How to Build a Network

Overview: Recruiting and Mobilizing Community Organizations

Together, the Steering Committee and the Community Action Team:• Identify and catalog

community resources.• Enhance community

program opportunities and develop new resources through ongoing information exchange.

Execute Community Programming

• Use Steering Committee knowledge of the local community to further engage and recruit members of the community and other organizations to participate in the program.

• Community members may include representatives from non-profit organizations, businesses, civic groups, media, faith-based organizations, etc.

Identify and Engage Community Partners

• Recruit a small group of dedicated individuals as founding partners to serve as members of the program’s Steering Committee, assisting in building and managing program directives including:

• Coordinating the day-to-day and collaborative work of the program.

• Identifying key organizations and individuals to make the program a success.

Develop and Activate Steering Committee

• Identify key founding partners by researching community organizations and interviewing community members to determine which groups align with your program goals.

• Engage these local groups through phone calls, e-mails and meetings.

Identify Founding Partners

How to build a network• Building a network of community partners (academic

institutions, organizations, businesses, churches, etc.) helps to extend the depth and breadth of the program and increase awareness.

How to build a network• Steps you can take:– Understand the key players in your area by conducting

primary and secondary research.– Identify the most influential individuals and organizations

from your research, whose mission aligns with or complements yours.

– Hold meetings with these top influencers to identify those most interested in advancing your mission.

– Identify a program structure that fits the needs of your program and appoint members to that structure.– Suggestions include:

– A flat structure, such as a steering committee or board of directors.– A hierarchical structure with a president or chair who oversees the

efforts of others who lead particular program elements.

How to build a network• Steps you can take (continued):– Determine which key target audiences you need to reach

to make your program successful and map out a strategy to reach these audiences both through existing relationships and new contacts.

– Reach out to key target audiences with a clear call to action – in other words, think about what you want them to do, such as participating in meetings, sharing news about the program with their audiences, speaking about the program, etc.

– Continue to engage your audiences through regular communications (see working with stakeholders section) and continue to recruit new members through ongoing communications and events.

How to build a network• Steps taken to build the Cities for Life network:

– Conducted a comprehensive community stakeholder audit to understand the key players influencing diabetes in Birmingham.• In particular, gathered first-hand knowledge and online research

including information about:– Existing diabetes programs at the state and local levels– Civic leaders and elected officials– State and local government agencies– Academic institutions– Hospitals and diabetes centers– Payer and physician organizations– Community organizations – Media outlets

How to build a network• Steps taken to build the Cities for Life network (continued):– Identified the most influential individuals and

organizations from the audit, whose mission aligned or complemented the mission of Cities for Life.

– Collaborated with Birmingham contacts and reached out to meet with top influencers in person.

– Following in-person meetings, identified the most interested influencers to join the Cities for Life Steering Committee.

How to build a network• Steps taken to build the Cities for Life network (continued):

– With a Steering Committee in place, mapped out an engagement strategy of how to get other local organizations involved including businesses, community organizations, academic institutions, faith-based organizations, pharmacies, civic organizations, state and local agencies, payers, physician organizations, media, etc.

– Leveraging the Steering Committee’s connections, reached out to other organizations to assess their interest in joining the Community Action Team, a collection of organizations dedicated to raising awareness of diabetes management and the Cities for Life program.

– Continued to engage members of the Community Action Team (see working with stakeholders section) and continued to recruit new members through ongoing communications and events.