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Roadmap for Public Engagement

 

For over a decade, the Davenport Institute has been helping local government leaders improve the ways they involve residents in tough policy decisions. This work has taken us throughout California and across the country, learning about and teaching the latest techniques in effective participatory governance. We have taken that experience and created this "Roadmap for Public Engagement", a comprehensive tool engineered to help you (1) evaluate your municipality's public engagement preparedness, (2) determine your next steps with the guidance of our expert trainers and consultants, (3) put your plan in action, and (4) be recognized for your success!

 Map

There are 5 stops on our Roadmap:

  1. Check-In: Where is your municipality when it comes to public engagement? Use our diagnostic tool to determine your starting point on the roadmap, identify areas of strength and weakness, and determine your next stop. 

  2. Chart Your Course: After you complete the Check-In, we invite you to a 30-minute complimentary consultation with one of our expert trainers to review your results. We will analyze your strengths and weaknesses, developing a plan that will specifically address your unique situation.

  3. Get Equipped for the Journey: Host a Davenport Institute in-person or virtual training tailored to the needs of your municipality. You will leave the training with a customized toolkit designed to include everything you need to effectively engage with your local community.

  4. Set Out: Use our customized toolkit to create a culture of engagement in your organization.

  5. Celebrate: After hosting a custom training and implementing the action plan, both your organization and community will be better equipped in the space of public engagement.

For more information, we've answered some frequently asked questions below. You can also email the Davenport Institute for more information.

 Why should my organization start the journey?

The Roadmap for Public Engagement is designed to give cities, counties, and special districts a starting place to meaningfully engage the full diversity of their residents in various policy decisions. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, local governments transitioned overnight to a digital, comprehensive engagement model out of necessity. Now, as we begin to navigate a new landscape of public engagement, it is an opportune time to evaluate methods that went into place in March 2020, as well as the ones existing prior to the pandemic. The pandemic reinforced that need for engagement not only for communication with the community, but for community health overall.

Local government leaders know that at the heart of local government is the community. But too often efforts to engage the community are either haphazard (at one extreme) or formulaic (at the other). How do you know whether you are investing your public engagement energy and resources wisely? We created this Roadmap to support your agency wherever your public engagement efforts are at. It can help you:

  1. Identify your agency's public engagement strengths and guide steps for improvement. 
  2. Become strategic about engagement - whether it be creating a public engagement plan, incorporating a training into your team building structure, or evaluating the effectiveness of your efforts.
  3. Discover best practices from local governments around the country and see how your government measures up.  

 

 What if my organization has a long way to go?

At the Davenport Institute, we are fully aware that legitimate public engagement requires more than just a desire to engage.  We hope that as agencies, cities, counties, and special districts work through this checklist, they will begin to see areas where their engagement practices can improve.

As you explore this evaluation tool, we are also committed to helping you find the best resources to improve engagement with your residents.  Here are some places you can start: 

  • Personalized strategizing and consulting: Looking for something more specific? We can help connect you to our broad rolodex of public engagement consultants, facilitators, and experts across the state. Email us to set up a call or Zoom meeting to discuss what support your organization needs to meet your public engagement goals.

  • Training: The Davenport Institute offers both full-day and half-day trainings in the basics of public engagement, including aligning purpose and process. We also offer a shorter, executive seminar for upper level management and a variety of customized trainings. Or perhaps you are ready to tackle the world of online engagement. Our Gov 2.0 training is a great place to start. For more information on all of these options, visit our training page.

  • Resources: The Davenport Institute is committed to connecting cities to the public engagement resources that will help them succeed in legitimate public engagement. Check out the News & Resources pages on our website, and explore links to outside resources.