For the best experience, we recommend using a laptop or desktop. Make sure your volume is turned up or use your headphones so you don’t miss helpful cues and key insights throughout the course.
Sound on and screen ready!
Designing meaningful engagement
Communicating with clarity
Get started
Introduction
Why community engagement matters
Principles of meaningful engagement
Designing engagement activities
Sustaining engagement and reflection
Next
Introduction
Next
Why community engagement matters
Meaningful engagement doesn’t just strengthen your community - it strengthens your club too. Click to reveal the different types of value your club can create through engagement.
Social value
Financial value
Reputational value
Development value
Builds belonging, wellbeing, and participation
Attracts partners, funding, and members who stay
Shows your club is inclusive and community-led
Creates feedback that drives better decisions
Next
Why community engagement matters
Observe your community
Click to explore things to consider👉
Before you start planning engagement, it helps to notice what’s already happening around you. Look beyond your club walls and start mapping who’s active, who’s missing, and where conversations are taking place.
Next
Principles of meaningful engagement
The foundations of meaningful engagement
Meaningful engagement doesn’t happen by chance, it’s built on a few simple but powerful principles that shape how your club connects and collaborates. Click each icon to explore the five principles of meaningful engagement
Responsive
Purposeful
Inclusive
Reciprocal
Transparent
You don’t need to be perfect in all five, the goal is steady progress, not perfection.
Next
Principles of meaningful engagement
The engagement ladder
Community engagement happens at different levels from sharing information to co-creating solutions. Each stage has its own value, but the deeper you go, the stronger the shared ownership and impact. Click each step on the ladder to explore what it looks like in practice and remember, you don’t need to reach the top every time.
Co-produce
Collaborate
Involve
Consult
Remember,the goal is to match your approach to your purpose, people, and capacity.
Inform
Next
Reflection: Where does your club sit?
You’ve explored the five levels of engagement from informing to co-producing. Now it’s time to think about where your club currently sits and how you might go deeper, consider;
- Which level best describes your current approach?
- How often do you move beyond “inform” or “consult”?
- What helps and what holds you back from greater collaboration?
+ Mini task
Next
Designing engagement activities
What good engagement looks like
Click to see some examples👉
Good engagement isn’t about doing more, it’s about doing what matters, in ways that make people feel seen and valued. Effective activities are simple, inclusive, and built around shared goals.
Next
Designing engagement activities
Five questions to shape your design
Before planning any community activity, there are five simple questions you should ask yourself. Click each to reveal a question and a helpful tip.
Who is it for and who’s missing?
How will you measure success?
What will make it meaningful?
Where will it happen?
Why are you doing it?
Tip: Check your community snapshot for under-represented voices.
Tip: Link every activity back to your club’s goals or a community need.
Tip: Keep it relevant, purposeful, and achievable.
Tip: Meet people where they already are - schools, parks, faith centres.
Tip: Agree what success looks like before you start.
Next
Designing engagement activities
Meaningful design in practice
When people help design the experience, they help sustain it. Flip each card to see how clubs have turned engagement principles into real-world design.
Youth sport taster week
Family open morning
Quiet hour sessions
Community showcase night
Co-planned with local schools after feedback about cost and travel barriers.Tip: Design with people, not for them.
Created after consulting families with neurodiverse children. Tip: Inclusion often starts with listening.
Co-produced with local arts groups to celebrate young people’s talents.Tip: Collaboration widens your reach and relevance.
Invited parents to co-host games and share stories about why they joined. Tip: Personal ownership builds belonging.
Next
Sustaining engagement and reflection
Next
Designing engagement activities
Sustaining engagement over time
Click to see some examples of sustaining engagement👉
True engagement doesn’t end when an activity finishes, it’s about building relationships that last. Sustaining engagement means keeping conversations open, following up, and showing that you value people’s time and trust.
Long-term engagement builds loyalty, trust, and reputation. It’s how community-led clubs thrive.
Next
Reflection: Building meaningful connections
You’ve explored how understanding your community, listening to different voices, and co-designing activities all help build trust and belonging.Now it’s time to turn that learning into everyday action. Take a moment to think about your organisation:
- How regularly do you listen to families, participants, or partners?
- Do people feel their ideas lead to real change?
- Where could you make engagement easier or more inclusive?
+ Mini task
Next
FAQ's
What’s the difference between consultation and collaboration?
How can we reach people who don’t usually engage?
How can we make engagement more inclusive without overwhelming volunteers?
How do we keep engagement going when key people move on?
What if our engagement activities don’t get much response?
Next
Ready to put your knowledge into action?
Audio
We’ve put together a set of practical resources to help you take the next steps with confidence:
Engagement design canvas
Engagement ladder planner
Inclusive engagement checklist
Onboarding and succession planner
Click ‘Save and exit’ at the top right, and we’ll send your action pack straight to your email inbox!
Involve
Inviting people to help shape or plan specific activities. Sharing ideas and decisions, but the club still leads delivery.Example: A youth football club invited families to join a “club open day” planning group to help design games, food stalls, and promotion. Tip: Give participants a clear role and make their contribution visible at the event or activity, avoid tokenism - involvement should be genuine, not symbolic.
How do we keep engagement going when key people move on?
Answer: Document what works and who’s involved, so knowledge isn’t lost. Plan for handover, even in small teams, by having simple notes or shared folders.
Where to go for support: The onboarding & succession planner helps you record key contacts, timelines, and follow-up actions to make transitions smoother.
Mini task
Map one real example of how your club currently engages people, it could be how you gather feedback, plan activities, or make decisions.Then, mark which level of engagement it represents: inform, consult, involve, collaborate, or co-produce. Ask yourself: - What would it take to move one step deeper on this example?
- Who could you involve or partner with to make that happen?
Tip: You don’t have to jump straight to co-production. Progress happens when you add one more layer of involvement, a conversation, a shared idea, a small co-created action. Start small, build trust, and let collaboration grow naturally.
Responsive
Listening means being ready to adapt. Real engagement turns insight into action. Example: After community feedback about costs, a martial arts club introduced a flexible payment plan and sponsorship option for families in need. Tip: Treat feedback as a gift, it’s the fastest way to learn, improve, and build trust.
What if our engagement activities don’t get much response?
Where to go for support: Use your engagement design canvas and onboarding & succession planner to refine and keep momentum.
Answer: That’s normal, engagement is about learning, not just turnout. Review what worked, what didn’t, and what people actually need next time. A small but honest response is better than a big but shallow one.
Collaborate
Working together with partners or community groups as equals, sharing responsibility, resources, and decision-making.Example: A swimming club teamed up with a local primary school to co-run a “water safety week,” combining school staff, coaches, and volunteers. Tip: Set shared goals and review them together. Collaboration works best when everyone understands the benefits. Communication can get messy, so assign a clear contact for coordination.
Transparent
People trust your club when they can see how their input makes a difference. Example: A rugby club created a “you said, we did” board summarising parent feedback and what actions were taken as a result. Tip: Close the feedback loop; always tell people what you did (or didn’t) change and why.
How can we reach people who don’t usually engage?
Where to go for suport: The engagement design canvas helps you plan outreach with purpose and relevance.
Answer: Go where they already are. Partner with schools, community groups, or local events, and focus on listening before promoting. Ask: “What would make this easier for you?”
What’s the difference between consultation and collaboration?
Where to go for support: The engagement ladder planner shows examples of both and helps you choose the right level.
Answer: Consultation means asking for input, collaboration means sharing ownership. In consultation, you listen; in collaboration, you co-create. Both are valuable, but choose what fits your capacity and community needs.
How can we make engagement more inclusive without overwhelming volunteers?
Where to go for support: Use your inclusive engagement checklist to identify easy wins that fit your club’s capacity.
Answer: Start small, focus on one barrier at a time, such as timing, cost, or communication style. Simple adjustments, like flexible session times or clearer language in materials, can make a big difference.
Purposeful
Every engagement activity should have a clear aim so that you know why you’re doing it and what you want to achieve together.Example: A community gymnastics club invited parents to share ideas for new classes; not just to collect opinions, but to design a timetable that worked for families and coaches. Tip: Start with one clear question or outcome before planning any engagement. It keeps conversations focused and meaningful.
Things to consider:
- What community groups, schools, or services are visible locally
- Where do people already connect online, schools, parks, faith or cultural centres
- Who isn’t yet involved in your club’s activities
Remember, good engagement begins with curiosity, before you ask questions learn who’s in the room.
Reciprocal
Good engagement benefits everyone. Your club gains insight and reach, while the community gains value and opportunity. Example: A swimming club offered free pool sessions to volunteers from a local charity in return for help promoting sessions to new families. Tip: Look for win-win outcomes, shared benefits make partnerships last longer.
Consult
Asking people for their views, opinions, or preferences before making decisions. Still led by the club, but with active listening.Example: A netball club used a parent survey to decide between two potential training venues and shared the results before confirming the final choice. Tip: Always tell people what you did with their feedback even if you couldn’t act on every idea. If you ask, you must respond, otherwise trust fades quickly.
Inclusive
Create spaces where everyone feels welcome, heard, and valued, whatever their background or ability. Example: A youth sports club partnered with a local disability network to run a sensory-friendly open day, removing barriers to participation. Tip: Ask, “who isn’t in the room?” and plan how to invite or represent them next time.
Mini task
Pick one small way to strengthen your connection with your community this month.It might be a five-minute conversation after a session, a short feedback poll, or inviting parents to help shape your next event. Write it down, set a date, and commit to trying it. Tip: Meaningful engagement isn’t a project, it’s a habit. Small, consistent actions create stronger relationships, one step at a time.
Inform
The first level of engagement. One-way communication where your club shares updates or promotes opportunities to keep people informed.
Example: A gymnastics club posts monthly “what’s on” updates, new session times, and event photos on social media and newsletters to keep families in the loop. Tip: Make your messages short and relevant, clear information builds trust, even if it’s one-way. Don’t stop here though, informing keeps people aware, but not involved.
Examples:
- Follow up → share outcomes, updates, or thank-yous soon after an event or project
- Keep learning → review what worked and what didn’t with your team and partners
- Stay visible → show ongoing community presence, even between events
- Build feedback loops → make listening a habit, not a one-off
Co-produce
The deepest level of engagement. Your club and community partners design, deliver, and review programmes together from start to finish.Example: A multi-sport hub co-designed a “girls active night” with teenage participants, local schools, and youth mentors to ensure it met real needs
Tip: Start co-production small - one project, one group, one goal - then grow as confidence builds. It takes time and trust, but the outcomes are lasting and high impact.
Identify
Who could be affected?List the groups or individuals that may experience a positive or negative impact. Consider protected characteristics (e.g. age, disability, race, sex) and wider barriers such as cost, confidence, or access. Example: A price increase might affect lower-income families or single parents more than others.
Examples:
- A community fun day shaped by parent suggestions rather than pre-set plans
- A short online poll before launching a new class, to check interest and timing
- A “community chat” drop-in where families share ideas over coffee
Remember, good engagement feels collaborative, not transactional.
Designing meaningful engagement
Jess Melville
Created on October 10, 2025
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Transcript
For the best experience, we recommend using a laptop or desktop. Make sure your volume is turned up or use your headphones so you don’t miss helpful cues and key insights throughout the course.
Sound on and screen ready!
Designing meaningful engagement
Communicating with clarity
Get started
Introduction
Why community engagement matters
Principles of meaningful engagement
Designing engagement activities
Sustaining engagement and reflection
Next
Introduction
Next
Why community engagement matters
Meaningful engagement doesn’t just strengthen your community - it strengthens your club too. Click to reveal the different types of value your club can create through engagement.
Social value
Financial value
Reputational value
Development value
Builds belonging, wellbeing, and participation
Attracts partners, funding, and members who stay
Shows your club is inclusive and community-led
Creates feedback that drives better decisions
Next
Why community engagement matters
Observe your community
Click to explore things to consider👉
Before you start planning engagement, it helps to notice what’s already happening around you. Look beyond your club walls and start mapping who’s active, who’s missing, and where conversations are taking place.
Next
Principles of meaningful engagement
The foundations of meaningful engagement
Meaningful engagement doesn’t happen by chance, it’s built on a few simple but powerful principles that shape how your club connects and collaborates. Click each icon to explore the five principles of meaningful engagement
Responsive
Purposeful
Inclusive
Reciprocal
Transparent
You don’t need to be perfect in all five, the goal is steady progress, not perfection.
Next
Principles of meaningful engagement
The engagement ladder
Community engagement happens at different levels from sharing information to co-creating solutions. Each stage has its own value, but the deeper you go, the stronger the shared ownership and impact. Click each step on the ladder to explore what it looks like in practice and remember, you don’t need to reach the top every time.
Co-produce
Collaborate
Involve
Consult
Remember,the goal is to match your approach to your purpose, people, and capacity.
Inform
Next
Reflection: Where does your club sit?
You’ve explored the five levels of engagement from informing to co-producing. Now it’s time to think about where your club currently sits and how you might go deeper, consider;
+ Mini task
Next
Designing engagement activities
What good engagement looks like
Click to see some examples👉
Good engagement isn’t about doing more, it’s about doing what matters, in ways that make people feel seen and valued. Effective activities are simple, inclusive, and built around shared goals.
Next
Designing engagement activities
Five questions to shape your design
Before planning any community activity, there are five simple questions you should ask yourself. Click each to reveal a question and a helpful tip.
Who is it for and who’s missing?
How will you measure success?
What will make it meaningful?
Where will it happen?
Why are you doing it?
Tip: Check your community snapshot for under-represented voices.
Tip: Link every activity back to your club’s goals or a community need.
Tip: Keep it relevant, purposeful, and achievable.
Tip: Meet people where they already are - schools, parks, faith centres.
Tip: Agree what success looks like before you start.
Next
Designing engagement activities
Meaningful design in practice
When people help design the experience, they help sustain it. Flip each card to see how clubs have turned engagement principles into real-world design.
Youth sport taster week
Family open morning
Quiet hour sessions
Community showcase night
Co-planned with local schools after feedback about cost and travel barriers.Tip: Design with people, not for them.
Created after consulting families with neurodiverse children. Tip: Inclusion often starts with listening.
Co-produced with local arts groups to celebrate young people’s talents.Tip: Collaboration widens your reach and relevance.
Invited parents to co-host games and share stories about why they joined. Tip: Personal ownership builds belonging.
Next
Sustaining engagement and reflection
Next
Designing engagement activities
Sustaining engagement over time
Click to see some examples of sustaining engagement👉
True engagement doesn’t end when an activity finishes, it’s about building relationships that last. Sustaining engagement means keeping conversations open, following up, and showing that you value people’s time and trust.
Long-term engagement builds loyalty, trust, and reputation. It’s how community-led clubs thrive.
Next
Reflection: Building meaningful connections
You’ve explored how understanding your community, listening to different voices, and co-designing activities all help build trust and belonging.Now it’s time to turn that learning into everyday action. Take a moment to think about your organisation:
+ Mini task
Next
FAQ's
What’s the difference between consultation and collaboration?
How can we reach people who don’t usually engage?
How can we make engagement more inclusive without overwhelming volunteers?
How do we keep engagement going when key people move on?
What if our engagement activities don’t get much response?
Next
Ready to put your knowledge into action?
Audio
We’ve put together a set of practical resources to help you take the next steps with confidence:
Engagement design canvas
Engagement ladder planner
Inclusive engagement checklist
Onboarding and succession planner
Click ‘Save and exit’ at the top right, and we’ll send your action pack straight to your email inbox!
Involve
Inviting people to help shape or plan specific activities. Sharing ideas and decisions, but the club still leads delivery.Example: A youth football club invited families to join a “club open day” planning group to help design games, food stalls, and promotion. Tip: Give participants a clear role and make their contribution visible at the event or activity, avoid tokenism - involvement should be genuine, not symbolic.
How do we keep engagement going when key people move on?
Answer: Document what works and who’s involved, so knowledge isn’t lost. Plan for handover, even in small teams, by having simple notes or shared folders.
Where to go for support: The onboarding & succession planner helps you record key contacts, timelines, and follow-up actions to make transitions smoother.
Mini task
Map one real example of how your club currently engages people, it could be how you gather feedback, plan activities, or make decisions.Then, mark which level of engagement it represents: inform, consult, involve, collaborate, or co-produce. Ask yourself:- What would it take to move one step deeper on this example?
- Who could you involve or partner with to make that happen?
Tip: You don’t have to jump straight to co-production. Progress happens when you add one more layer of involvement, a conversation, a shared idea, a small co-created action. Start small, build trust, and let collaboration grow naturally.Responsive
Listening means being ready to adapt. Real engagement turns insight into action. Example: After community feedback about costs, a martial arts club introduced a flexible payment plan and sponsorship option for families in need. Tip: Treat feedback as a gift, it’s the fastest way to learn, improve, and build trust.
What if our engagement activities don’t get much response?
Where to go for support: Use your engagement design canvas and onboarding & succession planner to refine and keep momentum.
Answer: That’s normal, engagement is about learning, not just turnout. Review what worked, what didn’t, and what people actually need next time. A small but honest response is better than a big but shallow one.
Collaborate
Working together with partners or community groups as equals, sharing responsibility, resources, and decision-making.Example: A swimming club teamed up with a local primary school to co-run a “water safety week,” combining school staff, coaches, and volunteers. Tip: Set shared goals and review them together. Collaboration works best when everyone understands the benefits. Communication can get messy, so assign a clear contact for coordination.
Transparent
People trust your club when they can see how their input makes a difference. Example: A rugby club created a “you said, we did” board summarising parent feedback and what actions were taken as a result. Tip: Close the feedback loop; always tell people what you did (or didn’t) change and why.
How can we reach people who don’t usually engage?
Where to go for suport: The engagement design canvas helps you plan outreach with purpose and relevance.
Answer: Go where they already are. Partner with schools, community groups, or local events, and focus on listening before promoting. Ask: “What would make this easier for you?”
What’s the difference between consultation and collaboration?
Where to go for support: The engagement ladder planner shows examples of both and helps you choose the right level.
Answer: Consultation means asking for input, collaboration means sharing ownership. In consultation, you listen; in collaboration, you co-create. Both are valuable, but choose what fits your capacity and community needs.
How can we make engagement more inclusive without overwhelming volunteers?
Where to go for support: Use your inclusive engagement checklist to identify easy wins that fit your club’s capacity.
Answer: Start small, focus on one barrier at a time, such as timing, cost, or communication style. Simple adjustments, like flexible session times or clearer language in materials, can make a big difference.
Purposeful
Every engagement activity should have a clear aim so that you know why you’re doing it and what you want to achieve together.Example: A community gymnastics club invited parents to share ideas for new classes; not just to collect opinions, but to design a timetable that worked for families and coaches. Tip: Start with one clear question or outcome before planning any engagement. It keeps conversations focused and meaningful.
Things to consider:
- What community groups, schools, or services are visible locally
- Where do people already connect online, schools, parks, faith or cultural centres
- Who isn’t yet involved in your club’s activities
Remember, good engagement begins with curiosity, before you ask questions learn who’s in the room.Reciprocal
Good engagement benefits everyone. Your club gains insight and reach, while the community gains value and opportunity. Example: A swimming club offered free pool sessions to volunteers from a local charity in return for help promoting sessions to new families. Tip: Look for win-win outcomes, shared benefits make partnerships last longer.
Consult
Asking people for their views, opinions, or preferences before making decisions. Still led by the club, but with active listening.Example: A netball club used a parent survey to decide between two potential training venues and shared the results before confirming the final choice. Tip: Always tell people what you did with their feedback even if you couldn’t act on every idea. If you ask, you must respond, otherwise trust fades quickly.
Inclusive
Create spaces where everyone feels welcome, heard, and valued, whatever their background or ability. Example: A youth sports club partnered with a local disability network to run a sensory-friendly open day, removing barriers to participation. Tip: Ask, “who isn’t in the room?” and plan how to invite or represent them next time.
Mini task
Pick one small way to strengthen your connection with your community this month.It might be a five-minute conversation after a session, a short feedback poll, or inviting parents to help shape your next event. Write it down, set a date, and commit to trying it. Tip: Meaningful engagement isn’t a project, it’s a habit. Small, consistent actions create stronger relationships, one step at a time.
Inform
The first level of engagement. One-way communication where your club shares updates or promotes opportunities to keep people informed. Example: A gymnastics club posts monthly “what’s on” updates, new session times, and event photos on social media and newsletters to keep families in the loop. Tip: Make your messages short and relevant, clear information builds trust, even if it’s one-way. Don’t stop here though, informing keeps people aware, but not involved.
Examples:
Co-produce
The deepest level of engagement. Your club and community partners design, deliver, and review programmes together from start to finish.Example: A multi-sport hub co-designed a “girls active night” with teenage participants, local schools, and youth mentors to ensure it met real needs Tip: Start co-production small - one project, one group, one goal - then grow as confidence builds. It takes time and trust, but the outcomes are lasting and high impact.
Identify
Who could be affected?List the groups or individuals that may experience a positive or negative impact. Consider protected characteristics (e.g. age, disability, race, sex) and wider barriers such as cost, confidence, or access. Example: A price increase might affect lower-income families or single parents more than others.
Examples:
- A community fun day shaped by parent suggestions rather than pre-set plans
- A short online poll before launching a new class, to check interest and timing
- A “community chat” drop-in where families share ideas over coffee
Remember, good engagement feels collaborative, not transactional.