Recruit Workgroup Members

Once you understand the purpose of the workgroup and the communities most affected by the issue, the next step is to identify who should be at the table. Choosing the right workgroup members is essential. The people you choose to include will shape the conversation, the recommendations, and ultimately the success of the project.

This section outlines steps to help you find, interview, and select members of your workgroup. The way that you recruit and select candidates should be built on the foundation of your landscape analysis and the outcome of your planning meeting with sponsors and advocates. Use the following steps as a guide.

Design the Application

Draft a Position Description that includes:

Workgroup description & desired outcome or deliverable(s)
Lived experience definition
Frequency and duration of meetings
Community compensation rates offered to qualifying members
Tools needed (computer, internet access, apps like Zoom or Teams, etc.) and what can be provided if the applicant lacks any of these tools

Create the application with the end user and result in mind. What process best meets their needs and what applications and tools do they have access to?

DON’T request burdensome cover letters or resumes that create extra labor for community members who may already be stretched thin.
DO use a secure form or survey collection tool for the application instead of having applicants download a PDF which requires them to have the software and specialized knowledge to edit, save, and email back to you. The Office of Equity frequently uses Smartsheet for surveys and forms like this, but your office may have another preferred tool.
If your Landscape Analysis identified that the impacted community mostly speaks a language other than English, translate the application and other relevant materials into the primary language(s) of the group beforehand (whether anyone has made a formal translation request). Be prepared to receive and request translation back to English from applicants who apply in another language. Do not rely only on machine translations (Google Translate) without use of a qualified human reviewer to ensure quality, context, and relevancy of translated materials.
Verify that all forms are accessible for applicants who use assistive technology (such as a screen reader).

Application Template

Use the template below as a foundation for developing your application form: Application template

Begin Recruitment

Your recruitment strategy should be directly informed by your Landscape Analysis. Using what you learned about this community, try to use methods that are most likely to reach your target demographic.

Recruitment must be active instead of passive. Government staff have a responsibility to find and meet people where they are and not expect them to come to us. Workgroup application materials should not be buried deep on your website or only shared via your agency’s newsletter, after all, many regular people do not sign up for state agency newsletters. Do not rely only on digital forms of communication as not everyone has access to the internet.

Common Recruitment Methods

GovDelivery newsletter
Social Media posts from agency account
Direct outreach to the community organizations identified in your Landscape Analysis
Flyers in public spaces
Request that stakeholders, sponsors, advocates, and Consulting State Entity that you met with during the Planning Phase share the application announcement across their networks

Collect Private Personal Information Cautiously

Protecting people’s privacy is essential. Do not ask for sensitive personal information on application forms. For the most up-to-date and detailed information, please visit the Office of Privacy and Data Protection website (opens in a new tab).

Sensitive information includes details about someone’s lived experience that may be private, stigmatizing, or traumatic. For example, a workgroup focused on improving detox, rehabilitation, and recovery services may seek applicants who have lived experience with substance use disorder, or a workgroup about issues facing the LGBTQ community may seek applicants who belong to a protected class due to their gender or sexual orientation. These details should not be collected on an application because written applications would be subject to public disclosure or could be subpoenaed by the federal government and could potentially harm the applicants if that information is made public.

Before asking for any demographic or other sensitive information, carefully consider whether the information you are requesting creates an unnecessary record of private or potentially sensitive information. The Office of Equity recommends that you collect only the minimum required information on the written form.

Key Privacy Practice:

If you must ask questions about marginalized identities and experiences because it is relevant to the workgroup, do so during the face-to-face interview to avoid creating a written record of this kind of sensitive information.

Data Privacy & Tech Checklist

Meet with your agency’s IT or data privacy staff and talk through the following prompts to determine the needs of your group and how you will meet them. If you don’t have a dedicated staff person to discuss these with, you may consider consulting with WA Tech or OFM.

Purpose

What activities will occur during meetings?

Information sharing
Discussion
Decision-making
Co-creation or drafting
Training or presentations
Will the group need to collaborate between meetings?
How long will the workgroup operate?
One meeting
Short-term project
Ongoing advisory body
What outputs will the group produce?
Recommendations
Reports
Draft policies

Participants & Access

Who will participate in the workgroup?

State agency staff
Local government
Tribes
Community-based organizations
Residents / community members
Researchers or consultants
How many participants are expected?
What level of technical experience should we assume that members have?
What devices will participants likely use?
Mobile phones
Laptops
Tablets
Shared computers
Do participants need to join meetings without creating an account?
Will participants have reliable internet access?
Will some participants need phone dial-in option
Will recordings or transcripts be needed for those who cannot attend?
Do the platforms we may use allow for low-bandwidth participation?
Are there participants who prefer asynchronous participation (forums, shared docs)?

Usability & Collaboration

Meeting Features

Video Conferencing
Audio-only participation
Screen sharing
Chat
Breakout rooms
Polling
Hand-raising
Recording
Facilitation Tools
Shared whiteboards
Collaborative notes
Live document editing
Surveys or feedback tools
Between-Meeting Collaboration
Document sharing
Commenting and editing
Task tracking
Shared calendars
Discussion boards

Security & Privacy

Will sensitive or confidential information be discussed?

Are meetings required to be recorded or archived?
What security controls are required?
Authentication
Waiting rooms
Participant permissions
Are there data privacy requirements for participants?
Can external participants safely access the platform without exposing personal data?
Does the platform comply with relevant policies?
State IT standards
Accessibility requirements

Interview Candidates

Once you have a group of candidates who have applied, you must hold a face-to-face interview with each person. This can be in person or virtual. The interview is your chance to talk openly with candidates about their lived experience and their connection to the topic. It also helps you see their communication style and personality—things that may not come through in a written application. This makes the process fairer for people who may not be as strong in written English.

Staff from the consulting state agencies may be able to help with the interviews or support you when making final decisions.

Anyone from your agency who is involved in recruiting and selecting community members must understand how to identify and reduce bias. This is essential for making fair and equitable decisions.

Example Interview Prompts

Applicant’s lived experience

What experiences or perspectives do you bring that would help shape this work?
How do you hear from and stay connected to the community you represent?
Have you participated in committees, workgroup, or policy discussions before?
What strengths or expertise would you bring to this group?

Communication style

How do you handle disagreements or differing viewpoints?
How do you ensure conversations include people who are often left out?

Interest and availability

Are you able to commit to the full timeline and meeting schedule?
Why are you interested in serving on this workgroup?

Support Needs

Do you have any barriers that would make participation difficult, and what can we do to help? (technology, transportation, language access, disability accommodations, etc.).

Applicant questions

What questions do you have for us?

Timeline

When will applicants be notified if they have been selected?
When will the workgroup begin meeting?

Select Candidates

After you review all applications and complete the interviews, your next step is to choose the candidates who best meet the needs of the workgroup. Look for people who bring a strong connection to the topic, relevant lived experience, and a willingness to work collaboratively with others.

When selecting candidates, consider the full mix of voices you need. This may include people with different backgrounds, identities, geographic regions, and experiences with the issue. Aim for a group that reflects the communities most impacted by the work.

Comply with the Nothing About Us Without Us Act

The “Nothing About Us Without Us Act” HB 1541 requires Class 1 Workgroups to:

Include at least three individuals from underrepresented populations who have direct lived experience with the identified policy or issue that the statutory entity is tasked with examining; and
Reflect, to the greatest extent possible, the diversity of people with direct lived experience with the identified issue or issues, including members who reside in urban and rural communities, and with differing cultural and economic circumstances.

Create a Scoring Rubric

A scoring rubric is a simple tool to help you review applications and choose workgroup members in a fair and consistent way. It helps you look at each applicant using the same criteria, so your decisions are transparent. You will use the rubric to score each applicant based on how well they meet each criterion.

Everyone involved in selection should use a fair and consistent process.
Avoid making decisions based on assumptions or personal bias. Instead, use the same criteria for each candidate and base your decisions on what you learned from the application and interview.
Include at least one other colleague in the scoring discussion. Having more voices in the conversation other than just your own can help prevent your own personal bias from affecting the outcome. Including a trusted colleague(s) in a discussion about scoring will bring in additional perspectives and help ensure a fair, transparent scoring process.
After scoring all categories, add up the points to get a total score for each applicant. The highest scoring applicants should be selected for workgroup membership.
If there are several candidates who are tied with the same score and not enough open positions to appoint them all, use your best judgment to make the final decision.
Take into consideration the overall diversity of the group. Ex: If most of the other candidates are from Western Washington, a tie-breaking factor might be that one candidate is from Eastern Washington.

Example Scoring Rubric

Applicant Evaluation

Scoring Guide

5: Clearly meets the criterion
3: Partially meets the criterion
0: Does not meet the criterion

Selection Criteria	Score	Reviewer Notes
Has lived experience related to the workgroup topic	____ / 5	Notes
Meets the skills and knowledge needed for the workgroup	____ / 5	Notes
Understands the challenges and opportunities of the issue	____ / 5	Notes
Brings a perspective that will enhance the diversity of the group	____ / 5	Notes
Has time to participate	____ / 5	Notes
Works well with others in a group setting	____ / 5	Notes
Shares ideas clearly and respectfully	____ / 5	Notes
Brings fresh ideas and helps solve problems	____ / 5	Notes
Total Score	____ / 40

Notify Candidates

Once final decisions are made, notify all applicants via email whether they were, or were not, selected to participate. This ensures transparency and respect for everyone who took the time to apply.

Optional - Send formal appointment letter

This is a paper letter signed by your agency’s director (or whoever is in a leadership position over this workgroup) and mailed to those selected. This step is optional, but many people appreciate it. It can help new members feel valued and is also something they can add to their résumé, share on social media, or help with professional networking.