Here's how you can engage stakeholders as a grant administrator using creativity.

It is extremely helpful to show pictures Illustrating the idea for what will be done with the grant funding. Pictures can both generate ideas as well as manage expectations. For example, if you have a grant to build a Civic center, and you don't share pictures to illustrate the idea, some people will think a civic center is a gymnasium with different athletic opportunities and some people will think it is an auditorium for music and arts or public meetings. Having pictures showing what the grant project allows within the limits of the funding helps hone in on the reality of how a final project can look.

Visual representations of processes can convey substantial content when presented effectively. Consider recruiting the help of a graphic designer or employing your own skills to visualize grant processes that involve phases or interactions among different stakeholders. One recent example was an infographic demonstrating incoming and outgoing billing agreements. In this particular case, the nuances are unintuitive, and the graphic could be improved by the right person with the initiative, attention, and creativity to accurately convey the arrangement.

Visual storytelling can be useful in grant reporting, as narrative sharing and storytelling have become valued practices in some healing spaces and movement-building work. It offers a more tangible connection to what is being shared that words may not adequately convey. Further, a well-crafted video presentation may help the reviewer gain a more nuanced understanding of the information being shared. Lastly, visual storytelling makes room for a more equitable and interactive engagement that can include creative and culturally specific expressions to describe funded activities and progress that the many grantmaking processes traditionally lack.

Clearly articulate the purpose and expectations of stakeholder engagement with defined outcomes. It provides stakeholders the comfort of knowing what is expected of them and they are not just meeting to meet.

One way to engage stakeholders is by using visuals that communicate the organization's successes and failures. Sharing stories through videos, infographics, and blogs, helps to highlight how the grant is making a difference. Additionally, you can use charts, graphs, and interactive dashboards to present data in an engaging and understandable manner.

Interactive Workshops are always very helpful for visual learners. It helps engage participants with grappling with new ideas. Our team at Lishawn's Consulting believes in creating interactive workshops to support our community.

Everyone needs to have a voice. To share, contribute, be heard, feel validated is important. When doing community work, providing community services and setting priorities it is essential to include those who you hope to serve and/or support in the process. Our objective is to provide what they need, not what we think they need. It builds trust, ownership, engagement and accountability.

Social media is a space where everyone meets. It is one of the most efficient way of connecting with your audience. At Lishawn’s Consulting we are a part of all of the social media channels in order to connect with all stakeholders.

One thing I have found helpful when attending networking events is to focus on connecting deeply with one or two people in order to build authentic relationships. Providing a couple of prompts that encourage attendees to engage with someone they do not know well helps get people out of their comfort zones.

Networking events are so important today. Most opportunities are received based on who you know. In order to know more people, it is important to attend networking events.

Feedback is critical. It is so important that you know how your program is working and how you can make it better. Continuous improvement happens when there are tools in place for feedback: surveys, suggestion boxes, work groups, etc.

A way to really take this to the next level, is to include participants that have either been positively influenced by the grant in the past, or would be recipients of this grand having a positive outcome. This also creates a sense of community, networking, teambuilding. Making this group almost an alumni type group, that can help and promote other activities moving forward.

I have found that stakeholders are often disconnected from the mechanisms of how the entire grant project and grant operations fit together. Therefore, hosting a fun, engaging—Connect the Dots Forum—helps stakeholder to: 1) name their top issues, needs, pain points, questions 2) connect face to face or Zoom to zoom with stakeholders 3) share their role and who/how they connect This forum demystifies the process. As we are all on the same team! And it enables colleagues to appreciate and recognize the interdependent roles they play. In my over 15 years of grants administration leadership, I have found that stakeholders are “happiest” the more the process works smoothly and the more they understand the bigger picture.