This method will help you find the people you need to innovate in an inclusive way in your community.

Most of the tools in this guide need you to work with people outside your organisation. If you already have an established network to call on, then great. If you don’t, you will have to do some work to find and build one. It will be well worth your time.

Understanding who’s out there

The first step is to look around you and see which local organisations exist who might be able to help you.

• If you’re not already working for them, contact your local councils or unitary authorities. They can be useful in themselves, but can also help you find other people and organisations to talk to
• Find policies and reports that are relevant to your area. As well as being useful background information, they will often mention, be sponsored by or co-written by organisations you can get in touch with
• Look for bodies who fund schemes related to your area, and find out which organisations they are funding
• Organisations like Connected Places Catapult exist to bring others together and promote collaboration. Talk to us!
• Go to events. Even if the topic of the event is not 100% relevant to your work, they are great opportunities to network and make new connections
• Get yourself in the room where it happens. Spread the word that you are interested and available. Invite yourself to policy discussions as early as possible
• But to be truly inclusive, you don’t just want to talk to official organisations. You’ll need to find grassroots community groups, or if they don’t exist, set up your own

Organisations to try

• Your local city, county and district councils or unitary authorities
• Local enterprise partnerships
• Chambers of commerce
• Industry leading businesses
• Schools, colleges and universities
• Local community groups