Do you know who your stakeholders are?

Many make the fatal error of assuming who their stakeholders are, reaching out to the same stakeholders they have contacted since the organisation was established, or assuming how their stakeholders want to be contacted.

With any communication strategies, in stakeholder engagement, it is important to regularly gain a realistic perspective of who your stakeholders are, their level of involvement and influence, and how they like to be communicated with. The method in which to gain this understanding is often called an audit.

We’ve outlined below some of the steps to undertake a stakeholder audit, in accordance with the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2):

Gain a good understanding of who your existing stakeholders are:

An easy first step is to investigate who your existing stakeholders are, whether contact is often or irregular, the relationship is supportive or adversarial, or the relationship is new or has been established long ago, it is vital to build knowledge of your organisation’s stakeholder landscape.

Identify potential or new stakeholders you could connect with:

As your organisation evolves, so too should your stakeholder list.  There may be movements towards a new sector or service provision, and it will be important to ensure all new stakeholders are identified and aware of your plans.  

Create a hierarchy for these stakeholders using the IAP2 Spectrum:

If you have experience with the IAP2 Spectrum, you will know that decision will need to be made about whether your exchanges with stakeholders will be to:

• Inform
• Consult
• Involve
• Collaborate or 
• Empower

The level of impact on the decision made goes from least at Inform and the most impact at empower.

Ensure stakeholder outreach is inclusive and communication accessible

It is important that the organisation undertakes outreach with all facets of Australia’s community including First Nations people, members of LGBTIQ+, and CALD Australians. Ensuring all community members are connected with, will ensure a more thorough stakeholder engagement.  In addition, it will be imperative to ensure that your communication is reaching these groups where they are, including through community-controlled organisations, queer publications and using languages other than English where necessary. 

Fifty Acres can assist with your ongoing stakeholder engagement, or we can create an impactful strategy to guide your outreach.