Co-designing organizational goals with stakeholders to increase equitable outcomes

May 15, 2023 | Stakeholder Engagement

We recently started work with a non-profit on strategic planning with a hyper focus on ensuring that we were co-designing an equitable plan that authentically engaged stakeholders and lifted up community voice in developing organization goals. Through our work across non-profits, we have learned that engaging stakeholders in planning on the front-end is crucial to growing an organization that is accessible and responsive to the needs of all members of the community while also promoting positive, wider reaching change.  

Key strategies to effectively engage this valuable resource group when designing equity initiatives include: 

1.  Collaboration: Involve stakeholders in the decision making process to make them feel valued and included. Engagement through surveys, focus groups, and/or feedback sessions allows users to share their perspectives, experiences, and suggestions. This collaborative approach provides valuable insights, but also fosters a sense of ownership, letting stakeholders feel heard and valued.

2.  Opportunities to act: Provide stakeholders with opportunities to co-design shifts or changes in programming that more responsively serve end users. This may include creating an organizational goal or workstream that specifically focuses on a stakeholder focused concern or initiative aligned with an organization interest.

3.  Partnerships in Advocacy: Work with other advocacy groups, organizations can leverage the expertise and networks of these groups to engage a wider range of stakeholders.

4.  Education: Share informative content through various channels, such as social media campaigns, blogs, or workshops, organizations to help stakeholders understand the reason for the change in a particular program direction, funding or desired audience. 

5.  Transparency: Share progress, goals, and challenges openly with stakeholders demonstrating a commitment to transparency and builds trust. Regular updates about equity initiatives and inviting feedback ensures users feel like active participants in the journey towards equity and inclusion.