Who Are the Stakeholders

Who Are the Stakeholders

WHO ARE STAKEHOLDERS?

Stakeholders are often people who:
• Will be impacted by the strategic plan
• Have information, experience, or insight that will be helpful in developing the plan
• May be in a position to either support or block progress of your plan
• Have a vested in interest in the work
• Are final decision makers or people who must approve the plan
• Will implement any aspect of the plan
• Need to be informed of the plan
• Have been champions or critics of your work in the past (or perhaps both!)
• Are visionary thinkers interested in exploring bold, new opportunities

ROLES FOR STAKEHOLDERS

Serve as a Design Team Member: A diverse group of people who are highly invested in this work and who provide a critical perspective by engaging throughout the entire planning process. Their time commitment is the largest. They are the key collaborators on what will be included in the plan drafts. Design teams are often composed of 5-10 people, representing different stakeholder groups. They also are asked to consider perspectives other than their own or those of the stakeholder group(s) of which they are a part.

Provide Input: Which stakeholder groups should be asked for their input at various points in the process? Who could have critical insight, experience, or information that can be incorporated into the process? Who will be most impacted by the strategic plan?

One strategy for gathering input is to utilize existing meetings (e.g. community partner forums, faculty curriculum committees, staff meetings, student organization meetings) to gather input on their visions for community engagement, or what they perceive to be the greatest barriers or opportunities for strengthening community engagement in higher education.

Provide Feedback: Who should read drafts of the full plan or portions of it, and provide feedback?

Approve the Plan: Who needs to formally “approve the plan”? Who...

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