Resilience in Nonprofit and Public Organizations: A Case Study on Mutually Beneficial Community Engagement

Campus-community partnerships afford college and university faculty, as well as administrators, the ability to partner in meaningful ways. At a minimum, they allow key stakeholders to place a value and priority on relationships; participate in ongoing conversations about program and research development, implementation and evaluation; engage faculty in direct ways to work alongside community members; and position colleges and universities in building local social capital. In this manuscript we describe a partnership between two entities: a university Center for Social Impact (CSI) and a community-placed Resiliency Task Force. The CSI is an interdisciplinary research center that investigates community-defined research questions and produces actionable insights for policymakers and practitioners in our region. The Task Force is a collective of 500+ members with the vision to “build a resilient and compassionate community.” Together, these entities surveyed members to assess barriers to sustaining long-term trauma and resiliency community efforts. Our manuscript offers guidance for organizations seeking to partner with college and university members, as well as a blueprint for community-based resiliency and trauma work.