Learning about Public Engagement

Just recently, I have taken a little break from creating my online portfolio to take a look at something new...

Public Engagement

Here in the UK a thing called Public Engagement has become the next big thing. Every organisation is doing it, so it seems, but what is it? Essentially, Public Engagement is the complete package of skills and activities widening the public profile of an organisation.

Public Engagement is... 

• Public Relations, 
• Social Media,
• Meet & Greet, 
• Fundraising, 
• Money handling,
• Visitor Experience Surveying, 
• Education & Learning, 
• Exhibitions & Events
• Tours, Guides, Ranging,
• Volunteer Recruitment, etc., etc.

What is really interesting is that these skills have always been there but somehow, now, something is different. It is much more important than it used to be.

PR, public relations, was somehow the poor relation to advertising and perhaps more to do with 'fire-fighting' than creating a positive image. A gate-keeper. Public Engagement is all about developing that positive engagement and loyal support.

Public relations is much more a Private Sector activity, i.e. a business activity, which operates to provide a service or manufacturing product. Public Engagement is much more to do with the so-called Third-Sector, the community sector.


There is more... it has a given history. Public Engagement started out as a concept of engaging academic specialist at universerities with non-academics, often members of the public, for mutual benefit. The public can provide feedback on issues such as Ethics in health care research, for example.

It is even supported by a dedicated organisation called the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement, NCCPE. Although they still focus on academic institutions, they do also recognise the wider newer, definition of Public Engagement, too.


With the Age of Austrerity upon us, community-based organisations are finding less and less support from grants from lottery money and local government. As a result they have a need to be much more self-reliant and self-supporting. The silver-lining to this cloud is Public Engagement. As these organisations do not sell a product, there is not an obvious source of income. Income is generated by memberships, donations, legacies, and fundraising.

Creating a positive experience for anyone engaging with a community organisation is the way to generate ongoing support. From that support will come financial support, but with it will also come new ideas, new generations of people, and an elevated status within the community and the cause supported.

There are some pit-falls. Organised events can have a variety of different purposes from fundraising to learning, to increasing membership or public profile. The aims need to be made clear to avoid any misunderstanding.