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Strategies to Improve Communities <br />Educate <br />Aci4 ■:t &s s$� ;sue of a sr ol'A <br />mobs' s y(�t �TL' ago <br />Education and outreach are essential elements for <br />strengthening and extending the work of local <br />governments. They can take many forms, including <br />marketing and public relations; community <br />education and advocacy; collaborations, alliances, <br />and partnerships; networking and more. Outreach is <br />the mechanism for building a base of support. <br />Increased networking and greater outreach mean <br />access to more people. Without effective outreach <br />efforts, organizations may limit their access to <br />resources and fail to establish a positive image or <br />reputation within the community.$ Public outreach is <br />more than just broadcasting to residents. Good <br />outreach should target diverse audiences: <br />Community -based organizations such as <br />schools, faith communities and community <br />associations <br />Business associations for possible partnerships, <br />volunteers, donations and media access <br />Volunteer groups <br />Local media <br />Public Outreach and Education <br />Public outreach can be morethan getting theword <br />out. It can educateyour audiencesabout broader <br />issues like the need for water conservation or <br />decreased use of motorized vehicles in your <br />community. <br />The advances of technology have increased <br />government's ability significantly to communicate <br />with residents in cost - efficient, time sensitive <br />manners. Most local gover n m ent s n ow have web <br />pages useful for educating residents and visitors. <br />Some web pages also allow interaction such as ability <br />to pay bills, ask questions, and communicate with <br />other public officials and residents about community <br />issues. Many cities provide 311 platforms where <br />residents can report problems in their <br />neighborhoods. Some local governments have <br />established their own Facebook pages and <br />communicate with citizens regularly using Twitter <br />and YouTube (see Ankeny case study). Online Town <br />Meetings also are becoming more commonplace (see <br />Fort Collins case study). <br />For more information on social media use in local <br />governing, see ICMA's Social Media Playbook <br />8 Building Capacity in Nonprofit Organizations. Edited by Carol J. De Vita <br />and Cory Fleming. Copyright © April 2001. The Urban Institute. <br />http://www.urban.org/uploadedpdf/building_capacity.pdf. <br />For examples of using technology for civic <br />engagement, see: <br />�= �, ■r Ad6m( ci"Aa,rsfjJ64 (�.,l' LL <br />Key Strategies in Public Outreach <br />H ave a strategic communication plan in place <br />Develop one or more core messages <br />I dentify appropriate audiences <br />I dentify and train staff members to talk with <br />media and the general public <br />Target key media for regular outreach <br />H ave some combination of web, printed, and <br />video materials to inform the media and the <br />public <br />Develop events that will showcase your <br />community and its goals to the media and the <br />public <br />Work with stakeholders and partners on joint <br />education and outreach efforts <br />A Case Study in the use of Social Media <br />Ankeny, Iowa <br />The City of Ankeny, I owa is one of the fastest - <br />growing communities in the state of I owa. Results <br />from all administrations of The National Citizen <br />Survey going back ten years describe a community <br />that is consistently revered by its fifty some <br />thousand residents. Residents give the city ratings <br />that exceed those of other communities for quality of <br />life, quality of service delivery, housing costs, land <br />use planning, safety and just about every other <br />important community characteristic. In Ankeny, <br />more residents are visiting the city website and more <br />here than elsewhere across the U.S. believe that <br />public information services are top notch. One of the <br />few characteristics of the community that was not <br />considered exemplary compared to ratings from <br />residents in other places was "value of services for <br />the taxes paid to Ankeny." As much as it was a strong <br />rating, unlike other ratings, this one was not above <br />those given in comparison communities. <br />Furthermore, the rating for opportunities to attend <br />cultural activities was lower than elsewhere. Finally, <br />the number of residents having interaction with the <br />city continued a decade long slide. <br />e www. coloradotrust .org /attachmentst0000 /3848 /Organizational <br />CapacityAssessmentTool. pdf <br />© 2014, National Research Center, Inc. Page 15 <br />