recruiting participants inclusively while building trust | the recap
published 6.24.24
Our second Stakeholder Engagement That Doesn’t Suck virtual fireside, “Recruiting Participants Inclusively While Building Trust,” last month was not recorded to encourage candor, but here are the takeaways from three powerhouse women who weighed in on what it takes to recruit stakeholders with inclusion and ethics at the center:
Stakeholder engagement is due for a reckoning
Conventional stakeholder engagement is often one-sided in nature. Corporations gather information without adequately valuing or consulting community members, nonprofits or activists (AKA the people doing the work).
There is a need for genuine engagement that serves the interests of both the corporation and its stakeholders. Stakeholder engagement must be inclusive, transparent and built on mutual trust to foster meaningful relationships and drive positive outcomes for both corporations and their stakeholders.
Disability inclusion is good (yes, for business too)
We need to debunk the assumption that accommodating people with disabilities is merely a legal or moral obligation. Given that one in four adults in the US are people with disabilities, disability inclusion is not only the right thing to do but also a smart business practice. Offering accommodations from the outset demonstrates a commitment to valuing the participation of all stakeholders—accessibility means everyone can participate.
Meet people where they are…literally
Think outside the box — reach out to people through grassroots leaders, places of worship and community hubs. The goal should always be to ensure that stakeholders feel like they belong, are listened to and are valued — and yes, this can be done even with limited resources for recruitment. Genuine diversity and inclusion in stakeholder engagement lead to better decision-making and broader perspectives.
Pay people for their time
Compensate stakeholders for their insights and opinions. This means:
fair compensation for the value provided (especially if you’re asking people to relive traumas or talk about sensitive topics),
clear communication about payments (when and how will they receive them),
flexibility and options for being compensated,
on-time payments.
Build trust for long-term engagement
Long-term stakeholder engagement requires trust. Set clear expectations and be transparent throughout the process—with ongoing communication to demonstrate a commitment to valuing stakeholders' insights and perspectives, including two-way communication channels and transparency about the process and the potential or known outcomes. The worst thing you can do is overpromise and underdeliver. Set realistic expectations so people can decide whether they want to participate or not. This is where your social license to operate is either earned or lost. Never patronize participants, talk more than you listen or overpromise.
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Stakeholder Engagement That Doesn’t Suck is a guide for ethical and inclusive engagement. Sam and I wrote this paper because we believe it’s time to break the mold of traditional corporate-community engagement and take an approach grounded in trust, accessibility, transparency, flexibility and fairness.
by Noemí Jiménez
Cofounder + Partner
