Getting Started with Community Engagement: Start with What Matters Most

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Getting Started with Community Engagement: Start with What Matters Most

August 19, 2026 | By: Laura Bekes

Community engagement can feel overwhelming when organizations are not sure where to begin. This post offers a practical starting point: focus engagement where community voice can meaningfully shape decisions. By starting with shared purpose, preparing before asking for input, and closing the loop with transparency, organizations can build engagement practices that are respectful, useful, and more likely to lead to lasting partnership.

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From Checkboxes to Compasses: How Funders Can Actually Hear Community

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From Checkboxes to Compasses: How Funders Can Actually Hear Community

June 24, 2026 | By: LFA Co-CEOs - Emily Boer Drake and Jessica Xiomara Garcia

Philanthropy has no shortage of bold equity commitments. What's harder to find is the intentional, sustained practice of listening and being accountable to what you hear. Grantmakers, are you asking yourselves if your grantmaking is directed by communities or merely toward them? There's a difference, and it shows up in your strategy, your evaluation design, and who's in the room when decisions get made. In this mid-year reflection, LFA's Co-CEOs share three examples of foundation partners who are doing exactly that, and what the rest of the field can learn from them.

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The Secrets to High-Impact Capacity Building

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The Secrets to High-Impact Capacity Building

April 23, 2026 | By: Minh Ha

What does it really take to make capacity building meaningful—and worth the investment?  From setting realistic, equity‑minded goals to building trust through transparency and unlocking the power of peer learning, this post explores the ingredients that turn good intentions into lasting impact. Read the full post to see how these principles come to life.

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