Yet if too much is expected of citizens without any staff support, efforts falter. On the other hand, if staff take on too much responsibility and do citizens' work for them, civic change dies. Genuine civic change on important issues depends on effective process, which requires an investment in human time and energy. On the other hand, effective civic change efforts must produce concrete results, or they will not compel people to stay engaged. Civic change efforts need to have an organized, effective quality, yet too much formal organizational structure at the core of the effort can be deadly.
Civic change is accomplished by multiple groups, individuals, and organizations.
The purpose of the Pew Partnership initiative was to generate new knowledge about how citizens can make significant, long-lasting improvements in their communities. These hypotheses reflect some connected themes that emerged from the first four years of experience in 14 smaller American cities.