There are different ways of engaging grassroots organizations depending on the partnership between the leader and community groups. Two of the basic cooperation strategies include volunteering and policy analysis. Volunteer activities are significant for struggling organizations that operate on shoestring budgets (Atchison, Butler, & Damiano, 2020). As a public health leader, one can organize volunteering activities involving youths and students. Such initiatives will support grassroots organizations to achieve their goals without borrowing. The organizations will also boost their reputation and have broad impacts within their communities. Similar to volunteering is finding funds to support the projects of the organization. Public leaders can mobilize resource allocation and donor activities towards grassroots organizations. Policy analysis and advocacy involve understanding existing policies and helping grassroots organizations develop policy ideas that impact their communities. When the organizations get credit for policies, it strengthens their reputation and opens donor funding streams (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), 2017). Policy wins also enhance support from the local community, which is crucial in the organizations’ success.
Some benefits of engaging in community partnerships include the development of relevant solutions for specific local groups and increasing their capacity to shape outcomes. The partner organizations are closer to locals than public health leaders (NASEM, 2017). Therefore, they understand the community problems better and can lead the way in developing effective solutions. Community-based solutions will face less resistance from locals and become easier and less complicated to implement (Atchison, Butler, & Damiano, 2020). With the same knowledge of their local populations, the organizations can participate in policy advocacy to promote the best interests of the locals. In this way, they will shape the outcomes for the betterment of their communities.
References
Atchison, C. G., Butler, J., & Damiano, P. (2020). Adverse childhood experiences: A model for effective 21st-century clinical-community partnerships. American Journal of Public Health, 110(4), 450-451. Web.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2017). Communities in action: Pathways to health equity. The National Academies Press.