How Can Public Institutions Foster Meaningful Community Engagement?
At a time of rising division and declining trust in government, fostering authentic community engagement is more essential—and more challenging—than ever. Civic leaders recognize that lasting policy solutions require more than technical expertise or political will: they require rebuilding relationships between institutions and the communities they serve.
Over the past decade, Civic Consulting Alliance has increasingly been called upon to help public and civic sector clients design and implement thoughtful, effective community engagement strategies. Drawing on lessons from our work across the City of Chicago, Chicago Public Schools, and the Chicago Police Department, in spring 2025 we convened a conversation with our corporate and foundation philanthropic stakeholders to reflect on what it takes to make engagement matter today. Below is an edited version of our panel discussion with Rohan Mascarenhas, Meredith Sparks Ament, and Veenu Verma. You can learn more about the three projects Rohan, Meredith, and Veenu discussed here:
1. Engagement Is About More Than Gathering Input—It’s About Building Trust
“Community engagement isn't about checking a box—it's about building trust that can sustain real change.”
All too often, community engagement can feel like a "check-the-box" exercise. Yet when done thoughtfully, it becomes a vital tool for fostering trust, shifting conversations, and building coalitions that can sustain change.
“When engagement is genuine, it can turn skeptics into supporters and expand the coalition needed to drive action.”
As Rohan Mascarenhas shared, engagement efforts like the Cut the Tape initiative, which seeks to streamline Chicago’s real estate development approval process, illustrate the power of community input not just in setting priorities, but in shaping technical policy details that matter to constituents.
“Sometimes it’s not about a dramatic new decision,” Rohan noted. “It’s about creating a real human conversation around policy, even on technical issues—asking for feedback on forms, processes, or approval timelines. When engagement is genuine, it can turn skeptics into supporters and expand the coalition needed to drive action.”
Clients often turn to Civic Consulting Alliance because they recognize that successful engagement requires strategy, structure, and sustained effort—and they seek a partner who can coach them toward a more bespoke, effective approach.
2. Effective Engagement Starts With Co-Design, Not Just Consultation
Truly impactful engagement demands more than inviting the community to react to predetermined plans. It requires bringing community members into the design process itself. As Veenu Verma explained, successful initiatives are rooted in three principles:
“Success isn’t just measured by the number of people who attend a meeting. It’s about whether trust is built over time, whether the relationship shifts from ‘us vs. them’ to genuine partnership, and whether participants can see tangible action from their contributions.”
Co-design and Co-leadership: Empower community members to shape the solutions.
The 3I’s Framework: Chicago Public Schools uses this framework to engage those most impacted, those with institutional knowledge, and those responsible for implementation.
Start With the End in Mind: Define up front how community input will influence action.
For example, the Black Student Success Plan developed with Chicago Public Schools convened a cross-sector working group of students, parents, community leaders, and district staff. Their work was supplemented by focus groups and community roundtables, ensuring that the process reflected broad perspectives and generated actionable recommendations.
“Success isn’t just measured by the number of people who attend a meeting,” Veenu emphasized. “It’s about whether trust is built over time, whether the relationship shifts from ‘us vs. them’ to genuine partnership, and whether participants can see tangible action from their contributions.”
3. Engagement Must Evolve With Communities' Needs—and Be Sustainable
Emerging challenges require public sector institutions to rethink their engagement strategies. Factors like public fear, disillusionment with previous efforts, and budget constraints are reshaping the engagement landscape.
“We’re seeing a growing impatience for action. People have been asked for input many times before—now they’re asking, when will we see change?”
Drawing from recent work with the Chicago Police Department to operationalize community policing, Meredith observed: “We’re seeing a growing impatience for action. People have been asked for input many times before—now they’re asking, when will we see change?”
Building and maintaining momentum requires more than initial consultations. It demands:
Sustained Follow-Through: Communicating not just what was heard, but how it is being acted on.
Flexible Engagement Models: Adapting approaches to meet participants’ comfort and safety needs, especially in moments of fear or heightened tension.
Internal Capacity Building: Helping public agencies embed engagement practices into their day-to-day work to make efforts sustainable beyond a single project.
Philanthropy also plays a critical role in enabling meaningful engagement by underwriting the necessary infrastructure, from stipends for participants to logistical support for community events. Partnerships with philanthropic organizations make it possible to reach deeper into communities and ensure that engagement efforts are accessible and inclusive.
Looking Ahead
Meaningful community engagement is no longer optional—it is fundamental to effective governance and social progress. At Civic Consulting Alliance, we believe the most promising path forward lies in building the capacity of public institutions to engage authentically and sustainably, leveraging lessons learned across sectors and strengthening partnerships with community organizations and philanthropy alike.
The challenges are real. But so too are the opportunities to foster trust, create shared solutions, and ultimately, build a more inclusive and resilient civic landscape.
Chicago’s strong philanthropic community plays an important role in these community engagement efforts. Civic Consulting Alliance’s philanthropic partners often help us identify clients who need our support; provide expertise and connections to community organizations; and underwrite the costs that community engagement requires – from participant stipends to snacks to office supplies. We are deeply grateful to our philanthropic partners for their support of this work and for all we do.