Every project needs people to help it succeed. A project needs leaders, volunteers, supporters, partners, funders, etc to ensure its success. This section takes you through the reasons why you need people, how to find them and how to keep them involved throughout what is likely to be a very long process. Use the links in the sub menu to navigate through the sections.
The collective term for everyone involved with a project is a stakeholder. A stakeholder is anyone who has an interest in the project either as a final user, employee, volunteer, funder, council, etc and is the term used throughout this section of the site.
People come on board to support projects for different reasons. Different projects will start in different places and how projects are triggered will ultimately affect the stakeholders involved and the extent of their involvement. Some may react to a threat or an opportunity, others may actively seek out possibilities to develop an asset project but whatever the actual trigger it is likely to start with a lack of provision of land or buildings to meet community needs in a neighbourhood.
Stakeholder involvement is also essential for building consensus about proposals and addressing objections or concerns in advance. From this point of view any local politicians, local community groups and organisations that are likely to support the idea of community owned land and buildings are essential to the process, particularly as asset projects often take a long time to implement.
Whatever the initial trigger and whether a project is being promoted by an interested group of individuals or an existing organisation(s), to be successful the project will need stakeholders to support it because involving stakeholders helps to:
Create value and wealth - value is not just about money, it is also about building relationships and reputations that can create fruitful collaborations about money.
Reduce risk - many asset projects will need political support and many public bodies require projects to be promoted by people or organisations that are seen to have a mandate from other stakeholders if they are to be credible.
Tap opportunities for innovation - the more stakeholders involved the more resources, skills, ideas are available to contribute to the project.
Improve sustainability/resilience - there is nothing like involvement to create agreement on aims and objectives, commitment to making a project happen and understanding of what needs to be done. Both the project and the organisation promoting it can benefit from this.