Create new community relationships
Written by KATIE TEST DAVIS
People often come to us with a tricky question: how can I make sure my community knows about my [insert anything here]?
→ The potential client could be a nonprofit executive director wanting to make sure new parents know about their upcoming reading program.
→ Or a school district superintendent launching a new strategic plan who wants to make sure community members are bought in.
→ It could also be a foundation program director hoping to spread the word to potential grantees about their new investment strategy.
(Psst…these are all real examples from our actual work, friends. We like to stay busy around here.) What these initiatives have in common is that they all could benefit from strategic relationship building.
What are community connections?
What do I mean by that? Well, in each of these scenarios, we have an audience we’d love to reach: new parents, community members, potential grantees. These audiences represent the person or people who can take the action you want them to take. To succeed in communications, that audience must be at the center of everything you do!
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But getting in front of your target audience isn’t always that easy. That’s why as part of your campaign or announcement, you need to reach not just your audience, but the people who influence your target audience.
That’s where making community connections comes into play.
what are some community connections we should make?
As you know, we work exclusively on issues impacting children and families. That means we want to help our clients build relationships with certain groups, because these community connections often engage with the work our clients are doing for kids.
For example, consider growing your relationship with the following community connections:
Healthcare providers: Primary care physicians, pediatricians, nurse practitioners, mental health consultants – we see healthcare providers pop up in our work a lot. That’s because they typically interact regularly with families, especially in the first few years of a child’s life. They can make great messengers for a variety of reasons. Typically, they understand the landscape our clients are working in. (ACES, for example, means something to them.) They also have a stake in setting kids and families up for long-term health and success.
Realtors: This community connection has a lot of influence and often has access to families while they are making big life choices or changes. For our school district clients, realtors can introduce families to everything the public school district in their county has to offer, such as afterschool programs and sports. Just make sure you’re aiding, not conflicting, with their ethics guidelines.
Faith leaders: Another place that families often gather is in faith-based communities. Faith leaders are hugely influential. Partnering with communities of faith can help you ensure families know about new programs, are celebrating achievements and know about the network of support available to their congregations.
Business leaders: You don’t need me to tell you that business leaders can make great partners for advocates in our space. From creating family friendly policies to advocating for stable child care ecosystems and building a prepared workforce, business leaders can be powerful partners. They often have the ears of community policymakers as well.
so where do i reach these community connections?
Once you identify which community connections can be most useful in your work, it’s time to get in front of them. This can take many forms. We like to begin with strategic work to figure out the best way to access the leaders in your specific community. Here are a few thoughts to get you started:
Conferences: All four groups we outlined above enjoy gathering at conferences – either online or in person. Conference sessions often have tracks specifically for community outreach or engagement. That’s where you come in. A session about how faith leaders can partner with nonprofits, for example, is a great session to submit at a local faith leader convening.
Events or volunteer opportunities: Realtors, for example, are notoriously generous with their time and resources. Not sure where to begin? Start by engaging your local realtors association or a specific realty company in a volunteer activity. Then, educate them about what you do and how they can help while you have their attention! This can be a great way to build lasting connections. Same goes with teams of healthcare providers or businesses.
Resource packets: Sharing your printed collateral can have a huge impact on your community. Ask for an appointment (this can be with a leader, human resources team member or even a fellow communicator) and then bring plenty of materials for your new community connection to share with their people. For example, here’s a Smart Start one pager that shows business leaders why they should care about child care!
Now, keep in mind, that’s just a high-level overview. We recommend a deep research phase to make sure you’re aligning with your audiences’ values and overcoming their barriers.
And all of this takes time!
But…it pays off. Spending time building relationships outside of your existing network can lead to growth, success for your clients, and a better future for children and families.
