Community Engagement and Partnerships
This domain tests how candidates build reciprocal, ethical relationships with community members and partner organizations. Expect questions on stakeholder mapping, co-design, power sharing, communication agreements, memoranda of understanding, governance, sustainability, and partnership evaluation.
Core rules
- Map stakeholders by interest, influence, affectedness, and vulnerability; include groups often excluded from planning.
- Reciprocity means benefits and decision-making are shared. Avoid treating community members as data sources or audiences for a finished plan.
- Clarify purpose, roles, decision rights, timelines, resources, and communication channels in writing.
- Use co-design: partners shape goals, questions, activities, and success criteria, not just logos or attendance.
- Plan for continuity: staff transitions, funding gaps, and exit or handover strategies.
- Evaluate partnership processes and outcomes, including trust, participation, and whether commitments were met.
Worked example
A library, neighborhood association, and school plan a civic-literacy series. Early meetings identify different priorities: the library needs attendance data, the association wants resident voice, and the school wants curriculum links. The group writes a short memorandum of understanding naming shared goals, each partner’s contributions, who approves changes, how data will be used, and how the series will continue if one partner withdraws. Residents co-facilitate one session and help score success criteria.
Traps
Tokenism, extraction, and one-way communication damage trust. Unclear roles cause duplicated work or blame. Confusing outputs (sessions held) with outcomes (changed participation) weakens evaluation. Avoid launching without an exit or sustainability plan.