At the heart of social change is civic and community engagement

If you truly want to make a difference, invest in and cultivate civic and community engagement. There will never be enough money or programs to address all the social needs, much less eradicate the root causes. Social change simply can’t be bought or “programmed.” Research tells us that social change happens when a groundswell of people champion an issue or when, through agenda-setting or a mobilizing event, people are moved to act.  Nonprofits and foundations are critical to addressing needs, but broad-scale mobilization is the only way social movements happen.  Therefore, inspiring civic and community engagement should be a part of every program and grant making strategy.

There are best practices and research on effective civic and community engagement strategies. Dr. Loflin has been a part of establishing those best practices through her research, foundation experience and field work and can assist you in integrating this important component to your grant making or programmatic strategy.