Community Engagement Events

Why Small Developers Build Big Trust When people think about development, the image that comes to mind is usually big: big projects, big firms, big capital. But in many neighborhoods, especially legacy Black communities, bigger is not better. Because when trust has been broken by displacement, disinvestment, and decades of promises that never materialized, it’s often small developers who can begin to rebuild it. The Trust Gap Development is not just about financing and construction. It’s about relationships. In too many communities, “development” has meant: • Homes bulldozed in the name of urban renewal • Promises of jobs or amenities that never showed up • Rising property taxes that forced out long-time residents That history lingers. And when a new project comes in with glossy renderings but no real connection to the neighborhood, people feel the distance. Trust isn’t built with a slide deck. It’s built on the ground. Why Small Developers Matter Small-scale and emerging developers are uniquely positioned to bridge this gap. Here’s why: • Proximity. Small developers are more likely to live in or near the communities they build in. They share the same schools, grocery stores, and sidewalks. That proximity breeds accountability. • Flexibility. Without the pressure of 300-unit deals, small developers can pursue projects that fit the block, a duplex here, a corner store renovation there. These incremental moves feel less like disruption and more like repair. • Relationships. Trust is built face-to-face. Smaller developers often know the residents, listen to the stories, and design projects in conversation with the community instead of in isolation. In short: big developers might bring capital. But small developers bring credibility. What This Could Unlock If cities and institutions empowered small developers at scale, we could see: • More housing delivered in places that big developers overlook • Incremental, context-sensitive projects that blend into neighborhoods rather than erase them • Development led by people of color, women, and first-generation builders who reflect the communities they serve This isn’t about pitting big against small. Both are needed. But when it comes to repairing trust in legacy communities, the work starts small. The Call to Action If we want equitable development, we can’t just chase big numbers and big deals. We have to invest in the people doing the small, steady, relationship-driven work of building trust. Because in communities where trust has been broken, sometimes the most radical thing we can do is build small. What’s one way your city or institution could better support small-scale developers?

How do you retain people? "Make few promises. Keep them all." That's the simplest rule I always recommend. How do you keep your promises when they're a WIP? You send comms to keep people updated. But... How do you know if they're landing? Enterprise orgs should track these metrics: 1) Did they even get it? Measure: Delivery rate or % of employees who got this message. If people never see the message, nothing else matters. You'd be surprised how many internal IT protocols actually end up blocking your internal comms. Happens more than you think. 2) Did they see it? Measure: views or video plays. It helps show you initial engagement which is a good start. It doesn't quite tell you comprehension yet but that comes later. P.S. I've seen open rates below 10% before at Fortune 100 companies who initially thought their comms were landing well until they started benchmarking open rate by cohort & department 3) Did they understand it? Measure: Quick poll: “Was this clear?” (Yes/No. Short quizzes help too btw) People may see the message but not understand what to do with the info. That's why I'm a big fan of the BLUF technique the Navy Seals used for comms. It stands for "Bottom Line Up Front" where the most important information is presented at the beginning of your message. 4) Did they act on it? Measure: Did employee complete the action in question. Ex: what's your completion rate on the actions you sent? THIS is your ultimate indicator that comms are working. 5) Did they feel heard? Measure: Weekly or monthly pulse surveys This gives you qualitative data that helps improve tone, clarity, and trust over time. What you say is one thing but the TONE that your frontline feel from it is what really matters from a culture perspective. Friendly reminder: All of these performance analytics SHOULD be segmentable by department, location, team and region to validate where your areas of high and low engagement are so that you can address this with operations and local leadership teams. P.S. What else would you add?

Making the right choices when event planning can be the difference between being inclusive or not. Here are five simple, free choices you can make that can help… Choose to tell people your food options in advance. This helps people plan around allergies, dietary requirements, cultural needs, or just personal preference without stress on the day. It also avoids people having to ask awkward questions or go without food altogether. When people know what to expect, they can focus on the event rather than whether they’ll be able to eat. (Nothing strikes more fear in my heart than someone saying “that looks like something chicken-ey”) Choose to send an attendee list in advance, to everyone attending. This gives people a chance to prepare socially, which can make a huge difference for neurodivergent attendees or anyone who finds networking difficult. It also helps people identify who they want to speak to and reduces the pressure of walking into a room full of unknowns. For some, that preparation is what makes attending feel possible in the first place. Choose to send all presentations in advance, or use QR download codes on the day. This allows people to access content in a way that works for them - whether that’s using screen readers, adjusting formatting, or simply reading ahead. It also takes pressure off needing to process everything in real time, which isn’t accessible for everyone. Having materials to refer back to improves understanding and inclusion for all attendees. Choose to stick to your meeting agendas and don’t sacrifice lunch or break times for over running sessions. Breaks aren’t a luxury - they’re essential for energy, focus, and wellbeing. Skipping them disproportionately impacts disabled people, parents, and anyone managing health needs or fatigue. Keeping to time shows respect for people’s needs and helps everyone engage more fully throughout the day. Choose to make using microphones mandatory, not optional, and don’t let speakers speak without them. Not everyone can hear clearly, even in smaller rooms, and relying on volume alone excludes people. Microphones also support those using hearing aids, live captions, or recordings. Making this a firm rule removes awkwardness and ensures consistent access for everyone in the room. Spoiler, even if you think you have a loud enough voice, you don’t. Any others you’d add?

Are you planning any workplace wellness activities to kick off the new year? One of my newsletter subscribers recently asked me, “Our employees want us to highlight healthy lifestyles, perhaps by launching a ‘step challenge’ or hosting a 5K. While I love these ideas, we have some employees who use wheelchairs. For example, I struggle with organizing a step challenge because I feel this is not inclusive to everyone. Am I overthinking this? Or do you have suggestions that meet the ask but are inclusive to everyone?” I immediately contacted my friend, workplace wellness expert Laura Putnam. She recommended thinking about the various dimensions of wellness when designing programs. These include physical, emotional, social, financial, career, and community needs. By offering options in these categories, you’ll be more inclusive by design. With her guidance, I then researched possible activities. Here are some ideas: - Physical: Organize a “workout streak,” asking employees to record the number of days in a row they’ve done some workout—cardio, yoga, weights, stretching, or anything they define as a workout. Or arrange “stroll & roll” groups for breaks, ensuring paths are wheelchair-accessible. - Emotional: Designate an “Unplug at lunch” day, committing not to use your phone or devices and enjoying silence or talking with coworkers. - Social: Create a “Get to Know Each Other” week, with prompts to encourage coworkers to find personal connections. - Financial: Provide financial planning or budgeting classes. - Career: Host sessions to demystify the promotion process or other career-related topics. - Community: Organize a donation drive for items that a local non-profit needs. Then, once you have some options, let people design their wellness goals and choose activities that make sense for them. P.S. A few years ago, Laura and I collaborated on a thought paper titled "50 Ways You Might Have Wellness Privilege at Work" (https://lnkd.in/gBGfzhqv). It explores why wellness and inclusion should be considered holistically, with practical actions to take to improve workplaces everywhere.

How Do You Connect People that Don’t Trust One Another❓ It happens – often. Relationships are fractured. Trust is low almost non existent between people. But avoiding each other is not an option. I recently had to do this amongst three cross functional teams as part of a broader organizational development initiative. Here’s how I responsibly and efficiently bridge fractured cross functional relationships. And got commitment from all parties from the beginning. 💡 Action 1 Created a clear plan/approach for making initial contact with each person. This was based on research, interviews and observations to understand the reality of the situation. 💡 Action 2 Connected one on one early in the project to understand more about their workplace reality and past experiences from a holistic perspective. 💡 Action 3 Understood early what each employee valued in their role and what their career plans were. Gaining an insight into each person’s motivating factors was key to shaping the focus and project approach. 💡 Action 4 Identified together where skill gaps existed in each person’s work practice and created a personalized L & D plan to respond to this. Co-designing this with each person was key to their buy in and ownership of the outcome and impact. 💡 Action 5 Acknowledged the challenges of past relationships with each person while clearly outlining the support I, and the broader organization would provide to make this experience positive.   💡Action 6 When the parties did come together I was clear on why it was key to work together differently across functions. How would it benefit them in their roles. And what they could expect from myself. 💡 Action 7 Had agreed outcomes and impact the team would deliver together. Checked in and measured progress weekly as a team with agendas that were shaped by each person.     What changes occurred as a result❓ ✳ Everyone knew what to expect from the interaction and had buy in.   ✳ People were acknowledging the support and wins of the other.   ✳ They were generously sharing intel and insights needed to deliver.   ✳ New knowledge and skill sets were developed from the experience that positively changed how they showed up and performed their role. Remember avoidance is not a long term option. How do you bridge the gaps between teams/people in your organization❔ Let me know your experiences and opinions below. 📚 I create original OD content to engage with, save and refer to later. Please follow or hit the 🔔 on my profile to get a practical and lived experience take on people, learning & growth, employee experience and organizational development. #organizationaldevelopment #leadership #culturechange #learninganddevelopment   *illustration courtesy of Yvette Pan

What do conference dinners and sustainability have in common? Imagine this: You're at a wedding reception, enjoying lively conversations as the main course wraps up. Then, The waitstaff arrives, balancing large trays of desserts. Everyone gets served simultaneously, and the trays disappear as quickly as they arrive. Efficient, right? But then you notice a familiar scene: untouched slices of cake, forgotten puddings, and a growing pile of waste. This isn’t just a wedding problem; it’s a sustainability challenge. In scenarios like these, Lean Six Sigma principles can help. By focusing on the entire lifecycle planning, forecasting, and execution we can turn these moments of excess into opportunities for smarter, more thoughtful processes. For example: -Forecasting attendance accurately could help caterers prepare the right amount of food. -Data analytics could reveal how many guests want dessert, avoiding unnecessary waste. -Applying a Just-in-Time (JIT) delivery system ensures desserts are served only when needed, improving quality and reducing waste. Beyond logistics, sustainability extends to choosing locally sourced ingredients to reduce transport emissions and engaging attendees in waste education initiatives. Imagine volunteers sharing how small changes like composting leftover food impact the environment and economy. The real lesson? It’s not just about better forecasting or logistics. Sustainability thrives on creating a culture of respect, humility, and continuous improvement. These ideas, inspired by the Toyota Production System, remind us to focus on people, not just processes. Here's a thought: Next time you plan an event, could you reimagine the experience to reduce waste and foster sustainability? Small steps lead to significant changes when we think holistically. What’s one sustainability practice you’ve seen at events that left a lasting impression?

The events that look effortless on the day rarely were, believe me…😅 They usually got these 5 things right long before the doors opened… Before anything else, you need to be clear on what you actually want the event to achieve. Is it about building new relationships? Accelerating existing opportunities? Product launch? Creating a community? Owning a particular conversation? Once that’s clear, these are the 5 things I see creating, or limiting, event success time and time again: 1. A realistic budget 💸 Your budget has to match your vision. If you want a 10-course tasting menu, Champagne, a private dining room and all the premium touches, you have to expect a higher cost. But a tighter budget doesn’t automatically mean a weaker event. Come with an open mind, share what you have to work with and ask how we would optimise it. It’s about prioritising what will have the biggest impact on the guest experience. 2. A strong brand-side speaker 🎤 This is one of the biggest success factors I see. The right brand gives you an initial hook for outreach, adds credibility and stops the event feeling like a sales pitch led entirely by your own company. It doesn’t always need to be the biggest name. It needs to be someone your audience wants to learn from, with real experiences and opinions to share. 3. An audience-led location 📍 Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to pitch events in places I simply want to visit… (Paris would be up there!) But the location decision should start with your audience data, not your venue wish list. Look at your ICP, map your TAL and identify where the right people actually are. A cool location means very little if your ideal audience isn’t there. 4. A topic people actually want to discuss 🗣️ Generic themes create generic conversations. Choose something your audience is already talking about, has opinions on and hasn’t completely resolved yet. The best themes don’t just fill an agenda. They spark different perspectives, debate and conversations that continue beyond the event itself. 5. Enough time ⏳ An event is an investment, not a quick fix you can rush into. I’d want AT LEAST 6 solid weeks for outreach alone, and ideally much longer for the wider planning process. That time gives you the chance to develop relationships with guests, work properly with venues and suppliers, and make sure your speakers are fully briefed. There are plenty of other moving parts, but these are the 5 I see make or break events again and again 🤓 What would make your list??

Participatory research is a transformative approach that bridges the gap between communities and decision-makers, fostering mutual understanding and actionable insights. This toolkit delves into innovative participatory methods tailored for social norms measurement, offering a practical guide for researchers, program planners, and evaluation experts. By emphasizing tools that actively engage participants, it reshapes traditional research paradigms and positions communities at the heart of data collection and analysis. From body mapping to social network analysis, this document introduces methods designed to explore complex social behaviors and attitudes, particularly those surrounding sensitive issues like gender norms, violence against children, and harmful traditional practices. These tools are not only versatile but also rigorously tested across diverse cultural and programmatic contexts, ensuring their relevance and effectiveness in capturing nuanced perspectives. For humanitarian professionals and development practitioners, this toolkit is more than a resource—it’s a catalyst for empowering communities to take ownership of their narratives. Dive in to discover how participatory methods can amplify voices, foster accountability, and drive impactful social change, setting a new standard for collaborative research and programming.

I asked a funder: “Do you know the names of the people your funding goes to help?” She paused. Then answered: “Not personally. We believe in trust-based philanthropy, so we focus on investing in good organizations.” I followed up: “How do you make sure your funding is solving issues and aligned with the core needs of the community?" Her response: “These problems won’t be solved in my lifetime. The best we can do is fund good organizations and ask them to share their impacts.” Her answer was honest — and not uncommon. But it reveals a key gap: Many funders have priorities, but no strategy that will lead to the type of transformational change our communities need. They move money, but not in coordination. They care about outcomes, but rarely track whether their dollars actually produce them, especially for those most impacted. This isn’t about bad intentions. It’s about an ineffective system we’ve come to accept — where funding flows, but often without a community-wide vision, strategy, or connection to the people it’s meant to serve. Let me be clear: This is not a bad person. This is a good person operating in a broken system, with an approach that won’t work. A system that teaches us to fund programs, not people. To trust process over proximity. To aim for comfort over coordination. To give up on change before we’ve even tried. I’ve been in rooms where hundreds of millions of dollars were being allocated to fight poverty. And I’ve walked away heartbroken. Because too often: → Funders make decisions in isolation, without a comprehensive plan for creating impact  → Nonprofits compete instead of collaborate  → Community voices are completely left out of strategy and funding decisions  → Everyone works in silos while the root problems persist It doesn’t have to stay this way. There’s a better way to fund — one that builds power, not just programs. Here’s what it looks like: 1. Map the ecosystem – Who’s already doing the work?  2. Understand the relationships – Where are the gaps, overlaps, and invisible power lines?  3. Align the strategy – What does shared success look like?  4. Build together – Not around brands or boards, but around impact. This is how we've helped organizations like the Kansas Health Foundation and the Southern Communities Initiative — helping them map the players, align efforts, and center community voice in funding decisions. Until someone maps the field and calls the plays, we’re all running in our own corners — while the people we claim to serve continue to struggle in the middle. You care. I see it in every grant you make and every hour you put in. But care alone isn’t enough. It takes coordination. It takes strategy. It takes courage to lead differently. When funding is aligned, communities don’t just survive — they build, own, and lead. That’s what it takes to move from charity to transformation. That’s what it looks like to fund liberation, not just effort.

Building Safe and Orderly Spaces with Effective Crowd Management India, a land of vibrant festivals, passionate celebrations, and bustling megacities, presents unique challenges when it comes to crowd management. From the joyous multitudes of Kumbh Mela to the fervent processions of Durga Puja, ensuring the safety and well-being of millions demands a multi-pronged approach, one that transcends mere control and embraces proactive planning and community engagement. Beyond Barriers: A Holistic Perspective Gone are the days when crowd management was synonymous with imposing restrictions and maintaining order through sheer force. Today, the focus shifts towards creating safe and orderly spaces that cater to the specific needs and cultural nuances of Indian crowds. This requires a holistic perspective, encompassing: ●     Crowd analysis and forecasting: Understanding the expected size, composition, and dynamics of the crowd is crucial. Anticipating potential flashpoints and bottlenecks allows for proactive measures. ●     Infrastructure development: Adequate crowd circulation spaces, designated entry-exit points, and essential amenities like hydration stations and sanitation facilities are fundamental. ●     Communication and awareness: Clear and concise information disseminated through multiple channels, including local languages, ensures everyone understands safety protocols and evacuation procedures. ●     Crowd psychology and cultural sensitivity: Recognizing and respecting cultural norms and sensitivities is crucial for building trust and cooperation with the crowd. ●     Technological integration: Utilizing tools like real-time crowd monitoring, CCTV surveillance, and mobile communication apps can enhance responsiveness and situational awareness. From My Insights to Everyday Action: The success of such strategies hinges on community engagement and collective responsibility. Here's how each one of you can contribute: ● Be informed: Familiarize yourself with safety protocols and emergency procedures for frequented venues or events. ● Plan and cooperate: Follow designated routes, adhere to instructions, and exercise patience to ensure smooth crowd movement. ● Report concerns: Don't hesitate to inform authorities of any potential hazards or suspicious activity. ● Practice empathy: Remember, everyone is a part of the crowd; respect fellow participants and prioritize their safety. Building a Culture of Safety: By adopting a collaborative and proactive approach, we can transform crowd management from a reactive measure into a proactive culture of safety. This requires not just the expertise of professionals but also the conscious participation of every individual. Let's work together to build spaces that are not only vibrant and celebratory but also safe and orderly, reflecting the true spirit of our diverse and dynamic nation. Remember, every responsible action, every informed decision, contributes to a safer crowd experience for all.