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Stakeholder Engagement Accelerator

A dedicated sprint to help municipal utilities build trust now, so it’s there when you need it.

APPLY NOW

Activate trust across stakeholders with our two-month dedicated sprint program designed to help municipal utilities turn engagement into a trust-building superpower. You'll learn how to activate stakeholder strategies that drive participation and confidence in your community.

Most utility professionals don’t struggle because they don’t care about engagement.
They struggle because the system around communications makes trust hard to deliver. 

Common challenges we hear every week:
  • Our communications are reactive, not proactive
  • We’re understaffed and constantly scrambling to keep up
  • Rate increases are coming—and we’re bracing for backlash
  • Program participation is down, and we don’t know why
  • We can’t show leadership or regulators what’s working and what’s not

If this sounds familiar, you’re in the right place. The Stakeholder Engagement Accelerator is built to address these realities and provide you with actionable tactics that make a difference.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:

  • Program managers
  • General managers
  • Communications and outreach
  • External affairs
  • Public information officers

What this program does

The Stakeholder Engagement Accelerator is a crash course in Milepost’s practical, three-phase framework that helps utilities design and deploy engagement strategies that build trust, reduce resistance, and drive action—without adding capacity or complexity.

By the end of the Accelerator, you will be able to:

  • Launch initiatives faster with less risk
  • Plan communications proactively
  • Explain—clearly and confidently—how your outreach builds trust
  • Align messages across teams, channels, and leadership
  • Measure and articulate the ROI of engagement
Flywheel depicting the utility building trust through transparent engagement, and the community & customers giving trust through their participation

What's included

Live, personal instruction:

The 8-week Core Program includes:

  • 4 virtual workshops on key concepts
  • 4 virtual office hours to discuss your utility's goals and barriers
  • 1 virtual capstone event to prep for your leadership pitch

 

Utility Engagement Toolkit: 

Standardized, reusable templates and implementation guides, including:

  • 90-Day Engagement Action Framework
  • Stakeholder Map & Matrix
  • Engagement & Outreach Plan Template
  • KPI & Engagement Metrics Tracker
  • Stakeholder Buy-in Presentation Template

Join utility peers in our spring cohort.

Space is limited to ensure meaningful engagement.

How the program works

Rigorous yet realistic

The Accelerator is thoughtfully structured to balance depth with practicality. Experience a blend of dynamic virtual workshops, office hours, and self-paced activities—ensuring you make real progress without overburdening your team.

Customizable frameworks & tools

No two utility challenges are alike. That’s why our proven frameworks and tools flex to fit your unique needs, whether tackling rate-related communications, internal alignment hurdles, or boosting program participation.

Meet you where you are

The Accelerator is designed to support you at your current stage and drive you forward. Time commitments are clearly outlined, but you control the depth. Dive deeper into areas that matter most to your organization—the program adapts to your priorities and complexity. The more you invest, the greater the value you’ll achieve.

 

CORE PROGRAM

Icons_Marketing strategyDiscovery 

Weeks 1-4

Gain clarity around trust, audiences, and priorities.

Outcome: Diagnose where your gaps in trust are and define how to best fill them.
You'll work on:
  • A deep-dive trust and engagement assessment
  • Identifying priority stakeholders and gaps
  • Mapping influence, readiness, and motivations
  • Defining success metrics leadership actually cares about
What to expect:
  • Two, 90-minute workshops
  • Two, 60-minute office hours

Time Commitment: Approx. 3 hrs a week, including in-session and asynchronous work
Cohort dates:
  • Workshop 1: Diagnose - Wed, March 25, 2:00-3:00pm ET
  • Office hours - Wed, April 1, 2:00-3:00pm ET
  • Workshop 2: Define - Wed, April 8, 2:00-3:30pm ET 
  • Office hours - Wed, April 15, 2:00-3:00pm ET
CORE PROGRAM

Icons_Messaging frameworksDesign

Weeks 5-8 

Create an actionable plan that moves people.

Outcome:  Design an airtight plan ready to share with leadership and your stakeholders. 
You'll work on:
  • A 90-day Engagement & Outreach Plan
  • Messaging frameworks grounded in trust pillars
  • Content development using pre-designed templates
  • Preparing an executive-ready strategy presentation
What to expect:
  • Two, 90-minute workshops
  • Two, 60-minute office hours
  • One, 90-minute Capstone Event

Time Commitment: Approx. 4-5 hrs a week, including in-session and asynchronous work
Cohort dates:
  • Workshop 3: Design - Wed, April 22, 2:00-3:30pm ET
  • Office hours - Wed, April 29, 2:00-3:00pm ET
  • Workshop 4: Develop - Wed, May 6, 2:00-3:30pm ET
  • Office hours - Wed, May 13, 2:00-3:00pm ET
  • Final Capstone Event - Wed, May 20, 2:00-3:30pm ET
ADD-ON

Icons_Promotional materialsDeploy

Weeks 9-12

Turn plans into action—with expert support.

Outcome:  Your team launches with confidence: supported, prepared, and aligned. 
You'll work on:
  • Aligning internal teams and identifying risks before going live
  • Developing messaging and materials for launch
  • Interpreting early performance data and feedback
  • Closing the loop with stakeholders and applying lessons learned
What to expect:
  • One, 90-minute virtual workshop
  • Two, 60-minute, 1:1 virtual advisory sessions
  • One cumulative business hour of on-call decision support
  • Final go-live readiness review of all communications assets

Time Commitment: Approx. 4-5 hrs a week or more, depending on scope of support and launch.
Cohort dates:
  • Workshop 5: Deploy - Wed, May 27, 2:00-3:30pm ET
  • 1:1 support scheduled separately

 

Pricing

Discovery & Design

Access the guidance, tools, and support you need to build an actionable engagement plan with this 9-week Core Program.
$6,500 / person
$5,500 / person for teams of 3+ from the same organization
   4 live workshops
   4 office hours
  1 Utility Engagement Toolkit with 5 templates and guides
  1 Capstone Event

Deploy

Gain hands-on support as you launch your initiative or campaign with this 4-week add-on package.
$2,500 / person
$2,100 / person for teams of 3+ from the same organization
   1 live workshop 
  1:1 coaching support

Meet the instructors

Holly-square

Holly Baird

As Milepost’s Director of Utility Accounts, Holly Baird is a trusted advisor to energy utilities navigating change, innovation, and growth. She helps clients untangle challenges and design programs that are sustainable, effective, and...   Learn more

 

DaleM

Dale Mills

As Communications and Engagement Lead, Dale Mills brings a strategic, interdisciplinary lens to every project, blending education, storytelling, and visual messaging to create experiences people actually want to engage with. She designs for impact...   Learn more

Ready to build trust?

Apply to be selected for the March 2026 Stakeholder Engagement Accelerator cohort. Spots are limited to ensure meaningful, hands-on support.
APPLY NOW

Common Questions

Don't see your question answered here? Drop us a line at hello@engagemilepost.com. 

When are the live events?

Diagnose & Define (Weeks 1-4)

  • Workshop 1: Diagnose - Wed, March 25, 2:00-3:00pm ET
  • Office hours - Wed, April 1, 2:00-3:00pm ET
  • Workshop 2: Define - Wed, April 8, 2:00-3:30pm ET 
  • Office hours - Wed, April 15, 2:00-3:00pm ET

Design & Develop (Weeks 5-8)

  • Workshop 3: Design - Wed, April 22, 2:00-3:30pm ET
  • Office hours - Wed, April 29, 2:00-3:00pm ET
  • Workshop 4: Develop - Wed, May 6, 2:00-3:30pm ET
  • Office hours - Wed, May 13, 2:00-3:00pm ET
  • Final Capstone Event - Wed, May 20, 2:00-3:30pm ET

Deploy (Add-on)

  • Workshop 5: Deploy - Wed, May 27, 2:00-3:30pm ET
Is a recording available if I can't attend a workshop?

We strongly encourage you to attend the workshops to make the most of learning alongside peer utilities. However, recordings of the workshops will be available to registered cohort participants.
What is the weekly time commitment?

We know utility professionals wear many hats! This program is designed to be rigorous but realistic, allowing you to invest what you're able.

Weeks 1-4: Participants should plan for approximately 3 hours per week, including live workshops, optional office hours, and asynchronous work.

Weeks 5-8: The time commitment increases slightly to about 4–5 hours per week as teams move into planning, message development, and preparation for the capstone presentation.

Time estimates are intentionally flexible, allowing participants to go deeper where it matters most for your chosen initiative.
What if the program dates don't work for my schedule?

We understand a busy schedule and pride ourselves on providing solutions that are both time-efficient and flexible. While we don’t yet have any future dates scheduled for the Accelerator, please reach out to us at hello@engagemilepost.com to discuss offerings that may better align with your needs.
What kind of programs, initiatives, or technologies does this cohort apply to?

The Accelerator supports utility programs and high‑stakes initiatives where trust, participation, and alignment are critical. Teams commonly apply the work to:

  • Rate‑related communications
  • Energy efficiency and DSM programs
  • Electrification initiatives
  • New or evolving technologies (e.g., time‑of‑use rates, smart thermostats, heat pumps)
  • Internal alignment challenges (e.g., leadership buy‑in, cross‑department coordination)

The program is intentionally initiative‑agnostic, allowing teams to focus on a real, current priority while building reusable systems and tools that extend beyond the cohort.
What kind of stakeholders does this apply to?

The Accelerator applies to both external and internal stakeholders involved in utility decision‑making, trust, and participation. 

External stakeholders might include:

  • Residential (e.g., LMI, multi-family, EV owners, kids to adults)

  • Commercial & industrial (e.g., small businesses, schools, hospitals)

  • Neighborhood associations

  • Local elected officials

  • Project developers

Internal stakeholders might include: 

  • Board members or council members

  • C-suite

  • Program teams

  • Customer service

  • Operations

  • Cross-functional partners or implementers 
What is the Capstone Event?

The Capstone Event is a 90-minute session during which each participant will present their engagement strategy and plan—which will be built during the Design phase of the program—to their cohort peers and instructors. Through this practical exercise, participants will receive valuable feedback and insights, preparing them to share their programmatic outputs with leadership, team members, and stakeholders.
How does the application process work?

To ensure meaningful, hands-on engagement, the cohort is intentionally small. We review applications on a rolling basis. 

If you’re accepted, we will notify you and provide payment details based on the preferred payment method you selected in the application.