Recruitment & Onboarding

• How do we communicate publicly about opportunities for PWLE to work with us?
• How have we connected with the PWLE we currently work with and what are the strengths and limitations of our current approach(es)?
• In what ways should we adapt our outreach materials and strategies based on specific communities and populations we want to make connections with?

• Ground recruitment in equity and inclusion. Effective recruitment strategies bring “meeting people where they are” to life. This means being intentional about the language used, messaging tone, and outreach channels so that recruitment efforts resonate across different communities and lived experiences.
• Tailor recruitment strategies to meet the unique strengths, cultural contexts, and communication needs and preferences of the community. Strategies to consider:
  • Build from existing relationships: Engage existing advisory committee and community members to support recruitment efforts. Their personal connections, insights on outreach approaches and messages, and their referrals are often the most trusted and effective outreach tools.
  • Empower staff and current PWLE partners: Provide incentives, training, and materials for frontline staff and existing PWLE partners so they can confidently and accurately describe opportunities and refer new people.
  • Partner with trusted community-based organizations: Build and sustain relationships with local community-based organizations that already have deep ties and credibility within the communities you aim to reach. These organizations can support connection and trust-building.
  • Create clear and accessible pathways that make it easy for people to get in touch and refer prospective new members. For example, maintain a mobile-friendly, dedicated webpage with plain language descriptions of engagement opportunities, a short contact form, and clearly identified contacts who respond promptly to inquiries.
• Prioritize language and cultural accessibility. Language access and cultural relevance are foundational to equitable recruitment. Materials and outreach should:
  • Be translated into the primary languages spoken by local communities
  • Reflect appropriate literacy levels and plain language principles
  • Avoid jargon, acronyms, and technical terms
  • Include culturally familiar examples, visuals, and tone
  • Account for accessibility needs (e.g., screen reader compatibility)
• Co-design and test recruitment materials with PWLE. Seek direct feedback from the PWLE you already work with about your public communication materials and strategies. Invite them to review and respond to questions like:
  • Is the language clear and easy to understand?
  • Are important details about the opportunities included upfront?
  • What barriers might exist for people who want to reach out?
  • Where are opportunities to improve the communication approach and strategies?

National Health Care for the Homeless Council highlights outreach and event recruitment strategies in their brief titled,  If You Build It, Will They Come? – Recruiting and Retaining Consumers Experiencing Homelessness in Health Center Governance.

• To what extent do we focus on long-term relationship-building with community members, rather than solely on point-in-time recruitment campaigns?
• In what ways do we stay in touch with PWLE and community groups outside of  shared work that is underway?

• Shift from a “recruitment” mindset to a “relationship-building” mindset. Assume that you will need time for establishing trust and building relationships with new communities and partners. Organizations miss the mark when they think of recruitment of PWLE as a point-in-time activity that occurs when there is a specific need and ends once enough people have been recruited or the perceived need is met. Recruitment approaches that are driven by rigid timelines and performance targets miss out on the benefits of intentional, longer-term, relationship-based efforts.
• Begin early and lead with curiosity. Start cultivating relationships well before you have a specific need or ask. In many cases, it is more effective to connect first as a listener and learner. Demonstrating genuine interest in people’s experiences and priorities lays a stronger foundation for collaboration. Practical ways to begin include:
  • Identify and learn about existing community spaces where PWLE already convene, such as senior centers, faith-based organizations, neighborhood associations, community resident organizations, and advisory committees connected to other healthcare organizations, non-profits, and public agencies.
  • Get in touch to learn more about these existing community groups and their priorities.
  • Attend meetings and community events to listen and observe.
    • For authentic connection, show up as a person first, not just a representative of your organization. Be genuine, get to know people, and show an interest in what they have going on.

• Equip and empower staff for relational engagement. Staff responsible for engagement must have both the skills and structural support to invest in authentic relationship building. This means:
  • Hiring and developing staff who value collaboration, humility, connection, and active listening.
  • Ensuring there is time, flexibility, and organizational support and prioritization for roles responsible for engagement to build and maintain community and PWLE relationships outside of formal meetings.
  • Recognizing and rewarding relational work as essential and expected, not “extra.”

• Keep the door open and maintain ongoing connection. Every interaction is an opportunity to sustain relationships and foster continued engagement. Consider how your organization can make it easy for PWLE to stay connected, such as:
  • Asking people who complete a survey or participate in a focus group if you can get in touch with them about future opportunities
  • Taking time to discuss and document topics PWLE are interested in during onboarding of advisory committee members in order to help them connect with future engagement opportunities
  • Prioritizing mutually beneficial engagement with PWLE. Compensate people for their time and effort, treat them with respect, and ensure their input is utilized to the extent possible – these investments into authentic relationships make it more likely that people want to keep working with you
  • See Creating Engagement Opportunities for additional ideas about how to keep the door open to making connections with PWLE

• Respectfully partner with trusted messengers such as community leaders, advocates, or organizations with established credibility. They can be invaluable partners in helping your organization connect with PWLE. Be sure to approach these relationships with care.
  • Recognize the labor and emotional investment trusted messengers contribute when bridging relationships
  • Avoid placing them in positions that could strain their community trust
  • Be a responsible steward of the relationships they help you develop by acting with integrity, transparency, and accountability in ongoing interactions

Evelyne Kane, Associate Director of Community Engagement & Capacity Building at the Camden Coalition, discusses how staff can approach work with PWLE.

Through the HAIR [Health Access Initiative for Recovery] program, Community Care learned how important it is to partner with individuals known and trusted in their communities. This initiative started primarily in the Black community and revealed a lack of trust in the community. To help rebuild trust, Community Care partnered with other people who had relationships in the community.

“And just don’t think, because you look like them, that they trust you…you really have to work to build trust…One of the consultants that we hired, he actually was doing work with barbers and stylists in the past around a health initiative, prostate screening. And so, he already had established relationships. He’s a respected person in the community. One of the best things that worked for us with recruitment is if you know somebody that knows somebody. If there’s somebody that’s already trusted, we reached out to that person and maybe they referred us to somebody else that might be interested. Then people were more open to hearing from us, receiving us, because somebody that they trusted recommended or referred us to them.”

• What is our process for helping people to acquire the necessary information both in the beginning of their engagement and throughout?
• What are we doing to make sure people feel welcome in our engagement activities?
  • What more could we be doing?

• Communicate clearly, even before onboarding begins. Preparation starts long before the first official meeting. When inviting PWLE to participate, clearly communicate the scope and expectations of the role. Include details such as:
  • The length/duration of the engagement activities
  • Time-commitment and frequency of meetings
  • Meeting format (virtual, hybrid, or in-person)
  • Compensation, reimbursement, and available support
  • Pre-onboarding conversation or interview by phone, video or in person to:
    • Learn more about each individual’s experience, interests, and goals
    • Answer questions and clarify expectations
    • Explore any support needs or accommodations
• Make onboarding relational, not transactional.  Onboarding is not a one-directional transfer of information, rather it is an opportunity to build relationships, trust, and a sense of belonging.  Consider structuring onboarding as a two-way exchange, where PWLE:
  • Learn about the organization and its work
  • Share their own interests, experience, and goals for their participation
  • Begin building relationships with staff and peers
• Provide comprehensive, accessible information. Onboarding/orientation processes often include a set of written materials as well as individual and/or group meeting times for staff to review the information with new members. Common onboarding topics include:
  • History of the organization and the advisory committee
  • Overview of the organization and advisory committee’s structure – including where the advisory committee is situated within the organization
  • Role and responsibilities of committee members and the organization
  • Meeting logistics such as schedules, Zoom links, etc.
  • Key staff members roles and contact information
  • A list of other advisory committee members
  • Group norms and agreements
  • A glossary of common terms or acronyms that may be used
  • Any relevant background or context about key issues the advisory committee is working on
  • Information about if and how advisory committee members are compensated and/or reimbursed
  • A list of the types of accommodations and support that are readily available and how to access them
  • Training and capacity building opportunities,including opportunities to be paired with a peer mentor
  • An opportunity for the person being onboarded to share their personal interests and goals and to raise any questions, concerns, and/or support needs they have.

• Avoid information overload. Too much information upfront can be overwhelming especially for those new to advisory roles. You can balance thoroughness with accessibility by:
  • Breaking up onboarding information into multiple communications
  • Offering information in multiple formats as well as opportunities for people to revisit the information (e.g.,  digital files, recorded videos, in-person meetings, graphics.)
  • Revisiting key topics on regularly  with advisory committee members

• Consider a peer-mentor element to further strengthen onboarding. Pairing new committee members with more experienced peers offers both relational and practical support. Staff can facilitate these partnerships by:
  • Matching mentors and mentees based on shared interests or lived experiences
  • Providing optional structure such as monthly check-ins or conversation prompts
  • Encouraging time for open dialogue and questions/support

The following resources from other organizations are real examples of part of their onboarding processes. Consider adopting or or adapting these for your organization:

• Stanford Health Care Patient & Family Partner Program: New Volunteer Orientation
• CommonSpirit Health Research & Equity Advisory Council for Housing Insecurities (REACHI) Co-Chair Position Description
• National Health Care for the Homeless Council’s 2024 National Consumer Advisory Board (NCAB) Steering Committee Onboarding Materials