Engagement Best Practices

Building strong, meaningful connections with the community starts with clear policies, open communication, and a commitment to equity. A key part of this is recognizing that community members are experts in their own experiences and should have a central role in shaping engagement efforts. 

Best practices include practical tools and strategies to support inclusive participation, from creating internal policies that promote fairness to effectively working with community-based organizations. It also covers a “How to” for recruiting members with lived experience, ensuring they feel valued and supported. 

Equitable engagement means fair compensation for all participants, including those who are incarcerated or have other barriers to participation. A strong foundation of trust—built through relational partnerships—helps sustain long-term collaboration. Onboarding and ongoing support are also essential to ensure that all community members can fully engage. 

Finally, accessibility is at the heart of effective community engagement. Everyone should have the opportunity to contribute in a way that works for them, making the process truly inclusive and impactful. 

Creating Internal Policies  

Agencies must create comprehensive internal policies and procedures to provide staff with clear, reasonable, and easily implementable step-by-step instructions for implementing payment systems. This is a critical component of establishing consistent standards and ensuring that all eligible members receive the same compensation and experience the same quality of interaction across all departments and workgroups. 

Refer to the “Templates, Resources, & Examples” section of this document for helpful ideas on how to establish your own documentation but note that all documents and policies should be tailored to each agency, department, and workgroup’s unique needs.  

When establishing an internal policy, consider what a workgroup manager would need to know at each step in recruiting, communicating, budgeting, and setting up payment processes for an eligible member.  

You may also want to consult with the following personnel within your agency or department: 

• Accounting: Agencies should contact their internal accounting department establish a payment request process that workgroup managers can easily follow. Each agency’s OFM accounting assistant should be available for assistance.
• Budget: Agencies should contact their internal budget department or department and/or the department’s director or assistant director overseeing the workgroup in question to ensure that an accurate and appropriate budget is established before eligible members begin service on a workgroup. Each agency’s OFM accounting assistant should be available for assistance.
• Equity: Agencies should contact their internal equity department and should follow the agency internal process, if different. The Washington State EQUITY LivedExperience@equity.wa.gov is also available for technical assistance and support.
• Legal: Agencies should contact their internal counsel and should follow the agency internal process, if different. Your assigned AAG should also be available for assistance.
• Policy: Agencies should contact their internal Human Resources or policy-setting staff and should follow the agency’s internal process, if different. Each agency’s Governor’s Policy Advisor should also be available for assistance.