When No One Shows Up: Lessons in Community Engagement We Learned The Hard Way
With chairs arranged in a circle and snacks all laid out, preparation for the focus group is complete. All that’s left is for people to make their way in. But alas…nobody shows.
As consultants we’ve seen this scenario play out more times than we’d like to admit. It has happened with all kinds of clients, communities, and using different approaches. Each time it is humbling, and gets our team talking about how we can better equip our clients for successful community engagement.
The way I see things: community engagement is far more art than science. There is no universal formula or guaranteed recipe that works. Context is a vital piece of the puzzle, and there are some considerations worth discussing before you decide to greenlight that first invitation to people.
WHO’S ASKING MATTERS
Throughout my work I’ve noticed that at the end of the day, people show up for those they know and trust. Both concepts that famously cannot be rushed, forced, or bought. We have found this to be difficult at times for organizations that do anything other than direct service. Connector organizations, committees, funders, and government agencies all play vital roles in our community’s ecosystem, but often lack direct relationships with community members. Due to the people-centered nature of the work, these “middle-man” entities would benefit from community feedback just as much as any other. Which begs the question: how can we bridge this relationship gap to better inform strategy and strengthen impact?
The most fruitful solution I have seen involves partnership and collaboration with direct service providers that have an established trust with their community. Perhaps there is a grassroots org that has regular meetings, townhalls, or advisory groups that would allow you to attend for information gathering purposes. Or, it could look like participating in a large community event, sampling a group of people who are already on site to answer a few questions and offer up their insights. This approach really emphasizes the opportunity to co-design with a partner agency, using your combined expertise to create a tailored community engagement strategy that really reaches people where they are. My advice is to pay close attention to where communities convene naturally and form relationships with the direct service providers that are interacting with your target population deeply and frequently.
LOGISTICS
As someone who has planned focus groups both inside and outside of my work at The Spark Mill, I’ve learned that logistics aren’t just operational details. They ultimately showcase to your audience what you value as an organization.
It is my belief that compensation should not be optional for most focus group scenarios, particularly when it comes to current and former service recipients that are bringing their lived experiences to the table. At TSM we encourage our clients to offer stipends to community participants via Venmo, physical check, or Visa gift card as a way to compensate people for their time, give them payment options, and minimize barriers.
The location and modality of the meeting is equally important. Virtual meetings succeed under the assumption that participants have access to reliable internet, devices, and privacy to speak openly. In the same vein, in-person gatherings assume reliable transportation and accessibility.
One time I facilitated a focus group for people with physical disabilities. We decided to time the meeting to align with the schedule for the wheelchair public transportation that our target population frequently used. We made sure that the space we chose had an elevator, there were no obstacles in the walkways of the conference room, and even made spaces without chairs for wheelchair users to slide right in at each table. We had an ASL interpreter for a gentleman that was hard of hearing, and we offered the focus group questions on paper as well as read them aloud. Ensuring that these details were not overlooked was a key part of our commitment to understanding our participant’s perspectives, and reinforced the value of their insight.
It is also important to consider time of day and general scheduling limitations for your target population. Are they working 9-5 for the most part? Day shifts? Night shifts? This is all useful information to know before you get too deep into planning. I also recommend consulting with the area’s public-school calendar to be aware of breaks, early dismissals, and inclement weather closings. Caretakers will never prioritize focus group participation over those that they are obligated to care for. Having snacks, activities, toys, coloring books, and even a separate area for children to hang out in can be a great way to meet the needs of parents in order to get their full participation.
Additionally, it is imperative to send reminder notifications to participants leading up to the meeting. There is a line between helpful persistence and spam that can be tricky to nail. Every project’s timeline is a little bit different, but after the initial few nudges I generally recommend everyone to ensure they are sending a reminder the day of the event or meeting. It puts an immediate opportunity back on people’s radar and allows them to respond and participate all within a few hours, rather than planning far in advance.
As someone who is incredibly energized by successful community engagement (I am an Enneagram 7 and a Sagittarius. If you know you know.), I wanted to share these insights I’ve learned through research, trial and error, and my social work practice. I have a genuine love for speaking with community members and figuring out how to connect with them meaningfully. At TSM we take our engagement strategies seriously, while also remaining open to new and creative approaches to this type of work. As I said, this is an art, and we are continuing to hone our craft. Whether it be for the purposes of a strategic plan, or simply a tool for evaluation and reflection, we are happy to offer our guidance, support, and expertise on this subject to organizations of all sizes.