The document discusses how communities change over time through population shifts, urban decline, generational changes, and increasing diversity. It outlines potential areas of concern for organizations, such as lack of stakeholders, donors, volunteers, and disconnection from the community. The document provides guidance for nonprofit boards to engage communities through the transformation, including defining roles, articulating vision/mission, building relationships, ensuring representation, and setting an open tone. It emphasizes ongoing community engagement and viewing change as an opportunity.

1. Population diversity changes
Urban decline
Population loss/gain
Effective Community Engagement
Through Community Transformation
Gentrification
Generational changes

2. Is our community changing?
What is happening? How fast will the effects be
felt?
 Identify community change
 Identify areas of concern
stemming from the change
 Identify stakeholders in the
new and the old
communities
Organizational planning

3. Is the community and our
organization still a good fit?
Is my organization still Is the community still
relevant to the relevant to the
community? organization?
Do/will we have clients Will the organization be
in need of our services? able to operate within
Do/will we have donors the community’s
that will support us? written laws?
Do/will we have enough Will the organization be
volunteers to keep our able to operate within
programs running? the community’s
culture?
Be honest about community/organizational/individuals roles

4. What differences will the
transformation bring to our
organizations methods?
 Does what we do now  How do we find more
work? successful methods?
 How do we replicate those  Are there new peer experts
successes? or potential collaborations
 What percent of the we can turn too?
current population is  Finding similar
involved in the communities for
organization? comparison
 Is that a change?  Flexibility throughout
 What percent do we need organizational events
involved?
What actions does the board need to take?

5. How do we balance
the new with the old?
How do we engage the How do we keep our
new community? current stakeholders?
Shut-ins? Not dismissing their
Distributing the word? contribution
Creating community Explaining the need for
feel change
Set the Tone

6. Keeping a community - not an
individual - engaged
During the transformation After the transformation
Believe in your mission Believe in your mission
and vision and vision
Create a team Mold the community
Find residents into organizational
commonalities stakeholders
Recruit from new and
old residential groups
Recognize and acknowledge community connections and
contributions

7. Community Engagement:
An ongoing relationship between an
organization and individuals in a community.
Individuals and organization are active
change agents and mutually supportive
toward a common goal.

8. Gentrification:
Potential Areas of Concern
The process of renewal and rebuilding
Serviced personnel thelonger in local area class or
accompanying no influx of middle
affluent people into deteriorating areas that
Lack of residents “connection” to the organization
often displaces earlier usually poorer
residents*
* en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gentrification

9. Urban decline:
Potential Areas of Concern
Area falls into disrepair, involving
deindustrialization, depopulation or changing
Loss of donors
population, economic restructuring, abandoned
Increased need for services unemployment,
buildings, high local
Increased crime rate decreases visitation to rates.
disenfranchisement, and higher crime physical
locations

10. Population loss/gain:
Potential Areas of Concern
Significant changes in an areas
Lack of stakeholders
population numbers.
Community feels ‘someone else’ is taking care of the
organization
Getting lost in the crowd
Community feels smaller community will no longer have
the same issues

11. Generational changes:
Potential Areas of Concern
Significant changes in the average
Disconnection toan area’s residents. For
age of the organization’s goals
Residents not understanding how the mission will affect
them
example an aging population.

12. Population diversity
changes:
Potential Areas of Concern
Significant changes in the make up of
Language barriers
residents. For example increased
Cultural barriers
immigrant population or decreased
traditional families.

13. Organizational Planning
 Have a systematic planning process
 Identify common ground/identity between old
and new
 Identify future changes
 Anticipate issues
 Adjust future plans
 Be accountable
 Assess group/individual board affects in regards to
outreach efforts
 Identify common ground/identity

14. Roles through transformation
 Define traditional and new roles and
interaction honestly
 Community
 Organization
 Clients
 Donors
 Volunteers
 Board members

15. Board Action Checklist
 Know your audience  Build relationships
 Get out into the community  Listen to each other and the
 Be an ambassador community
 Community sleuthing  Ensure the board is representative
 Articulate organizational mission of the community
and vision  Recommend board recruits
 Frame discussions about the from new and old residents
organization to the audience  Identify areas for new services
 Be honest about both  Identify areas for new
successes and challenges collaborations
 How the organization will affect
new community

16. Set the Tone
 Be responsive to the community
 View change as an opportunity
 Welcome newcomers
 Peer learning – find the new experts
 Share concerns and knowledge

17. Community connections
 Be present at community events
 Public relations/advertising
 Audiences preferred communication methods
 Collaboration opportunities
 Be honest on the organizations affect on the
community

18. Additional Resources
• Chait, R., Ryan, W., & Taylor, B. (2005). Governance as
leadership: Reframing the work of nonprofit boards.
Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
• Axelrod, N. (2007). Culture of inquiry: Healthy debate in
the boardroom. Washington, DC: BoardSource.
• Gottlieb, H. (2006). FriendRaising: Community
engagement strategies for boards who hate
fundraising but love making friends. Tucson, AZ:
Renaissance Press.
• Duquesne University SL-MSCL-513-55 201030 board
resources
• Debra Beck’s identified web board resources