Workshop Details

D4: From Transactional to Transformational: Building Community Engagement with Your Mission

Presented by Troy Smith, Senior Director of Advancement at CAPS

Located at

Workshop Description

♦This session is appropriate for individuals in supervisory or executive leadership roles.

This session explores how one child abuse prevention campaign shifted from transactional to transformational community engagement, resulting in broad sustained involvement. Attendees will examine how fostering shared ownership, expanding community connection and aligning efforts with local values can turn a simple awareness effort into a true movement. Through case-based reflection and practical strategies they will gain tools to reduce barriers engage stakeholders across sectors and build lasting support for their mission.

Learning Objectives:

• A Clear Understanding of Transactional vs. Transformational Engagement: Participants will be able to distinguish between short-term, one-directional outreach efforts and strategies that build long-term, reciprocal relationships rooted in shared purpose.
• A Framework for Evaluating and Improving Community Engagement Efforts: Attendees will leave with a practical model they can use to assess current outreach initiatives and identify opportunities to invite deeper community ownership and participation.
• Strategies to Lower Barriers and Widen Access to Engagement: Through real-world examples, participants will learn how to remove logistical, financial, and relational barriers that prevent broader community involvement—ensuring that engagement is accessible to schools, faith communities, businesses, and individuals alike.

Presenter Bio:

Troy Smith is the Senior Director of Advancement at CAPS in North Central Indiana. He has helped to increase event revenue tenfold and led engagement efforts that have mobilized hundreds of partners and households in support of child abuse prevention across the region.