The Community Building Institute is currently putting on a great webinar series through Montana Campus Compact. The lecture yesterday discussed identifying and engaging specific stakeholders for community issues, with an emphasis on increasing attendance at public events and meetings. A couple important tips: Identify specific groups--don't try to target the entire community, because you need specific stakeholder groups who have a reason to contribute to actually get people there! Invite people one-on-one or with a phone call--emails or flyers can be used to raise awareness, but are not affective in increasing participation.
I found this very relevant considering the public forums that are approaching for the revision of the Greater Helena Area Transportation Plan (See previous Transportation Updates blog post). Considering how different populations may be affected by the Transportation Plan update, and how to increase their attendance at the public meetings to gain their input, will be an important task for everyone working in transportation as these forums approach.
The session materials can be found here if you're interested in learning more.
