Engagement Planning

Designing Engagement to Inform and Learn

SBN specializes in both community-based external engagement with residents, stakeholders, and agency partners, as well as internal engagement with jurisdictional staff and elected officials.

Our Approach

Successful projects begin with planning for engagement at every stage of the timeline. We provide clients with communication materials and strategic outreach that advance projects towards completion.

SBN scales our engagement to meet project needs, from public meeting presentations to on-site accessibility planning to lower barriers for community event participation.

We value the importance of translating complex policies, planning documents, and data sets into accessible formats that appeal to both subject matter experts and the general public.

A woman and a man sit at a table outdoors, smiling at the camera. The woman has curly dark hair and is wearing a striped shirt, and the man has short dark hair, glasses, and is also wearing a striped shirt. The table has various items including a laptop, a tablet, a water bottle, a notebook, and a flyer titled 'Help Plan Yarrow Point's Future'. There is a tree in the background, and a car is partially visible behind the woman.
Two women are standing at a booth with a white table under a canopy, discussing a map. One woman has long curly hair and is wearing a dark jacket, the other has long hair tied back with a pink headband and is wearing a gray jacket. There are colorful markers, brochures, and a small sign on the table.

  • Communicating projects, policies, and logistics can be complex, even in small communities. At SBN we create accessible messaging to inform elected officials, governing bodies, and community stakeholders for optimal collaboration.

    • Meeting Facilitation

    • Learning and Brainstorming Sessions

    • Presentations for Internal Audiences at Every Level of Government

    • Graphics and Data Visualization for Technical Planning

    • Internal Process and Decision Making Audits

  • Participatory planning processes are crucial for community buy-in and gathering vital feedback from the public, which can significantly impact the future of projects and policies. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to our engagement, and we offer a broad range of services to craft engagement plans tailored to your specific needs.

    • Large and Small-Scale Event Design

    • Workshop Facilitation

    • Community Stakeholder Engagement and Focus Groups

    • Public Surveys

    • Engagement Plans and Program Charters

    • Transcreation of Materials for Multilingual Audiences

    • Poster, Mailer, and Printed Materials Design

  • We create engagement events and materials to encourage community members to lend their voice and their presence to planning processes. We take every effort to ensure that all who wish to participate can do so by planning for their needs in advance.

    • ADA Accessibility for in-person events or virtual attendance support if ADA access is not available

    • Arranging Live Translators in Advance

    • Cultural Responsiveness in Program and Material Design

    • Strategic Planning with Community Stakeholders for Attendance Outcomes

A map outline of the city of Chicago with river and street grid, overlaid with text 'Planning for Vader's Future' and a subtitle 'The next ten years of local policy and planning starts now.'
Map and informational flyer of Yarrow Point, including zoning, parks, greenspaces, and community features, with a header titled 'Town of Yarrow Point: Current Zoning' and a legend explaining different zoning designations.
Group of people gathered around a display board, looking at information about Lake Stevens, with several posters and a table with papers and small objects.
Group of five people engaged in conversation in a room with large windows and a table with snacks.
A group of five people gathered around a table, looking at printed materials and a display board. The setting appears to be inside a building with large windows and a garage-style door, with some outdoor trees visible through the windows.