Engaging communities to bolster public trust in water.

VISION

Engaged, thriving communities with trusted, resilient water providers

MISSION

Bolstering public trust in sustainable water solutions

We bolster public trust in water and advance equity in water service by equipping, inspiring, and empowering providers to engage communities and key governmental and business stakeholders to elevate the conversation around sustainable water solutions.

LEARN HOW

HOW? 

Rogue Water Lab believes we’ll never solve the U.S.’s pressing water challenges without first improving public trust by engaging and involving communities. We’re working toward widespread community support for water solutions that enable communities to thrive.

Rogue helps by equipping, empowering and inspiring water providers to advance collaborative engagement with people, policymakers and businesses on water’s role in sustaining thriving communities. We do this by creating accessible, dynamic and implementable trainings, content, workshops, partnerships and experiences that teach providers how to engage, educate, and work not only for, but with, communities. 

What Exists: Distrust | Indifference | Fear

The U.S. water crisis involves crumbling infrastructure, funding gaps, a shrinking workforce, new regulatory challenges, rising costs and affordability concerns, and access gaps. The water utility sector has historically had little to no communication with the communities they serve. This lack of engagement created an environment of public mistrust, fear of drinking water safety, indifference to water challenges and, in some cases, even resistance to sustainable water solutions and policy, which in turn all heavily contribute to infrastructure, funding, and workforce challenges.

People don’t understand their reliance on water, so they don’t support increased investment in infrastructure and question their tap water’s quality any time a failing system is mentioned on the national news. New talent isn’t informed on the career opportunities in the sector, and most consumers are indifferent, not thinking twice about how water gets to their faucet. This reality weakens providers’ ability to be sustainable anchor institutions in support of economic development and healthy, thriving communities.

What Could Be: Engaged Advocates | Sustainable Solutions | Supported Utilities

To solve this crisis, water providers need to engage communities in building the solution and moving policymakers in the right direction. Water infrastructure receives minimal support from the federal government and the burden of clean water and sanitation rests on the shoulders of customers, many of whom do not trust providers or understand the full value of the services they receive. Fragmented, reactionary, misunderstood, and dated communication efforts won’t cut it.

Water providers aren’t equipped to tell a compelling story, facilitate difficult conversations around complex topics, or truly engage stakeholders in a collaborative and meaningful way. When society doesn’t know water’s value, it doesn’t invest in its upkeep.

Efforts must go beyond comms and into true education, engagement, and trust building. Rogue Water Lab believes trust is earned four ways: 1) by showing up for the community and meeting stakeholders where they are, 2) connection through conversations and experiences, 3) by telling the truth, and 4) through building advocates.

THE ROGUE DIFFERENTIATOR

While most organizations battling the U.S. water crisis provide technical solutions, Rogue Water Lab’s approach is to spark change from within and equip utilities themselves. This change comes through training and development opportunities, teaching providers to do some of the most complicated work in our STEM-dominated field: engage with people and build support.

Opportunities for professional development in the technical aspects of providing water are numerous, and there are even multiple organizations dedicated to leadership development for water sector workers. But when it comes to the power tools of communication, engagement, building support, educating, being transparent about complex topics, and building trust, there’s no group dedicated to helping providers build those skills. Without competence in those areas, we’ll never reach a world where communities thrive and providers are trusted and resilient. 

Rogue’s work is different from hiring a marketing or public relations firm because we train the utility workers to engage communities themselves. We help them build real connections that foster public trust, rather than come in for a day, do the work for them, and then leave. Rogue Executive Director Chelsea Boozer has years of experience in community engagement, government relations, and communicating with the media, the public, and elected leaders in from both her journalism and water utility careers. She taps into a network of communications, engagement, advocacy, and water industry experts and leaders to curate the perfect trainers and content to inspire, equip, and empower water providers.

VALUES

• Curate Connections
• Empathetically Serve
• Stay Curious
• Be Transparent
• Earn Trust
• Don’t Dismiss Different