Involving people

"It's really special when you see how you can empower people."
Pamela, Advocacy West Lancs

Involving service users and other people in your work can generate new ideas, challenge your assumptions and help you to ensure that your products or services are as relevant as possible.

This section explores:

• Why you should involve people.
• Who to involve. 
• Different ways to get people involved in your work.

But involving people isn't right for every organisation in every circumstance. This section will also help you to weigh up when and how to involve people, using approaches that suit both you and the people concerned.

We provide some tips on how to make it happen and make the most of the insights you'll gain from involving people in your work.

You might also want to visit our research and policy pages on participation, which explore how and why people get involved in their communities as well as how you can encourage and promote participation in your organisation. 

Although many people are likely to get involved in your organisation in a voluntary capacity, we don't explore the wider principles of volunteering here. Visit Volunteering England's website for comprehensive information on that topic.