Our Community Engagement Philosophy
Community engagement is a cornerstone of our work. From Colorado’s Western Slope to the Eastern Plains and everywhere in between, we work in partnership with communities across our state to support and fund solutions to health challenges. We constantly listen to and learn from communities because they know best the need of their people.
We are committed to working at all levels of a community, including connecting with community members, grassroots and local leadership, community organizations and government. Along with building relationships, this engagement helps us identify partnerships and opportunities to collaborate or fund solutions that will have a meaningful impact on Coloradans’ health.
How We Work in Community
Program officers actively engage in counties throughout the state. They spend time with residents to get to know community perspectives, dynamics and trends. These connections help us understand when to fund work or contribute other resources.
The program officer role is structured around a set of guiding principles for working effectively at the local level. These principles are outlined in our Community Engagement IMPACT Practice Model, which was created to establish a “core set of ‘key functions’ that are critical to cultivating positive community change.”
Our program officers work to embody these key functions as they travel and build long-lasting connections with stakeholders at all levels. The Community Engagement IMPACT Practice Model was developed as a practice profile grounded in the framework of implementation science. Successful engagement, however, means constantly adapting as we go. Therefore, the model exists as a dynamic resource that will continue to evolve as we clarify and fine-tune best practices.
For more information or comments about our community engagement philosophy or the Community Engagement IMPACT Practice Model, please contact Amy Latham, vice president of philanthropy, or Scott Downes, portfolio director.