your civic engagement approach based on the predominant characteristics of the community.\u00a0 Tailoring incorporates accommodations into the engagement process to make it easier for more people to provide input.\u00a0 Examples of these types of\u00a0 accommodations may include:\u00a0

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