Increasing community engagement in the life of the organization
- Neighborhood residents and stakeholders become critical partners of community organizations once stabilization and revitalization are the overriding outcomes for the organization.
- Revitalization organizations need to develop skills to communicate with and listen to residents through many vehicles: on their board, with grassroots groups and associations, at community events and meetings, and through the informal social fabric of the community.
- These residents and partners will express legitimate hopes and desires for the neighborhood, to which community organizations must respond.
- This pressure places great importance on the ability of the organization to listen accurately, evaluate ideas and proposals carefully, and communicate clearly with community stakeholders about what it can and cannot do.
- See site content on Engaging Residents in Planning at the Neighborhood Level and Building Strategic Partnerships to Inform and Implement the Work for further thoughts on this topic.
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