How to Effectively Engage Stakeholders in Local Government

If there’s one lesson I’ve learned from years of working with local governments, it’s this: you need to communicate seven times, seven ways. The success of your policies, initiatives, or strategic plans hinges on how well you own the narrative. This doesn’t just mean getting the word out—it means making sure every stakeholder hears it, understands it, and feels part of the process.

That’s easier said than done, of course. But the stakes couldn’t be higher. When you engage your stakeholders effectively, you’re not just managing change, you’re building trust and fostering collaboration. I’ve seen this dynamic play out time and again, from small towns to major cities. Here’s what works, drawn from my experience with ClearPoint Strategy’s municipal partners across the country.

Defining Stakeholder Engagement in Local Government

Stakeholders are anyone who has a vested interest in your community (residents, local businesses, nonprofits, and more), and effective engagement ensures these groups feel heard, valued, and included. Take the City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for example. When they launched the 2035 Vision Plan, “Fast Forward Fort Lauderdale,” they didn’t stop at gathering feedback. They collected over 1,500 ideas from residents and then actively incorporated 42% of those ideas into their strategic plan, “Press Play Fort Lauderdale.”

It wasn’t just an exercise in listening—it was a masterclass in collaboration. By weaving the community’s vision into their plan, they showed stakeholders that their voices genuinely mattered.

The Pillars of Stakeholder Engagement

From my experience, three principles stand out:

1. Transparency

People need to understand what’s happening and why. When local governments hide information, mistrust festers. Fort Lauderdale’s strategy demonstrates the opposite. The city aligned its budget process with its strategy execution, using tools like FL2STAT and ClearPoint to provide regular updates on progress. By opening the books, they built trust.

2. Inclusivity

Engaging all community segments, especially underrepresented groups, is vital. Fort Lauderdale’s outreach for their vision plan targeted not just the usual suspects, but sought input from marginalized voices as well. This inclusivity ensured their plan reflected the entire community, not just a vocal minority.

3. Accountability

Promises mean little without follow-through. By providing updates and demonstrating how feedback shapes decisions, governments can show stakeholders they’re serious about accountability. Regular cross-departmental meetings in Fort Lauderdale ensure everyone is on the same page, from city officials to community members.

Building Trust through Communication

Clear, consistent communication across multiple platforms is the backbone of public trust. Misinformation spreads like wildfire, threatening to derail initiatives left and right. Surveys, focus groups, and public forums all have their strengths, but the key is to use the right method for the right situation. By adopting a "seven times, seven ways" approach—including newsletters, social media, public forums, and even direct mail—governments can reclaim the narrative. This multi-pronged approach ensures everyone has access to accurate information, regardless of how they prefer to engage.

The Transparency Final Boss? A Public-Facing Dashboard. More on that here (featuring Ft. Lauderdale)!

Community Outreach: Moving Beyond Meetings

Traditional public meetings have their place, but they’re not enough. People have busy lives, and not everyone can attend a town hall at 7PM on a Tuesday. The City of Fort Lauderdale recognized this and embraced diverse outreach strategies. They set up Strategic Initiative Teams and cross-departmental meetings to keep the community informed. They also leverage digital tools to reach broader audiences, ensuring their message resonates far and wide.

Collaborative Decision-Making: A New Era

Collaboration isn’t just a buzzword. When stakeholders work together, the results can be transformative. I’ve seen this firsthand in cities like Fort Lauderdale, where coalition-building among local businesses, nonprofits, and residents amplified resources and voices. The result? Policies and initiatives embraced by the community.

Fostering inter-departmental synergy ensures that different sectors of the government are not just aware of the overall objectives, but are actively contributing to them. Cross-departmental collaboration is crucial for implementing a unified strategy that reflects the needs and wants of the entire community.

Develop a Shared Vision

Start with establishing a shared vision that resonates across all departments. This requires inclusive planning sessions that set the strategic direction and allow each department to see how their specific roles contribute to the broader objectives. For instance, integrating the insights from public works, health services, and economic development into a cohesive plan can amplify the impact of each's efforts.

Create Interdepartmental Teams

Fort Lauderdale’s use of Strategic Initiative Teams is a prime example of how interdepartmental collaboration can be structured. By creating teams that include members from various departments, local governments can foster a sense of ownership and accountability. These teams work on cross-cutting issues, ensuring that initiatives are approached holistically, rather than in silos.

Integrate Technology

Adopting tech platforms that support integrated planning and reporting is key. A strategy management system enables departments to track and visualize their progress against shared goals (*insert your strategic initiative team*), facilitating real-time adjustments and keeping all stakeholders aligned. This transparency both maintains accountability and enhances coordination across teams.

Regular Reviews

Conducting regular strategy review meetings involving representatives from all departments can help you keep your momentum. These sessions should focus on reviewing progress toward strategic milestones, discussing challenges, and brainstorming solutions. They serve as a place to share insights and reinforce the interconnected nature of an organization's work.

Free eBook: How to Lead Effective Strategy Review Meetings

Celebrate Successes

Recognizing successes showcases the value of these joint efforts. Highlighting wins in public forums, newsletters, or even through internal communications can boost morale and encourage a culture of teamwork, collecting the buy-in necessary for successful execution going forward.

Creating an Ongoing Stakeholder Engagement Plan

Engagement isn’t a one-and-done. It’s a continuous process. First set clear goals, identifying your stakeholders, and outlining methods of engagement. Then, measure your efforts. Fort Lauderdale’s integration of its strategic plan with performance measurement tools like ClearPoint is a model worth emulating. It’s more than simply engaging stakeholders today, it’s about building a system where their voices are always part of the conversation.

Engagement is a Journey

Whether you’re navigating a major redevelopment project, crafting a strategic plan, or managing day-to-day operations, the principles of transparency, communication, and collaboration are your guideposts.

Remember: communicate seven times, seven ways. Own the narrative. When stakeholders feel heard and valued, trust follows. And with trust comes collaboration, progress, and the opportunity to build stronger communities.