Program In a Box

Engaging with Underserved Rural and Low-Income Stakeholders

Develop

Identify Target Stakeholders

When developing a stakeholder engagement initiative, State Energy Offices will need to determine a method for identifying which stakeholders should be included. For certain initiatives, as in the case of Oregon’s Community Renewable Energy Grant Program Advisory Committee, the criteria may be determined by statute. Other initiatives may embrace a more expansive definition. New York and Minnesota’s initiatives focus on engaging CBOs specifically, and both State Energy Offices worked to ensure the organizations invited were reflective of the diversity of communities across the state, including underserved rural and low-income populations.

The processes each state example initiative used to identify stakeholders are summarized in the table below:

State	Initiative	Process for Identifying Stakeholders
New York	Energy Equity Collaborative	The Energy Equity Collaborative's Founding Steering Committee of 13 organizations was initially designed through three co-planning sessions with approximately 30 CBOs. NYSERDA conducted outreach to potentially interested organizations based on organizations NYSERDA had worked with in the past and then contacted each individually to explain the initiative and encourage participation in the planning series. The current list of Steering Committee and Working Group members can be found on the Energy Equity Collaborative website. The Founding Steering Committee and Working Groups meet regularly for ongoing engagement. The Energy Equity Collaborative contractors have co-designed a Participation Plan that outlines terms and operations (See Document Library [link]). The Participation Plan stipulates that Energy Equity Collaborative participants must be eligible contractors in NYSERDA's Disadvantaged Communities Consultant Pool. Each Working Group contributes to a Collaborative Action Plan to deliver recommendations for program and process improvements to NYSERDA.
Minnesota	Community Energy Collaborative	The Minnesota Department of Commerce issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to identify an initial cohort of CBOs who could help design the Community Energy Collaborative. In selecting the first cohort, the Minnesota Department of Commerce aimed to reach CBOs led by or representing underserved communities and groups typically left out of state energy conversations. Commerce initially wanted to limit the cohort to 10-12 CBOs to keep a manageable meeting size and sought participation from groups representing different geographies across the state as well as CBOs with varying areas of focus. The selected CBOs each received a grant for their participation during the design phase. Commerce has since recruited additional organizations to further expand the geographic representation of participants.
Oregon	Community Renewable Energy Grant Program Advisory Committee	The legislation that established the Community Renewable Energy Grant Program (Oregon House Bill 2021) enables the Director of the Oregon Department of Energy to appoint members of the Advisory Committee and specifies that the Committee include representatives from the following groups: “(1) A member of the Environmental Justice Task Force [now named the Environmental Justice Council]; (2) A representative of Business Oregon; (3) A representative of electric companies; (4) A representative of consumer-owned utilities; (5) A representative from an organization that represents community renewable energy development; (6) A representative from a federally recognized Oregon Indian tribe; (7) Three representatives of local government to represent the interests of counties, cities and special districts; (8) Representatives from nongovernmental organizations that represent communities of low income or disadvantaged households; and (9) Representatives from relevant state and federal emergency management or response agencies.” Based on these legislative requirements, the ODOE government relations lead, strategic engagement lead, and small-scale clean energy lead used an interest form to compile an initial list of anyone interested in serving on the Committee. Staff then reviewed the list and reached out to people who could fill any gaps to ensure compliance with the statute. The team also considered diversity across many categories (i.e., racial, geographic diversity) when selecting members. The list of current Advisory Committee members can be found in the Document Library[link].

Determine a Cadence and Format for Convenings

Depending on the scope, timeline, and structure of the stakeholder initiative, State Energy Offices will need to determine an appropriate cadence and format to engage stakeholders. Often, this decision involves balancing staff time and resources and stakeholder capacity with the timeline of the policies, programs, and plans the stakeholders are helping to shape. To help prevent stakeholder fatigue, State Energy Offices can coordinate across program teams to combine requests when possible and avoid asking the same stakeholders to attend separate but related meetings.

The meeting cadence and format for each of the state example initiatives are summarized in the table below:

State	Initiative	Meeting Cadence and Format
New York	Energy Equity Collaborative	The Energy Equity Collaborative is led by a Steering Committee, which meets on at least a quarterly basis. The Steering Committee meetings are in-person with the option to participate remotely, and NYSERDA compensates members for travel costs and participation. The meetings are open to Steering Committee members and state agency staff, and the structure, agenda, and rules for engagement are determined by the Steering Committee. The participants of the Steering Committee also created and co-lead four Working Groups. While Steering Committee meetings are in-person to foster relationship building and learning, Working Group meetings occur virtually each month. Finally, the Energy Equity Collaborative also plans to hold an annual meeting that brings all EEC participants together in person and may be opened to the public to summarize activities and progress made during the year.
Minnesota	Community Energy Collaborative	The Community Energy Collaborative generally meets monthly for one and a half to two hours with summers off, though the Minnesota Department of Commerce continues to work with members to annually re-assess the meeting cadence. The meeting structure, including whether the group meetings are in-person or online has changed over time based on the capacity and interests of participants.
Oregon	Community Renewable Energy Grant Program Advisory Committee	The Community Renewable Energy Grant Program Advisory Committee meets at least quarterly, typically at times that align with the Program’s key activities and deadlines, such as outreach campaigns and reports to the legislature. ODOE works with Advisory Committee members to determine a convenient time for the group and provides any read-ahead materials at least a week in advance. The Advisory Committee meetings are open to the public, and ODOE posts meeting materials on the website to enhance transparency.

Develop a Mechanism for Compensating Stakeholders

Stakeholders provide services and essential insights when advising on or co-designing energy policies and programs; as a result, several State Energy Offices have begun exploring mechanisms for compensating stakeholders for their time and expertise. Individual state procurement rules and budget constraints may create barriers. Yet, when states are able to offer compensation, it can help build trust and may enable participation by stakeholders who otherwise cannot dedicate their time and resources. The initiatives from New York, Minnesota, and Oregon outlined below offer a few examples of different approaches states can take when developing a plan to compensate stakeholders.

State	Initiative	Stakeholder Compensation Method
New York	Energy Equity Collaborative	NYSERDA has agreements and contracts with DAC-based CBOs to compensate them for their input and time spent participating in virtual and in-person meetings of the EEC. Stakeholders receive $300 for each two-hour virtual Working Group meeting, $600 for a half day meeting, and more for day and a half Steering Committee meetings plus reimbursement to cover travel. NYSERDA’s contracts allow participants to use the funding for additional activities beyond meeting attendance (i.e., sharing information with their networks, reviewing materials). The CBOs that NYSERDA contracts with for the EEC have been qualified to join its DAC Consultant Pool by way of a response to a Request for Qualifications (RFQL 4922). Those qualified for this group, or Pool, can be contracted to perform different services, such as advising on policies and programs, co-designing programs, and conducting outreach to communities. Organizations selected through the RFQL enter into a zero-dollar Umbrella Agreement and then receive funding through a Task Work Order for specific projects or tasks, including for participation in the EEC and other agreed-upon services. (See Document Library [link] for a summary of the RFQL process, requirements, and compensation rates.)
Minnesota	Community Energy Collaborative	The Minnesota Department of Commerce develops contracts with CBOs participating in the Community Energy Collaborative to provide a yearly stipend for their time and work as part of the Collaborative. Initially, the contract amount was $2,000 annually per CBO, which covered the monthly two-hour meetings and outreach efforts. Currently, Commerce offers $5,000 annually for the stipend, inclusive of travel costs and prep time for meetings, although some organizations do not ask for the full amount.
Oregon	Community Renewable Energy Grant Program Advisory Committee	Members of the Community Renewable Energy Grant Program Advisory Committee can request compensation by indicating their preference on the interest form. Afterward, ODOE staff follow up with the Advisory Committee member to complete the process. ODOE staff worked closely with each committee member as well as the finance team at ODOE to ensure the process worked for participants and complied with all state regulations.

Alternatives to Financial Compensation

State Energy Offices can consider alternatives to monetary compensation in states where procurement rules, budget constraints, and other restrictions may prevent direct payments to stakeholders. For example, State Energy Offices could include a meal or snack during an in-person meeting and either provide on-site childcare or encourage parents to bring children by offering kid-friendly discussions and activities (i.e., energy-themed coloring books). States can also reduce barriers to in-person participation by meeting stakeholders in their communities, for example, by attending nearby events or coordinating with community partners to co-host an event.

Develop Communication and Outreach Plan

Before implementing a stakeholder engagement process, State Energy Offices should consider developing a strategy for initial outreach to stakeholders as well as an ongoing communication plan. The appropriate methods and channels for communication will vary based on the target stakeholders, so State Energy Offices will need to cater to the specific audience. At the start, states may want to use existing contact lists, newsletters, informational webinars, and/or social media to spread the word about engagement opportunities. These types of channels can also be helpful for sharing updates throughout the engagement process with interested members of the public. For example, NYSERDA established an Energy Equity and Climate Justice Digest email list for general announcements and program updates, available for any interested members of the public. The Oregon Department of Energy used an interest form to compile a list of stakeholders interested in serving on the Advisory Committee. ODOE staff also conducted targeted outreach to ensure the group had representation from each of the stakeholder groups and types required by the enabling statute.

States can also create a communication strategy in collaboration with community partners. To develop what is now the Community Energy Collaborative, the Minnesota Department of Commerce provided grants to community-based organizations (through a Request for Proposals process) to design and implement an engagement structure and develop a comprehensive communication strategy. The final email language and one-pager the Department of Commerce used to invite new members to the Collaborative once launched can be found in the Document Library. [link] States can also ask stakeholders to share their preferred methods of communication and ideas for how to make materials and messaging accessible to different audiences.

Identify Evaluation Metrics and Process

To assess progress against the stated goals of the stakeholder engagement initiative, State Energy Offices can identify a process and metrics for evaluation. This step is particularly important for long-term, ongoing engagement initiatives and to help states improve their stakeholder engagement process over time. Determining evaluation metrics prior to the launch of a Stakeholder Engagement initiative can also allow states to establish a baseline and measure progress. States may use surveys to gather feedback from participants or establish a regular check-in with each participant or group to understand how the engagement process is going, what the outcomes have been, and how it could be improved. For example, the Minnesota Department of Commerce held one-on-one meetings with Community Energy Collaborative members after the first year to learn more about each participant’s needs and solicit input to help shape the Collaborative in the second year. Specific questions asked during these check-in meetings can be found in the Evaluate and Iterate [link] section. It now conducts regular post-meeting surveys to solicit on-going feedback. At the close of the Energy Equity Collaborative’s in-person meetings, NYSERDA staff solicited feedback by asking participants what NYSERDA should stop doing, start doing, change, and/or continue, and annually invites more substantive dialogue on what issues and opportunities should be given greater attention.