In recent years, there has been a noticeable rise in individuals receiving compensation for their participation in community engagement initiatives. What used to be seen as just a voluntary or civic duty has now become a more nuanced approach that truly recognizes and values the contributions of community members in meaningful ways.
Deliberative panels across Victoria, Citizens Juries in South Australia, and the Queensland Plan deliberation all included equitable payments or compensation for travel, accommodation, meals, and time, which helped boost participation. Now, local governments across Australia are discussing how these compensation methods, successfully used in large-scale projects, could be applied to support projects that typically see lower participation.
This shift highlights a broader trend towards prioritizing inclusivity, equity, and professionalism in community engagement, with the goal of enhancing both the quantity and quality of participation data. As a practitioner in this field, it’s crucial to understand the benefits and challenges of compensating individuals for their time and efforts in community engagement initiatives.
The Benefits of Compensating Community Engagement
Before we delve into the benefits of compensating community engagement, let’s set a scenario to help provide an example.
Community Engagement Scenario:
Now, consider a local council initiating a consultation process to develop a series of pedestrian crossings. In their community engagement plan, they identified the need to gather ideas via an online social map to help pinpoint potential locations for new crossings within the council area. Additionally, they planned to hold pop-up chats at key pedestrian traffic hotspots and organize a representative meeting with community members in the mid-afternoon. This meeting would include participants from various pedestrian groups, such as individuals with disabilities, parents with strollers, the elderly, and children.
Five Benefits of Compensation in Community Engagement
Using the scenario above, let’s explore five benefits of using compensation in community engagement.
- Inclusivity
- Equitable Representation
- Acknowledgement of Time and Effort
- Increased Engagement
- Professionalisation of Community Engagement
1. Inclusivity
One major positive aspect of compensating people for participating in community engagement is that it promotes inclusivity. By providing financial compensation, we can ensure that individuals from diverse socio-economic backgrounds can actively engage in community activities without facing financial barriers.
For instance, looking at our scenario, some individuals might be unable to attend the proposed meeting due to travel expenses. However, by offering compensation, such as covering taxi or Uber fares, the local council can make it easier for participants to attend by arranging transportation bookings for community members.
2. Equitable Representation
Compensation helps achieve equitable representation in community engagement initiatives. It encourages individuals from marginalized communities to participate, by ensuring that their voices are heard and their perspectives are considered in decision-making processes.
Building on the above example, if people use a wheelchair and cannot access transport due to costs, pre-booking a wheelchair-accessible taxi can allow people with chronic health impairments to travel to the meeting without worrying about any expenses.
3. Acknowledgment of Time and Effort
Compensation recognizes the time, effort, and expertise that community members contribute as experts by (life) experience. It validates their contributions and encourages continued involvement by showing appreciation for their commitment. Compensation is not a benefit of participation and should not be discussed as such. It is a way to honour the time and energy of the community.
Using the example above, providing travel compensation ensures participants are not out of pocket and makes attendance easier for representatives of individuals with accessibility needs. However, they may also need to take time off work to travel and participate in the meeting. By offering financial compensation, you acknowledge and value the participant’s time and effort.
4. Increased Engagement
Financial incentives can lead to increased engagement levels. When people are compensated for their participation, they are more likely to be able to prioritize and dedicate time to community activities, leading to more meaningful and sustained involvement. Continuing the example, our participant has their travel covered, are being acknowledge with a payment and is able to do so at a time of day that overlaps with work hours.
Some members of the public with disabilities may work extra hours each week to earn overtime pay needed for their care expenses. This can prevent them from participating in civic activities they are interested in. Despite their eagerness to contribute, their involvement is often limited to filling out surveys, leading to frustration. However, by offering compensation for participation, they can afford to take time off work, allowing for increased engagement in initiatives of interest.
5. Professionalisation of Community Engagement
Offering compensation contributes to the professionalisation of community engagement practices. It sets a standard for valuing the work of community members and promotes a culture where community engagement is seen as a legitimate and respected field.
Finally in the example above, while budgets are generally small in the community engagement process, by adding in an element of compensation, budgets should be increased and shared across project partners to help compensate more participants.
Professionalism increases and community engagement becomes more representative as, in our scenario, people with high interest are able to successfully contribute thanks to the compensation that’s been received.
Challenges and Considerations
Considering that compensation for participation in community engagement has numerous positives we must also look at and consider the obvious challenges that also comes with it. Below we have listed five challenges and considerations.
- Resource Constraints
- Perceived Motivations
- Equity Issues
- Sustainability
- Balancing Incentives
1. Resource Constraints
One of the challenges of compensating community engagement is the potential strain on resources. For instance, organizations may face budget limitations, especially in the area of community engagement, which makes it challenging to offer financial incentives to all participants.
2. Perceived Motivations
There can be concerns about the motivations of participants when compensation is involved. Some may worry that people participate solely for monetary gain rather than genuine interest in community betterment. Or potentially, there could be a bias toward telling the engagement officer what they think they want to hear. (i.e. being paid to be ‘agreeable’)
3. Equity Issues
While compensation promotes inclusivity, there’s also a risk of unintentionally creating inequities within the community if it’s not implemented thoughtfully. So, ensuring fair and transparent compensation structures is crucial. But, also in the issue of compensation, consideration must be given to the impact it has on those on benefits/pensions. Research what amounts, forms, and methods of compensation might be most appropriate for certain groups.
4. Sustainability
Sustaining compensation programs in the long term requires careful planning and ongoing funding. Organizations must consider the feasibility of maintaining such initiatives beyond short-term projects.
5. Balancing Incentives
Finding the right balance between offering enough compensation to incentivise participation without creating dependency or overshadowing intrinsic motivations is a delicate task that requires thoughtful design and evaluation. In these cases, tokenistic payments with gift vouchers or prize draws to illicit submissions should not be considered compensation.
Another crucial aspect to consider is minimizing meeting barriers during the initial stages of planning community engagement. Offering amenities like meals, childcare, transportation, translation services, wheelchair access, virtual alternatives such as Social Pinpoint, and providing masks/sanitizers, before even discussing compensation greatly enhances equity, inclusivity, and a sense of belonging among participants.
The rise in compensating people for participating in community engagement can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, there is a growing recognition of the value that community members bring to the table as experts by experience. Their insights are seen as essential for creating more effective and inclusive solutions to complex social challenges. Secondly, there is a heightened awareness of the need for equitable practices within community engagement, ensuring that everyone, regardless of background or circumstance, has a fair opportunity to participate and contribute meaningfully.
Lastly, the professionalisation of community engagement as a field has led to a shift in mindset, where compensating participants is viewed as not just a gesture of appreciation but also as a strategic investment in building stronger, more resilient communities and relationships both in the short term for one off projects and the long term where panels are developed to provide advice to organizations more broadly than for a specific project mandate.
