How to Use Community Partnerships to Boost Engagement
Last week we offered insights on boosting engagement through the activation of outdoor space. One of the key components of activating outdoor spaces is collaboration with the community. This week, we will expand on how cultural attractions and other nonprofit organizations can boost engagement by collaborating with their community. Bringing together multiple community partners can take engagement to a new level by making events multifaceted. Someone who may not come just for art or artifacts might come for live music or local restaurants. While there, they may find that they really enjoy the exhibits, galleries, or attractions as well. An attraction can expand its offerings and even support the local economy by bringing new visitors as well as buyers. Hosting local artists to display or sell their works is just one way to partner within the community and boost engagement.
When we look at museums and cultural attractions, there are so many opportunities to engage the community. There are strategies that can draw in visitors of all ages and backgrounds and engage them with your organization in new ways. Below we take a look at some great ways to develop new engagement through community partnerships:
Highlight local artists at your organization. This strategy has the potential to be scaled in order to work best at different organizations. Local artists can have their work featured in the gift shop on a long or short-term basis. They can even be featured for one-off appearances at events or even with a display table in the museum during normal hours. If your organization does not deal with physical art then bring artists in for an open mic opportunity. Not only does this bring something new to the organization but it motivates local artists to promote their work by attracting visitors. Additionally, it expresses that your museum or organization is committed to supporting artists and their art outside of the selectiveness of a gallery.
Keeping with the theme of supporting local artists, host a panel discussion with local artists and feature their work in your space before and after the event (for a day or even a week). Panel discussions are a great way to bring attention to your organization by creating different channels for marketing. Panelists are going to share the event through social media and word of mouth. They don’t want to answer questions for an empty room. Panel discussions are also flexible because they feature artists and their thoughts. These events can facilitate writers, painters, sculptors, performers, and more.
Bringing together panels and the theme of community, panel discussion featuring local leaders are wonderful ways to make an organization a central feature of communities. So many cultural attractions and institutions commit themselves to pertinent social issues and take on the role of educators in the communities. Bring together local leaders to discuss the challenges facing your community and how you can succeed by working in partnership. From social, scientific, political, and environmental issues, museums and cultural institutions are key players in overcoming the challenges faced historically and today.
Connect with those committed to creating a strong local community by offering discounts to local businesses and nonprofits surrounding the museum. Encourage these businesses or nonprofits to schedule group tours (when safe of course) in order to build community. A better community is built by bringing all the pieces together. Businesses will do better when cultural attractions are bringing more visitors to the area, and likewise, better business will bring more individuals to the community. Making them aware that your organization is there and ready to build a sense of community is a great way to build a network that benefits the whole community.
Because cultural institutions and museums do so much for education, connecting with schools by going to them and inviting them to you is a great way to drive engagement. Developing programming for local schools can put an organization’s best foot forward and lead to many more connections as students and educators want further engagement. Additionally, outreach to schools for field trips and developing special programming during these visits are highly attractive ways to boost engagement.
Take your attractions outside. Of course, this may not apply to every organization. Some exhibits, galleries, and shows just won’t work well outside, but many can. We wrote a whole blog on how to Boost Your Engagement by Activating Outdoor Spaces. This is a great opportunity to draw on all the partnerships you have created. Bring your attractions outside and then boost this event by bringing together food and beverage, local leaders, local artist displays and vendors, and of course, reach out to all of those in your network (schools, local businesses, and nonprofits). If you aren’t ready to build your own event, join in with another one. Look into offering a booth and answering questions at farmers’ markets, community fairs, or cultural events. Being a part of community celebrations shows your willingness to engage and commemorate what you have helped build.
Cultural attractions should look outside the four walls of their space to see what the needs of the community are. Cultural attractions can shed light on the strengths and opportunities in the community and celebrate what they have to offer. Many times, cultural attractions can work hand in hand with the community to implement cultural programming and development. Go back to your roots and consider why are you located here? What impact do you want to have on the community? If organizations don’t start by reaching out, they can never work in community with others. Take advantage of building robust community partnerships and you will experience a boost in engagement.
Want more ways to improve your engagement strategies? At NMBL Strategies we have extensive experience operating many different forms of cultural institutions and promoting their engagement within their communities and globally. We offer these same innovative strategies to our clients. Reach out today to learn how we can boost engagement for your organization.
