Longevity through sustaining involvement
For groups that begin as grassroots initiatives, another key consideration related to establishing longevity is sustained involvement of people within the community. While many individuals might be drawn to the energy of starting a new initiative or become engaged as a response to a specific moment in time or a specific challenge, sustaining engagement requires specific attention. It is helpful to understand some of the reasons why engagement might fade and specific ways to sustain engagement over time.
Why engagement fades and some solutions:
Lack of clear roles or direction: Volunteers may lose motivation if they don’t understand how they fit into the bigger picture.
Solution: Clarify each role's contribution to the group's goals and provide clear expectations from the beginning. Ensure new members understand the "why" behind each activity, not just the "what."
Burnout and overcommitment: A few people taking on too much can lead to exhaustion and frustration. When some members feel like they are carrying the majority of the workload, they may start to pull back or disengage.
Solution: Regularly check in with your team members about their capacity. Rotate responsibilities and encourage people to step back when they need to. Share the load, by building a strong, collaborative network, so that no one person feels overwhelmed. Resist the urge to allow large levels of responsibility to rest on one person, even one very committed and capable individual.
Lack of progress or visible impact: People want to see results. If efforts feel stalled or lack immediate impact, engagement may drop. If the group is working towards long-term goals, it can feel discouraging if progress is slow or invisible.
Solution: Break down larger projects into smaller, manageable goals that can be achieved within shorter timeframes. Celebrate small wins and share progress with the group and community to maintain momentum and morale.
Life changes and competing priorities: Work, family, and personal commitments can pull people away. Life happens, and not everyone can maintain the same level of involvement over time.
Solution: Build flexibility into how people can participate. Encourage members to take breaks when needed and assure them that they are always welcome to return. Having a rotating leadership or volunteer structure helps prevent burnout from any one individual.
Unwelcoming or inefficient group dynamics: Meetings that feel disorganized, exclusive, or dominated by a few voices can push people away. If members feel uncomfortable, unheard, or disconnected from the group, they’re less likely to stay involved.
Solution: Foster an inclusive and respectful environment where everyone’s voice is heard. Set clear ground rules for meetings, such as “one person speaks at a time” or “everyone’s opinion is valued.” Acknowledge everyone’s contributions and keep the group focused on collaboration rather than hierarchy.
Remember, some people might fade away naturally, whether because they are more drawn to starting initiatives as opposed to sustaining them, because they became involved to respond to a specific moment or challenge and disengage after the moment or challenge passes, or due to life circumstances or change of interest. It is okay for people to step away and does not necessarily mean that your group has done something wrong. It can be helpful to check-in with folks who do step away to learn if there is an adjustment in your engagement work that could be helpful in the future. And, by engaging new people along the way, your organization benefits from new perspectives and skill sets while also building robustness that allows the initiative to sustain through natural attrition of members.
Structuring Involvement for Long-Term Engagement
Most community groups start with volunteers, and commitment can ebb and flow due to personal responsibilities, burnout, changing priorities, and other factors. Consider the following strategies:
Offer different levels of engagement: Not everyone can commit to the same level of involvement. Providing multiple ways for people to engage ensures broader participation and allows people to stay involved in a way that suits their schedule and capacity.
Invite members to opt into projects. Ask: Who wants to take this on for the next month?
Example: provide short-term, project-based roles for those who can’t commit long-term.
Create clear but flexible roles:
Define roles based on interests and availability, so volunteers can contribute in ways that fit their changing capacity. Rather than locking volunteers into rigid responsibilities, create an environment where involvement can shift as needed.
Examples: encourage volunteers to reassess their roles and capacity every few months, rotate some responsibilities.
Build relationships, not just a team:
Building strong relationships within your group fosters a sense of belonging and personal connection to the cause. When people align their values with the work, they’re more motivated and committed, which is essential for sustaining volunteer-driven efforts.
Prioritize regular, informal check-ins to get to know each other beyond roles and tasks.This informal check in can be an ice breaker question before starting a meeting. Examples: ‘What is something that brought you joy recently?, What is your energy level for this meeting?’
Ensure everyone feels valued by recognizing their contributions and making sure their voices are heard.
Take time to socialize and enjoy each other's company! Ensure that meetings are not just about the work, but also about the connection between the people doing the work. This will strengthen your work and build a positive experience for those involved.
Plan for transitions:
Volunteer availability will always fluctuate, so have a plan for leadership turnover.
Examples: document key processes and responsibilities to ensure continuity when leadership changes, create an onboarding guide for new team members to quickly get up to speed, set up succession planning to identify potential future leaders early on.
Build in Reflection & Adaptation: Make space for periodic check-ins during which the group reflects on what’s working and what needs to change. This helps prevent stagnation and keeps everyone involved in the decision-making process. These check-ins should be framed as a time for growth, not criticism, and should aim to strengthen relationships and foster an open dialogue about challenges and successes. Questions to ask:
Are workloads distributed fairly, or are some people overburdened?
Do we need to adjust our structure or activities to keep engagement strong?
Are there new members or skills we can bring into the group to expand our capacity?
Provide Opportunities for Skill-Building:
Give your team opportunities to grow and develop new skills. Whether through workshops, training, or informal mentorship, helping members develop can increase their sense of value and investment in the group’s work while also bringing new resources to the group.
Invite experts in the field or other organizations to come talk to your team and skill-share.
Sustain your core team over time
Regularly assess capacity, support team members to avoid burnout, and revisit goals to ensure alignment with people’s evolving interests and availability.
Normalize the idea that stepping back is okay and that new people can always step in. Example: ask regularly “How is everyone feeling about their involvement?”
Celebrate progress and express gratitude to your teammates.
Make room for rest & recharging.
