By Mary Carr Lee • Mayors Innovation Project
Across the country, cities are navigating a complex reality defined by two factors: the increasingly high needs of our most vulnerable residents and the persistent uncertainty of federal funding and municipal budgets. Simply put, the gap between what residents need and what public services can provide is growing wider.
We know that faith-based organizations (FBOs) are often the original social safety net in our communities. They aren’t just places of worship; they are trusted, deep-rooted institutions acting as food pantries, emergency shelters, afterschool providers, and mental health anchors. They possess an infrastructure of care that government entities can’t provide on their own.
Recognizing this critical resource, the Mayors Innovation Project (MIP) recently hosted a session with the Mayors of Tacoma, WA, and Colorado Springs, CO, to discuss ways to support, partner with, and better activate faith and volunteer networks.
While both mayors shared how personal faith motivates their service, their focus on FBO partnerships is driven by pragmatism and the acute needs of the moment. Throughout her 8 years in office, Mayor Woodards in Tacoma has consistently prioritized deep community collaboration and engagement. Last year, in partnership with CityLytics, Tacoma conducted a Faith Audit—a data-driven approach to map and help quantify the contributions of faith and volunteer networks. This data is now displayed via a community dashboard. Mayor Yemi of Colorado Springs shared that one of his first actions after assuming office in 2023 was to create the Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs to be a liaison between the Mayor’s Office and community. Thomas Thompson, who heads that office, shared powerful examples of how local FBOs are addressing critical issues like homelessness, housing, and refugee support, demonstrating immediate, tangible results from deep civic partnerships.
The MIP session provided cities with four key takeaways for launching and managing successful faith-based partnerships:
- Identify needs and solutions: Deep community engagement and census-level information must be supplemented by nimble, local data for greatest impact. Tacoma’s faith audit systematically captures the level of activity within FBOs to identify specific projects, the number of people involved, and where services are being delivered. This data reveals unmet community needs and provides insights into how to adjust accordingly. For example, if an audit finds that three churches in a community provide meals on Wednesday, but none on Thursday, providers could coordinate to fill this gap.
- Use data to celebrate achievements and attract new resources: Actively encourage community involvement by sharing and celebrating the impact of these partnerships. When voluntary services are delivered, their profound impact is often missed without intentional tracking and recognition. Reflecting on his international work with faith networks over the past two decades, Geoff Baxter, shared that faith and volunteer communities have a service mentality, and often share their successes in terms of stories. Stories are impactful, but data can help supplement them to create even more impact and attract more financial support and volunteers. Tools like a faith audit can quantify the number of volunteer hours and resources invested toward these solutions. Colorado Springs’ 1000 Neighborhood Gatherings in 2024 revealed that 90% of participants surveyed felt “more connected to [their] neighborhood.”
- Build an active, connected network: Data is a means to collaboration, not the goal itself. The real point is to use shared information to help partners collaborate, share spaces, and pool resources to meet needs more effectively. Passive networks must be activated toward pertinent solutions. Mayor Yemi shared that proactive engagement ensures FBOs are ready when new needs arise. When he gathered 55 local church leaders in 2024, they asked what kept him up at night. That conversation—centered on the city’s unsheltered population—led to more than $2 million raised to support homelessness initiatives and neighborhood revitalization.
- Be proactive in your outreach: Being proactive with your engagement allows cities to address existing needs while remaining agile for emerging challenges. Structuring this outreach—like launching an Office of Community Affairs—creates the crucial connective tissue required for partnerships to gain momentum and scale impact. Furthermore, understanding where needs exist through data helps cities build stronger cases and secure essential funding for faith-based groups and joint initiatives.
Next Steps for Your City
Establishing an office of Community Affairs (or similar entity) is one way to begin strengthening your administration’s community and outreach to FBOs and volunteer networks. Some cities, like Albuquerque and San Antonio, have established Faith Liaisons expressly for this purpose. The Faith Audit represents a powerful, data-driven approach for cities seeking to stabilize and strengthen their social safety nets. To explore launching a Faith Audit program in your city, CityLytics is currently offering a 50% matching grant for cities that are part of the Mayors Innovation Project. You can reach out to Geoff Baxter at CityLytics to learn more and get started.