At a glance
Allies are individuals of influence within a community and/or organization that have an interest in, or are affected by, environmental public health contamination or hazards.
Overview
Every community has key allies who serve as gatekeepers and/or key influencers to the rest of the population. Strategically identifying allies increases the chances that your efforts will be well-received by more community members. Once you have identified community allies, create an ally catalogue or map to help you capture their unique attributes.
Unique attributes include:
- Affiliation
- Degree of influence
- Proximity to and relationships with other allies
- Position on the environmental health issue at hand
Remember, allies may have a diversity of views. Creating an ally catalogue or map will assist you in completing your community profile.
Keep in Mind
Leverage the power of your network! The community and existing state, territorial, local, and tribal (STLT) partners are a great resource for identifying allies. Always ask these partners you engage if there is anyone else you should talk with or bring to the table.
Where to Start
- If you are new to a community, do a web search and use your network to get a sense of what organizations and government partners are already on the ground.
- If you have local contacts, reach out to them to better understand the different players and how they interact with each other.
- Create and actively maintain a detailed ally catalog.
Tips from the Field
Key practices for success
Build relationships with interested individuals to understand their concerns. As you engage with the community, you will learn which individuals live and work in the community. You will begin to identify those:
- Trusted within their community
- Who have history in the community, particularly around the contamination issue
- Who have influence over the community, and
- Whose views will resonate with the community
Areas to exercise caution
Be aware that some agendas or positions may represent individual views, but not the views of the community at large. Some views may be alienating or insensitive to certain groups within the community.
Risks to avoid
Make sure that allies are aware that they don't speak on behalf of ATSDR, even if you are working with them.
Engaging the Appropriate Allies
What to know
Additional Resources
ATSDR Communication Tool Kit: Stakeholder/Partner Outreach Tool (ATSDR). A template for mapping community allies.
Community Health Assessment Toolkit (American Hospital Association). A resource that outlines a nine-step path for conducting a community health assessment and developing implementation strategies.
Identifying and Analyzing Stakeholders and Their Interests (Kansas University Community Toolbox). A toolkit for identifying and analyzing allies that includes checklists and informational presentations.