October 16, 2025
9:00AM - 10:30AM CST

Community Engagement: Communicating, Public Input, and Recruiting and Keeping Volunteers

(CM | 1.5)

virtual (Zoom)

Residents hold the key to municipal and nonprofit success, from creating new plans to serving on commissions and completing projects. Engaging with residents is an ongoing challenge, with successful initiatives smoothing the way to achieve goals while missteps can jeopardize policies or projects.

The options for reaching residents have expanded, and opportunities for their involvement have evolved. This class explores ways to keep residents informed, solicit input for plans, policies and proposed projects, and encourage them to volunteer in their community. The class will be helpful to elected and appointed officials and staff of local governments and nonprofit organizations.

Objectives

• Participants will explore options for communicating with residents and consider the best fit for their community’s needs.
• Participants will become familiar with variations on standard public input tools, including surveys and focus groups, as well as interesting options such as online tools, partners, and interactive sessions. Pizza boxes, anyone?
• Participants will learn the basics of managing volunteers to grow and sustain a volunteer base.

DATE: October 16, 2025

TIME: 9:00 AM - 10:30 PM

VENUE: virtual (Zoom)

REGISTER HERE

Professional Development Credits: CM | 1.5

This session is part of the NIU Civic Leadership Academy's 2025-26 Courses.