Community Engagement Toolkit
What Is Community Engagement?
Community engagement involves building relationships with community stakeholders—people, groups, or organizations who share things in common, such as where they live, a shared identity, or shared interests. Engagement occurs when these stakeholders are actively involved in decisions that impact their communities or affect their well-being.
Effective community engagement facilitates shared power and allows department leaders to gain insight into stakeholders' needs and priorities. As Milwaukee County works toward fulfilling its vision of becoming the healthiest county in Wisconsin by addressing health disparities, community engagement plays a key role in increasing civic trust and bridging the gap between Milwaukee County leaders and residents.
Community Engagement Training Workshop - Thursday, November 6
The Milwaukee County Office of Equity (OOE) is hosting a one-day community engagement training workshop on Thursday, November 6, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The workshop will take place at their offices located at 2578 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Milwaukee.
• Key learning objectives for workshop attendees include:
• Understanding the definition, purpose, and impact of authentic community engagement.
• Exploring the Community Engagement Continuum and Path of Empowerment frameworks.
• Learning best practices for building and maintaining trust with diverse communities.
• Strengthening inclusion through culturally responsive and accessible engagement methods.
• Applying Results-Based Accountability (RBA) to evaluate engagement success.
Capacity is limited. Registration closes October 22, 2025.
The Community Engagement Toolkit
The Toolkit is a resource for Milwaukee County employees and local organizations to connect and collaborate effectively with community members. The toolkit has helpful tools and ideas for actively involving people in the community. This will help get important answers, make a bigger difference, and build stronger trust among everyone in the community.
The Community Engagement Impact Planner (coming soon) is designed to be a valuable tool used with the Community Engagement Toolkit. By outlining specific questions, this planner will guide you through brainstorming and improving strategies that effectively connect with and impact the community you aim to engage. Download the Community Engagement Toolkit and Community Engagement Impact Planner. For technical assistance, email [email protected].
Technical Assistance and Capacity Building Support
OOE assists all Milwaukee County departments, service areas, and local organizations with the development and execution of their community engagement plans. In addition to tools such as our Community Engagement Toolkit and Community Engagement Impact Planner, you can complete an online form to contact us for technical assistance and capacity-building support. A team member will follow up with you to address your needs.
Levels of Support
We offer different levels of support based on what you need:
Self-Service Tools
Use one of our toolkits & templates to help you plan projects.
One-Time Universal Support
Get short-term help, like running a meeting or sharing specific resources.
Workshops for Growth
Request training on topics like equity, team building & engaging communities.
Collaborative Partnerships
Partner with us for guidance on your equity projects.
Collective Impact
Let us help lead projects that involve multiple partners or teams.
Top 5 Takeaways to Maximize Community Engagement
- Effective community engagement enables shared power and enables department leaders to gain insight into stakeholders' (people, groups, organizations) needs and priorities.
- It reflects community concerns, needs, and priorities.
- Community stakeholders have a say in decision-making that impacts them.
- Planning community engagement using a results-based approach helps make sure that efforts work towards clear goals.
- This way helps everyone take responsibility, promotes teamwork between different groups, and supports making choices based on real information.
- In the end, it leads to better community projects, better health outcomes, and more trust between you and residents.
- Sharing findings maintains trust.
- When people are open and honest, it encourages others to get involved in their community and local decision-making.
- It helps build trust and shows people that their opinions matter.
- It creates a friendly atmosphere where people can work together and feel comfortable sharing their thoughts.
- Building and establishing trust throughout your engagement program leads to meaningful and productive interactions.
- Trust is very important for good communication and teamwork.
- Trust is built when people are open, honest, and keep their promises. This helps everyone in the community get along better.
- Trust can also help prevent arguments and confusion, making it easier to implement new ideas and plans.
- Evaluation is the last and most crucial part of any community engagement plan.
- It's important to check how well programs, projects, and rules work based on what you do.
- Evaluations help make things better all the time.
- When you share evaluation results honestly, it helps build trust with the community.
Contact Us
Technical Assistance Request
For all county departments and community organizations looking for technical assistance or capacity building support from the Office of Equity, use our technical assistance request form.
Language Access Translation Request
For all county departments and community organizations looking for translation services support from Office of Equity, use our language access translation request form.
Collaborative Sponsorship/ Partnership Request
For all county departments and community organizations looking to have the Office of Equity sponsor or partner for their event, use our sponsorship/ partnership request form.