6 ways to involve your community in your project

1. Listen to your community through surveys and focus groups

By gathering opinions, insights, and suggestions directly from the people you aim to serve, your projects are aligned with their needs.

You could:

• use an online platform, like SurveyMonkey, to create an online survey, and share the link through your newsletter or on social media

• visit local groups and ask them to fill out a paper survey

• invite a small group of community members to a focus group so you can gather deeper insights in a more conversational setting

2. Share ideas through workshops and brainstorming sessions

Invite community members to share ideas, identify priorities, and co-create solutions. These sessions encourage a sense of belonging and help generate innovative and sustainable project ideas.

Make sure you explain to the group what the end goal for the workshop is, and include exercises and activities to get people talking.

3. Shape better decisions with a community advisory board

Advisory boards should include diverse representatives from the community to serve as a bridge between your organisation and the community.

By empowering community members to be part of decision-making processes, you create trust and transparency.

Setting one up involves some planning, but it’s worth the extra effort. You’ll need to:

• make the aims and objectives of the group clear

• invite subject matter experts to join the board through social media, local newspapers, and in-person events

• include members of underrepresented groups directly

Once it’s set up, you need to schedule how often you plan to meet, how it will be organised, and who’s in charge of what. Deciding this as a board will encourage active participation.

4. Offer volunteering opportunities

Volunteers can offer a deeper connection to your project’s cause and become ambassadors for it within the community. It can give them valuable hands-on experience too and helps them build transferable skills.

Before offering volunteering opportunities, you must seek advice. The guidance Involving volunteers in your organisation can help you involve volunteers in your project safely and effectively.

5. Engage a wider audience online

Use social media and online platforms to broaden your reach and engage a wider audience. Create dedicated channels for:

• community members to share feedback, ideas, and success stories

• polls, contests, and interactive content

• advertising opportunities such as volunteering and advisory board members

6. Celebrate achievements and milestones together

Reaching fundraising goals and milestones are opportunities to show gratitude to your community.

You could celebrate together by:

• hosting a picnic or fun day

• holding a live event on social media and allow viewers to engage in the chat

• setting up a members-only Zoom party

Recognising the efforts of community members will create a sense of belonging and remind them of what your project set out to do.

Find out more about our funding

Are you passionate about making a difference in your community? Find out more about our funding opportunities and discover how you can turn your project idea into reality.