Developing the Purpose of Engagement
In the first blog post, six aspects of public engagement were introduced. Drawing on examples from the William D. Ruckelshaus Center (a collaborative policy and research center that facilitates the resolution of complex public policy challenges in Washington State and beyond) and the author’s two decades of research, training, and practice in public engagement and collaboration, the first aspect included “The Mindset of Collaborative Engagement.” Today, we will discuss the second aspect of public engagement, “Developing the Purpose of Engagement.”
Before jumping into public engagement, it’s essential to define a clear purpose. What do you hope to achieve? Is the goal to consult the public, involve them in decision-making, or empower them to create solutions? Developing and communicating a purpose that aligns with both government goals and community needs is a crucial step toward successful engagement.
At the William D. Ruckelshaus Center, developing the purpose of engagement is a key starting point for every project. The Center creates participatory processes where the public and stakeholders can co-create the engagement’s purpose. This ensures alignment between the project’s goals and the community’s needs, building trust and fostering more sustainable outcomes.
To define the purpose of engagement, public leaders should ask key questions: What is the desired outcome? What level of involvement do stakeholders want? How can their input directly shape decisions? A clear, shared purpose not only guides the process but also sets expectations for all involved.
Building on our Project for Civic Health example in the last blog post, when we brought folks together for the Summit for Civic Health, we asked them to co-create solutions that would improve civic health. Many ideas emerged including the need for collaborative leadership training for elected officials so they could collaborate effectively with the public and other elected officials.
From this the meeting, Washington Collaborative Elected Leadership Institute (WA-CELI), was born as a partnership between the Ruckelshaus Center and the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance. The purpose of this initiative is to train local elected officials in collaborative problem-solving, ensuring they have the skills needed to lead in ways that reflect their community’s needs.
For our pilot in 2024, we partnered with the Association of Washington Cities to develop a program for city elected officials. While we had a clear charge from the Summit for Civic Health, we refined our program purpose and design with AWC staff and program design focus groups made of local elected leaders to ensure we were developing programs that would be responsive to their needs. We collectively defined purpose to: Create a network of elected leaders who are concerned about civic health and polarization to learn and implement collaborative leadership principles, strategies, and tools to tackle real world challenges in cities and towns.
Guided by this purpose, we developed a four-month, immersive training program to provide small teams of city elected officials with the collaborative leadership skills to tackle real-world challenges facing their cities and towns. Under the guidance of expert facilitators from the Ruckelshaus Center and the Evans School, teams learned and practiced a broad range of strategies to embrace differing viewpoints and build consensus to maximize success. In addition to receiving valuable training, participants had the opportunity to learn about challenges facing communities in other parts of the state and build meaningful connections with peers invested in improving the civic health of Washington state.
Developing the purpose of engagement is a foundational step that sets the tone for collaborative public engagement. It aligns government objectives with community needs, establishes trust, and ensures that participation is meaningful and impactful. By clearly defining why engagement is necessary, leaders create a shared understanding that guides the process and builds confidence among all participants.
As others approach their own engagement efforts, consider the critical role that a well-defined purpose plays in building trust. Ask yourself: How can your organization center community voices in shaping the engagement’s goals? What shared outcomes can unite stakeholders? By anchoring the process in a collaboratively developed purpose, organizations can pave the way for trust, transparency, and impactful decision-making.