How to create projects with communities

"How do I make sure my project is right for the people I want to take part in it?"

"I've heard people talking about co-design or co-creation with communities. What does that look like?"

"This funder wants to know how the community have been involved in my project- how do I show that?"

The headlines

If you apply for Lottery funding they will ask you “How does your project involve your community?”, and many funders have a version of that question.

There’s a reason why they’re asking it. Funding comes from charitable money, tax payers or lottery players- it’s from communities across the country, and so funders want to support projects which reach communities who can benefit from your work. 

Projects which are created with communities are just better. They’re more accessible to the communities they are for, they engage people more easily and effectively and are more impactful. They make more change for the better and they respond to real needs and interests, beyond good intentions. Funders know if they support a project that is created directly by, with and for a community that it’s going to be a better project and they want more bang for their buck. So it makes good sense for your projects and your fundraising to embrace this way of working.

There are some key changes you can make to the project planning and design process so that you’re creating with communities, not doing things for or to people. The first way of working gives people agency and respects them as equal participants in the activity. The second way of working at best makes people passive and sometimes unwilling participants, and in its worst form is patronising and sometimes damaging to vulnerable groups. 

So here are 11 ways to “create with” rather than “do to” that should spark some ideas. Go beyond a survey! While surveys aren't a terrible thing- and can gather a larger number of responses in a low effort way- they are nowhere nowhere near as effective as the stuff below. They’re very passive and a pretty one-way interaction. Use surveys as a starting point or a catch-all, to top up the number of community members you are talking to.

11 ways to create projects with communities

1. Review your project team

Think about who is creating and leading your project in the first place. Are the community you want to take part, included in that team? You could address this through your recruitment processes or have specific roles such as community producers, workshop leaders, or advocates.

2. Start from the top

Think about the governance of your organisation as a whole i.e. who is making the big decisions? Having an organisation that is led by the people your work is for- at board level and in terms of organisation leadership, is the clearest way to make sure your community is at the heart of how your work develops. If you’re developing your board and recruiting new trustees or directors there are some tips here. 

3. Take advice

An advisory group of community members can give feedback at all stages of project development, and can be useful to bounce ideas off as well as advising on the big stuff. I know organisations that have done this effectively in a more formal capacity, where an advisory board member attends board meetings and planning meetings. But there are also organisations who do this brilliantly in a more informal way, with a Whatsapp group for example. 

4. Keep an open mind

To make sure community involvement in project design is genuine, you can’t have everything locked down before you involve people. There may be set things about the project- the location, theme, purpose or total budget, but what possibilities can be left open? It might be the format of the activities, content of workshops or final event of a project could be designed by the community taking part. 

5. Shift the timeline

Often a project is created and developed (perhaps with some consultation along the way) and then active work with communities is added on at the end. What does it do if you start with communities? Begin your project with conversations with the people it’s for and change the timeline accordingly. 

6. Put the kettle on

How can working with your community be an ongoing activity in relationship building? A survey or consultation tends to be brief as well as passive. Include regular opportunities for real in person conversations. This could be drop in sessions, feedback or social time at the end of every activity.

7. Trial runs

Test, trial, pilot- whatever you call it, doing a small scale version of a project gets you immediate feedback from your community- even if it’s just voting with their feet (or not). Do this early on in the process and then shape the main project in response.

8. Social media groups

If you don’t have direct contact with your community yet, where do they hang out online? You could ask questions and get feedback in Facebook groups or online forums. Or are there community events you could attend in real life?

9. Do your research

Organisations who already have a track record with your community will have a wealth of knowledge. Can you partner to deliver the project or do a knowledge exchange? Are there research studies or project evaluations online which will give you a wider picture of community needs and what works?

10.  Make it creative

When I have planned projects with young people, creative and workshop style activities have worked well: drawing or designing the project with big paper and marker pens, everyone putting their ideas down on sticky-notes, creating an “advert” for their ideal project, dot voting to make decisions or “10 minutes to come up with….” type activities get everyone’s brains going. You can 100% adapt these to other communities too and I’ve run similar creative planning sessions with adults from all kinds of organisations. 

11.  Share decision making

This is the big one so I’ve left it until last. For this stuff to work you need to share power and decision making. I often think community engagement ends up working a bit like Subway (yes the sandwich shop). There’s often talk of a community being involved in decision making. But I think usually the choices are a bit like Subway choices. Theoretically you make all the decisions and it’s your sandwich, your way. But actually before you’ve even set foot in the door they have chosen the bread options, chosen the ingredients, chosen the order you make those choices in. They’ve also decided the location, the opening times, the price and how it’s marketed. It’s the illusion of choice but it’s token gesture. Start with whether your community wants a sandwich in the first place and then see if anyone’s got a great bread recipe and bake it together. 

What next?

What’s your version of these ideas? Some of them you may already do, but if there are some that spark ideas, chuck some time in your diary now to put it into action or add community engagement into a planning session or project meeting.

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If you want to develop how you work as an organisation, my programme- Sticky-note Strategy- will give you the tools and activities you need to do that in a visual, creative and action-focused way.