 Thank you to everyone who participated and provided feedback on NCDD's response to the White House Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) recent Request for Information on developing a Federal framework for Public Participation and Community Engagement (PPCE). The final response, reflecting input from our coalition, is now available on the Federal government's site. Additionally, several NCDD members submitted their own comments, which are linked in the blog post below. TODAY - May 29th from 1-3 PM Eastern, will be a virtual event hosted by The Open Government Secretariat titled "Strengthening Democracy and Improving Our Communities Across All Levels of Government: The United States Experience". This session will explore open government approaches and their impact on democracy and communities across the United States. Learn more in the post and register to join here. Thank you to all who participated and or shared feedback on NCDD's response for the recent Request for Information from the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on developing a Federal framework RE: public participation and community engagement (PPCE)! The content reflects the input we collected in emails, surveys, and the listening session held on May 3rd. We also incorporated some of the input we provided to the Obama Administration back in 2012, though it is updated for current time. While this was not an exhaustive report, considering the immensive depth of wisdom to be found among our NCDD members, our hope was to provide a comprehensive overview on PPCE best practices and insights. Here is the permanent link to NCDD's submitted response on the Federal government's Public Submission page: www.regulations.gov/comment/OMB-2024-0005-0067. The report can also be downloaded at the link below and read in full after the upcoming OMB virtual event announcement. Link to NCDD member responses:
Upcoming Virtual Event: Strengthening Democracy and Improving Our Communities Across All Levels of Government: The United States Experience - hosted by The Open Government Secretariat (the federal office now in charge of #OpenGov) Wednesday, May 29 from 1-3 PM ET This session will explore ways in which open government approaches are strengthening democracy and improving communities at the federal, state, local, Tribal, and territorial (SLTT) levels across the United States. Featuring experiences from across the country, SLTT and federal leaders will discuss opportunities and challenges in open government and share lessons learned. Register to secure your spot!  NCDD Response to OMB's RFI on Public Participation and Community Engagement (PPCE) - FULL SUBMITTED REPORT The National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD) is a network of innovators who bring people together across divides to discuss, decide, and take action together effectively on today’s toughest issues. We have offered input to the Open Government Plan during the Obama Administration and sought to support any efforts for the Federal Government to embrace more participatory engagement processes. Our network of practitioners across the US and beyond has a wealth of experiences and resources for public participation and community engagement. In this response, we outline specific input gathered from among our network, including drawing on past resources, holding a listening session with our network, survey responses on this subject, and conversations with experts and partners in open government and public engagement work. Some of our members have also submitted separate comments. We would invite the opportunity to discuss any of this input, and to help OMB with its efforts to strengthen participation and engagement efforts. Creating a Strong Federal Framework for Public Participation and Community Engagement Framework Content Resources to help Federal agencies navigate the approaches to PPCE would be essential to this effort. The PPCE framework should provide a baseline understanding of public participation and community engagement, their value for individual departments (return on investment), and the resiliency of democracy as a whole. This framework should include a glossary defining different forms of public participation and guidelines to help identify when each form is best suited for use in a participation effort. Guidance about core values and principles for this work, case studies, and planning templates for engagement design could be incredibly helpful. Several of the resources already exist in the public engagement and dialogue field, and could be consulted to create resources specific to this effort:
In addition to these resources, outlining the minimum standards for quality public participation is important for providing guidance to Federal agencies. We offer our thoughts on these minimum standards below. Minimum Standards Public participation that is poorly planned and structured can waste time and resources, and do more harm than good. The riskiest initiatives are those that:
Over the long term, agencies and communities are likely to be more participatory and effective if they:
Goals and Objectives In developing a Federal framework for PPCE, NCDD offers a selection of potential goals and objectives below. We suggest a set of core objectives be recommended by OMB in the framework, and encouragement for agencies to develop additional goals and objectives specific to the engagement work they will do and the populations they may engage. For more specific efforts, consider that objectives should reflect the needs for whom they are intended, taking into consideration the demographics and socio-economic aspects of that constituency. Smaller goals achieved and broadly communicated are convincing and motivating for subsequent participation. Goals:
Measuring Participation and Impact The challenge of measuring public participation is complicated by whether an agency or community is launching a single engagement activity or implementing a well-rounded participation plan. The use of any single participation tool or technology on its own is likely to be disappointing because there is no “magic bullet” method or app and because citizen interests are diverse and multi-faceted. Some participation indicators are simple and versatile enough, however, that they can be applied to single activities and comprehensive plans. The most basic benchmarks track the number and diversity of participants, and the depth of their participation. These indicators include:
A second set of indicators focuses on the quality of the participation experience; these are more likely to reflect the presence of a broader participation plan (or the absence thereof). These measures include:
The third category of measurement deals with how participation impacted the participants, public officials and employees, the policymaking process, and problem-solving (by both governmental and non-governmental stakeholders) on the issue being addressed. These measures are highly dependent on the presence of a broad array of participation opportunities and also on the political context surrounding the participation:
Another model for consideration is the Social Cohesion Impact Measurement (SCIM) tool - a resource empowering bridging groups and other institutions to evaluate and measure the impact of their programs. This allows measurement of how engagement impacts participants related to measurements of social cohesion. It may not be a perfect fit for the Federal agencies, but may provide a model that could be adapted: https://www.listenfirstproject.org/goals-and-measures. Collaborative Development of the Federal Framework The inclusion of the Federal Government and the public in the process of developing this framework is laudable and should be done in a regular, recurring process that allows stakeholders to engage along the way, rather than providing comments to draft documents, etc., as is often the process. We could recommend developing this framework by demonstrating best practices for public participation and community engagement. This could mean offering regular meetings for discussion of the framework, gathering input, and co-developing the content. Offering these online, but also bringing these opportunities to people where they are locally is powerful. Working with partners who can reach targeted communities is an essential component of creating the kind of quality engagement needed for this significant effort. Partners might include libraries, which have embraced community engagement and are often among the most welcoming spaces in communities. Learn more about their efforts to engage their communities via the American Libraries Association’s Libraries Transforming Communities Initiative: https://www.ala.org/tools/librariestransform/libraries-transforming-communities. Stakeholder engagement could also include a platform that allows for thoughtful engagement among stakeholders. Including storytelling, particularly to allow underserved communities to share their experiences as well as their ideas and hopes, would create a more robust process. It may also allow for some more innovation, by including stakeholders in the idea generation and the building of best practices for the Federal Government. It is important to note that for all engagement, ensuring accessibility for all, including but certainly not limited to written materials and visual/spoken languages, is essential. Multi-modal engagement can allow for accessible participation across various stakeholder needs, schedules, etc. Specific efforts should be made to hold focus groups with targeted populations who have been historically excluded, including but not limited to people with disabilities, BIPOC, people who identify as Native, and a range of older adults and youth. Allow these individuals to speak to their experiences and how the proposed practices would work, or not work, for their communities. Connect with those individuals who would be implementing this PPCE framework in the agencies they work in and get their feedback; how this framework might actually operate in their agencies, what they need to know in order to do this and do it well. It is important to note that sufficient time and resources need to be allocated for this work. It cannot be rushed. Historically excluded populations will need time to receive communication about the opportunity, as well as to build trust with OMB and Federal agencies. In addition to the engagement process, making sure that the input and ideas received are fed back to stakeholders and that drafts and decisions are communicated are important to ensuring that people feel heard in this process. At times, the perception is that once the information is gathered, there is no feedback, and people are left not knowing what was done with the information gathered. Therefore, creating meaningful touchpoints and feedback loops with stakeholders is important to building trust and practicing good public participation. Models and examples from other government entities could be a valuable resource in this process as well. At the municipal level, Simon Fraser University’s Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue (Canada) recently partnered with the City of Victories to refresh their municipal engagement framework with an equity lens (https://engage.victoria.ca/all-our-voices). The process included extensive place-based consultations with diverse communities. While it would be challenging to scale this up on a national level, partnering with a network of cities or regional districts could help to engage individuals from priority under-served communities and the organizations who have frontline experience serving these populations. Summary In crafting a Federal framework for Public Participation and Community Engagement (PPCE), it is imperative to incorporate a comprehensive set of resources, guidelines, and minimum standards to guide Federal agencies effectively. These resources should include a glossary of terms, core principles, case studies, and planning templates sourced from existing materials within the public engagement and dialogue field. Additionally, defining minimum standards for quality participation is essential to mitigate risks associated with poorly planned engagement efforts. To facilitate agencies in developing best practices, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) should consider diverse PPCE activities with broad stakeholder engagement while providing regular updates to the public about feedback received and decisions made during engagement activities. Goals and objectives for the Federal framework should emphasize continuous collaboration, empowerment of communities, early inclusion, technological integration, and multi-modal participation. Measuring the impact of engagement processes should include indicators of participation, diversity, and quality, along with assessing impacts on participants, officials, and the engagement process itself. In co-developing the PPCE Federal framework, OMB should engage both the Federal Government and the public, particularly underserved communities, in a recurring process that fosters meaningful dialogue and input throughout development stages. Practices should include regular meetings, online engagement, storytelling opportunities, and focus groups with historically excluded populations. Feedback loops and transparency in decision-making are crucial for building trust and ensuring effective public participation in this and future engagements. Ultimately, the success of the Federal framework for PPCE lies in its ability to empower communities, foster collaboration, and uphold principles of inclusivity and transparency in public engagement efforts. NCDD applauds the Federal Government for its commitment to advancing public participation and community engagement, and eagerly looks forward to continuing collaborative efforts in co-developing this crucial framework for inclusive and impactful public engagement. 
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NCDD is a community and coalition of individuals and organizations who bring people together to discuss, decide and collaborate on today's toughest issues.
© The National Coalition For Dialogue And Deliberation, Inc. All rights reserved.
© The National Coalition For Dialogue And Deliberation, Inc. All rights reserved.