Community Engagement Toolkit

Welcome to the Toolkit

The Community Engagement Toolkit is an essential resource for Washington state agency staff who want to create meaningful, inclusive, and equitable partnerships with community members, particularly those from underrepresented populations. Developed by the Office of Equity, this comprehensive guide provides practical tools, templates, and best practices for establishing workgroups that center the voices of people with direct lived experience. 

The toolkit walks users through every step of the engagement process, from initial planning and recruitment to compensation and measuring impact, with a strong focus on accessibility, universal design, and relational partnership. It emphasizes moving beyond traditional, transactional approaches to create a more responsive and inclusive government that works with communities rather than simply for them. Whether you're managing a statutory workgroup or seeking to improve your agency's community engagement practices, this toolkit offers invaluable guidance for building trust, ensuring accessibility, and fostering genuine collaboration with the communities most impacted by government decisions.

How to use this toolkit 

The toolkit is compiled in a narrative format which is organized in the tabs to your left. You are encouraged to read through the narrative Toolkit, which includes important context and information, and then download individual Tools as needed. 

The tools will have a button that will take you to a PDF.  

We Want to Hear From You

 We are actively seeking feedback on this toolkit. Is there anything that you found particularly helpful, or something that needs more work? Let us know by filling out this short (4 questions) survey. The survey can be submitted anonymously and anyone is welcome to submit a response.

SURVEY LINK: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/18fb8fc73bd24baea49983b6f9f9932b

Introduction

Learn about the intent of the Community Engagement Tool Kit by clicking the plus sign under Introduction on the side navigation, or by clicking next.