How can Community Outreach professionals collaborate with schools?

Community outreach professionals play a vital role in connecting organizations with their target audiences and fostering positive social impact. One of the most important and rewarding groups to engage with is the school community, which includes students, teachers, parents, and administrators. However, collaborating with schools can also present some challenges, such as aligning goals, expectations, and resources. In this article, we will explore some tips and best practices for community outreach professionals who want to build successful partnerships with schools.

1 Identify your objectives

Before reaching out to schools, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and how you can add value to their educational mission. Do you want to raise awareness about a certain issue, provide a service or resource, or create a learning opportunity for students? How does your organization's vision and expertise align with the school's curriculum and goals? What are the benefits and outcomes of your collaboration for both parties? Having a well-defined and realistic objective will help you communicate your purpose and interest to schools and avoid any confusion or disappointment.

Add your perspective

Carlton Allen MS, CHW, MCHES®

Program Manager at The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas | America's Essential Hospitals 2020-21 Fellow | Cancer Advocate | Nonprofit Board Member
Report contribution
Anything you can do to make the lives of the school and the administration easier is very much appreciated. Can you offer vaccines for the children in a single location? Can you provide physicals so the children don’t have to coordinate that separately? Make sure you have the support and buy-in from the board, administration, and community. Show the value of what you are offering and you are off to a good start.

Like

2 Research and target schools

Not every school will be interested or suitable for your collaboration. You need to do some research and identify the schools that match your criteria and objectives. You can use online databases, directories, websites, social media, or referrals to find potential schools. You should also consider factors such as location, size, demographics, needs, interests, and reputation of the schools. Once you have a shortlist of schools, you can start reaching out to them and introduce yourself and your organization. You should also ask them about their availability, preferences, and requirements for collaboration.

Add your perspective

3 Build relationships and trust

Collaborating with schools requires building strong and lasting relationships with the key stakeholders, such as principals, teachers, counselors, and parent associations. You need to establish trust and credibility by being respectful, responsive, transparent, and flexible. You should also show genuine interest and appreciation for the school's culture, values, and achievements. You can use various channels and methods to communicate and interact with the school community, such as emails, phone calls, newsletters, social media, events, or visits. You should also provide regular updates and feedback on your collaboration and seek input and suggestions from the school.

Add your perspective

Carlton Allen MS, CHW, MCHES®

Program Manager at The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas | America's Essential Hospitals 2020-21 Fellow | Cancer Advocate | Nonprofit Board Member
Report contribution
Some of the best relationships to build to work with the school are through the PTO (parent teacher organization) and through the SHAC (school health advisory council). If you can present your case to those groups and gain their support and trust then they can help advocate for you and what you want to bring to the school.

Like

4 Plan and execute your collaboration

Once you have agreed on the terms and scope of your collaboration with the school, you need to plan and execute your activities and projects. You should create a detailed and realistic action plan that outlines the objectives, roles, responsibilities, timelines, resources, and evaluation methods of your collaboration. You should also coordinate and collaborate with the school staff and other partners to ensure a smooth and effective implementation. You should also be prepared to adapt and adjust your plan according to any changes or challenges that may arise during the collaboration.

Add your perspective

5 Evaluate and celebrate your collaboration

After completing your collaboration with the school, you should evaluate and celebrate your results and achievements. You should use both quantitative and qualitative data and feedback to measure the impact and outcomes of your collaboration. You should also identify the strengths and weaknesses of your collaboration and learn from your successes and failures. You should also acknowledge and appreciate the contributions and efforts of everyone involved in your collaboration and celebrate your achievements together. You should also maintain and nurture your relationship with the school and explore opportunities for future collaboration.

Add your perspective

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

Add your perspective

Mohammad Umair

Program Development Associate @ LUMS || Transforming Education through Data & EdTech || Training & Development || Community and Educational Outreach || Co-founder @ Rahbar || xOutreach Executive || Public Speaker
Report contribution
During my time as coordinator outreach, I managed 3 outreach campaigns and collaborated with more than 400 Higher Secondary Schools across the country. following are some of the ways I used: - We used to identified the colleges across the country the aligned with our mission. - Used to write letters to the heads of that colleges introducing our university and out outreach campaign. - Took follow-up on that letters. - The used to call the one by one and pitched our outreach campaign to them and how they can get benefit from us. - Requested them for a seminar with their students at their college. - Visited them and delivered outreach seminar. - Strengthened that relationships by keeping them engaged throughout the year.

Like

How can Community Outreach professionals collaborate with schools?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Identify your objectives

2 Research and target schools

3 Build relationships and trust

4 Plan and execute your collaboration

5 Evaluate and celebrate your collaboration

6 Here’s what else to consider

Community Outreach

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

More articles on Community Outreach

More relevant reading

How can Community Outreach professionals collaborate with schools?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Identify your objectives

2 Research and target schools

3 Build relationships and trust

4 Plan and execute your collaboration

5 Evaluate and celebrate your collaboration

6 Here’s what else to consider

Community Outreach

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

Explore Other Skills