At a glance
A community engagement plan is a roadmap for how ATSDR will work collaboratively with and through community members, state, territorial, local, and tribal (STLT) partners, and allies over the course of planned public health work.
Overview
A community engagement plan dovetails with and supports the overall site work. See page 2 of the ATSDR Community Engagement Planning Tool listed in the resource section below. Your community engagement plan should identify engagement goals and objectives for each phase. The plan should also contain enough details to describe a:
- Clear course of action
- Timeline for how and when to engage the community
- List of descriptions of the types of community members you would like to engage
- List of the communication materials you will need
Developing a community engagement plan can help you align your goals with the community’s goals. In addition, it can increase accountability among all allies in community engagement activities.
Keep in Mind
The earlier you start thinking about how you will evaluate your community engagement work, the better. Be sure to include evaluation components in your community engagement plan. (See activity: Evaluation of Community Engagement Activities)
Where to Start
- Leverage the information gathered in the community profile to define the
scope of your community engagement efforts. (See activity: Developing a Community Profile) - Create a flexible timeline for the development of engagement activities you choose to implement.
- Establish specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely objectives to measure progress and success. (See the Be SMART about your Objectives section below)
- Seek input and feedback on the plan from colleagues, leadership, and your community or tribal partners.
- Identify key audiences and communication objectives for each phase.
- Identify available resources to support the implementation of your plan (e.g., time, funding, and effort required by your team).
Tips from the Field
Key practices for success
Be transparent, inclusive, and collaborative in your planning process. Invite community partners to collaborate on the plan's development. Welcome and incorporate their input and recommendations as relevant and appropriate.
Areas to exercise caution
Stay flexible. You will likely need to evolve and adapt your community engagement plan to the local needs and conditions. Be prepared to continually gather feedback from the community and STLT partners and revise your plan as necessary.
Risks to avoid
Do not overpromise and underdeliver! Develop an approach at the beginning for how you will communicate your intentions and set expectations with your community.
Be SMART about your Objectives
Strong community engagement objectives allow you to effectively monitor progress towards goals. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable or Achievable, Relevant, and Time bound. SMART objectives are statements of the important results you are working towards. Clearly defined objectives will keep you and your team on track. Clear objectives also allow you to set targets for accountability.
SMART Objectives
Specific
What do you hope to accomplish?
Why do you want to accomplish it?
What are the requirements?
What are the challenges?
Measurable
How will you measure progress?
How will you know that you have achieved your objective?
Attainable or Achievable
What are the logical steps, activities, and strategies required?
Whom do you need to seek buy in from, and/or consensus with, in order to successfully implement activities?
Relevant
Why is this a worthwhile objective?
What will happen if you do not accomplish this objective?
Is this objective in line with your long-term goals?
Time bound
How long will it take to accomplish this objective?
When does this objective need to be completed?
Additional Resources
ATSDR Community Engagement Planning Tool (ATSDR): A fillable planning tool. This tool will help you identify CE goals, partners and allies, and determine key actions for information gathering and sharing. It will also help you determine your needed CE activities, materials, and timeline, over the phases of community engagement.
Community Engagement Guide (Boston Metropolitan Area Planning Council). A guide that provides a framework for creating a public participation strategy.
Writing SMART Objectives (CDC). A brief about writing SMART objectives. This includes an overview of objectives, how to write SMART objectives, a checklist, and examples of SMART objectives.