You’re a Community Outreach professional. What mistakes are you making that could be holding you back?

1 Not knowing your audience

One of the biggest mistakes you can make as a community outreach professional is not knowing your audience well enough. You need to understand their needs, interests, preferences, challenges, and motivations. You also need to segment your audience into different groups based on their demographics, behaviors, and goals. This will help you tailor your outreach strategies, messages, and channels to each group and increase your effectiveness and relevance. To know your audience better, you can conduct surveys, interviews, focus groups, or use data analytics tools.

2 Not setting clear objectives

Another common mistake is not setting clear and measurable objectives for your outreach activities. Without clear objectives, you will not be able to plan, execute, monitor, or evaluate your outreach efforts. You will also not be able to demonstrate your value and impact to your stakeholders, such as your employer, clients, partners, or funders. To set clear objectives, you need to use the SMART framework: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. For example, instead of saying "I want to increase awareness of our program", you can say "I want to reach 1,000 potential participants with our online campaign in the next three months".

4 Not collaborating with others

Community outreach is not a solo endeavor. It requires collaboration with other professionals, such as your colleagues, managers, clients, partners, or influencers. However, some community outreach professionals fail to collaborate effectively with others. They might work in silos, avoid sharing information or resources, compete instead of cooperate, or disregard the opinions or contributions of others. These behaviors can lead to conflicts, misunderstandings, duplication of efforts, or missed opportunities. To collaborate effectively, you need to build trust and rapport; communicate openly and honestly; share your goals, expectations, and progress; respect and appreciate diversity; and leverage the strengths and skills of others.

5 Not learning and improving

The last mistake you might be making as a community outreach professional is not learning and improving your skills and knowledge. Community outreach is a dynamic and evolving field that requires constant adaptation and innovation. You need to keep up with the latest trends, best practices, tools, and technologies. You also need to reflect on your performance, identify your strengths and weaknesses, and seek feedback and guidance. To learn and improve, you need to read, watch, or listen to relevant resources; attend trainings, workshops, or webinars; join networks, communities, or associations; seek mentors, coaches, or peers; and set and review your personal development goals.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?