One thing I have found helpful is including stakeholders from the beginning of the outreach design process and setting expectations about how community stakeholders will be involved in outreach efforts. It also helps to offer feedback mechanisms which stakeholders are comfortable with, it won't be one size fits all. To maintain trust, close the feedback loop by sharing the result of the feedback and subsequent actions with stakeholders. Most importantly, don't ask for feedback if you don't have an intention or plan to address it. Remember feedback is a gift.

If an organization's outreach strategy is under scrutiny from its stakeholders, that tells me its leadership, staff and programs are not community-centered or informed. Outreach strategies should be a collaborative effort rooted in valuing the audiences, participants and communities being engaged. There should be non-tokenized inclusion of staff and partners who are able to speak authentically, with integrity and respect for cultural values to and about the needs and concerns of their stakeholders.