EngageMark

Created by the Engagement Institute, EngageMark is the sector’s first maturity assessment and certification tool – designed to turn the idea of ‘good engagement’ into something tangible, practical and empowering.

The tool is designed to bring the same structure, rigour and credibility to engagement that already exists in areas like risk, sustainability and planning.

Organisations are assessed across 9 key elements that reflect contemporary engagement best practice. Each element reflects core contemporary engagement principles – including inclusivity, influence, respect, impact and cohesion – to help organisations shift from transactional to transformational practice:

1. Culture
2. Governance
3. Leadership
4. Capability
5. Resourcing
6. Practice
7. Relationships
8. Impact
9. First Nations

Engagement has never been more important – or more complex. And yet, until now, our sector has lacked a clear, shared benchmark to help organisations understand how well they’re really doing it.

That’s where EngageMark comes in.

The Engagement Institute has partnered with a panel of expert practitioners and sector Fellows to co-design the sector’s first maturity assessment and certification tool to turn the idea of ‘good engagement’ into something tangible, practical and empowering.

Across industries, tools like this have helped raise the bar, sharpen accountability and inspire meaningful progress. EngageMark is designed to do the same for engagement – giving organisations the clarity to see where they’re excelling, where there’s room to grow, and how to move forward with confidence.

Because engagement done well doesn’t just support decisions – it strengthens them.

The value of EngageMark is twofold – it builds confidence for both engagement practitioners and those looking to partner with them.

For practitioners and organisations with engagement at their core, EngageMark offers a clear, structured way to reflect, improve and lead with purpose. It helps teams understand where they’re strong, where there’s room to grow, and how their practice aligns with contemporary standards. Certification also provides visible recognition of their commitment to doing engagement well.

For those procuring engagement services, EngageMark makes it easier to identify partners with proven capability. With independent assessment built into the tool, organisations can move forward with confidence – knowing their projects, communities, and reputations are in capable hands.

Engagement teams

• Build trust and transparency with stakeholders
• Reduce project risk and costly delays
• Embed engagement into culture, leadership and governance

Procurement teams & decision makers

• Have confidence in the engagement teams they partner with
• Reduce project and procurement risk
• Bring clarity and consistency to tenders and evaluations
• Strengthen their position in competitive tenders

EngageMark reflects a deep understanding of contemporary engagement best practice, lived experience and sector ambition. An EngageMark Certification will support you / your organisation to:

• Demonstrate engagement leadership: Position your organisation or agency as a national leader in meaningful, standards-aligned engagement.
• Build public trust through transparency: Show communities and stakeholders that your organisation doesn’t just talk about engagement – you live it.
• De-risk complex projects: Embed engagement capability before things go wrong by identifying gaps in engagement maturity.
• Uncover blind spots: Every organisation has room to grow – the smart ones know where to look.
• Ensure best practice: Move beyond compliance – and raise the standard across teams and partners.
• Enhance your competitive recruitment edge: A mature engagement culture attracts the best minds – and keeps them.
• Strengthen funding proposals with visible credibility: In a competitive funding landscape, EngageMark gives you an edge – proving that engagement isn’t just a box to tick, it’s built into how your organisation functions.

The Engagement Institute partnered with a panel of expert practitioners and sector Fellows to co-design the tool to turn the idea of ‘good engagement’ into something tangible, practical and empowering.

EngageMark is a three-level, online self-assessment and certification tool designed to help organisations benchmark and build their engagement capability.

• Level One: Free quiz – a quick pulse check of two elements of engagement maturity.
• Level Two: Organisation self-assessment – a guided deep dive into the nine practice areas of engagement maturity.
• Level Three: Certification – apply for a formal review based on your documented evidence, assessed by an independent auditor.

Certification is conducted independently and results in a Gold, Silver, Bronze, or ‘Did Not Meet’ rating.

Organisations that achieve a Gold, Silver or Bronze certification are listed on a public register of certified engagement organisations.

An assessment matrix underpins the certification process. Each submission is reviewed by an independent, suitably qualified assessor, who evaluates the evidence provided against clear criteria for each of the nine elements. This ensures a consistent, transparent and credible approach to certification.

Certified organisations:

• Receive a Gold, Silver or Bronze rating (valid for three years)
• Are added to the public register of certified engagement organisations on the Engagement Institute website.

If a submission doesn’t meet the threshold, the result won’t be published-giving organisations the opportunity to revisit and strengthen their approach before reapplying. Organisations can choose to reapply earlier than three years if they believe they are ready to go up a level.

Want to explore EngageMark or give the Free Quiz a go?

You can access the full tool at www.engagemark.org

Most organisations complete certification within 15-20 hours, with 1 project lead and 2–3 team members contributing evidence.

Yes – the free self-assessment quiz is a no-cost first level.

You’ll still receive valuable insights and a roadmap for improvement. Certification can be reapplied for when ready.

Certification is valid for three years before re-certification is required.

Level One of EngageMark—the free online quiz—is completely cost-free.
It takes just five minutes and offers valuable insights into where your organisation sits today across two elements of engagement maturity.

Levels Two and Three in the EngageMark assessment are based on your organisation’s size and annual turnover and whether you are a member of the Engagement Institute.

For more information, visit our website and download your Guide to EngageMark Certification.

When developing EngageMark, we looked at certification models across other industries to guide our approach.

We also factored in what was needed to ensure integrity – particularly the ability to engage experienced, independent assessors who bring credibility and consistency to the certification process.

As such, discounted pricing has been incorporated into the pricing approach.   During early stakeholder conversations, we heard clearly that cost could be a barrier for smaller organisations.

In response, we’ve introduced tiered pricing to make EngageMark more accessible—because we believe that strong engagement shouldn’t be limited by size or sector.

Accessibility and Inclusion Policies: Documents that outline the organisation’s commitment to reducing barriers to engagement. These plans include proactive measures to ensure participation is inclusive and equitable – especially for underrepresented or historically excluded groups – and support engagement that reflects the full diversity of the community.

Capability: How well an organisation builds, supports and sustains engagement skills. One of the nine key elements EngageMark assesses.

Engagement Culture: How well an organisation embeds engagement into its core values and everyday behaviours. One of the nine key elements EngageMark assesses.

Culturally Safe Engagement: Engagement practices that are respectful, inclusive, and responsive to cultural identity—particularly in working with First Nations peoples. Culturally safe engagement involves creating environments where people feel heard, respected, and free from harm or judgement, and is developed through ongoing partnership, reflection and community input.

Code of Conduct (also known as Standards of Behaviour): A document that outlines expected behaviours for respectful, inclusive engagement within your organisation. It helps teams define what ‘good’ looks like in practice—setting a shared standard for how staff engage with each other and with stakeholders.

Engagement Charter (also known as statement of commitment): A public statement that sets out an organisation’s commitment to meaningful engagement. Grounded in the organisation’s values and goals, an Engagement Charter clearly outlines why engagement matters, what principles guide it, and what stakeholders can expect in practice.

Engagement Evaluation: A structured approach to measuring how well engagement activities are planned, delivered, and received. It involves tracking key metrics – such as reach, satisfaction, influence, and impact – to understand what worked, what didn’t, and what could be improved.

Engagement Framework: An internal reference tool that outlines your organisation’s standardised approach to engagement. It adapts best-practice models to suit your unique context, language and workflows. A strong framework sets clear expectations for early planning, method selection, and consistent, values-aligned engagement across all projects.

Engagement Institute: The Engagement Institute is Australasia’s leading authority on stakeholder and community engagement.

Engagement Methods: The tools and techniques used to involve stakeholders and communities in decisions that affect them. Method selection should be tailored to the purpose, context, and audience – and might include surveys, workshops, interviews, deliberative processes, or digital platforms. Good method design ensures engagement is accessible, inclusive, and fit for purpose.

Engagement Policy Document: A formal, organisation-wide document that defines the purpose, principles, and approach to engagement. It outlines why engagement matters, how it should be practiced, and the expectations for staff at all levels. It is the foundation for accountable, values-aligned engagement.

Engagement Principles: Five core principles that should guide thinking in engagement policies and frameworks and tools.

(Organisational) Engagement Strategy: A strategic document that sets out an organisation’s short- and medium-term goals for engagement, and how those goals align with broader organisational priorities and transformation efforts. It outlines focus areas, roles, and success measures.

Engagement tools: Templates, systems, and shared resources that support consistent engagement planning, delivery, and reporting. Tools may include stakeholder registers, method selection guides, evaluation checklists, and engagement planning templates. When used well, they help embed good practice across the entire engagement lifecycle.

Ethical Engagement Policy or Guidelines: Document/s that outline the principles and standards guiding respectful, transparent, and inclusive engagement. These policies help teams identify and respond to ethical risks, reflect on real-world scenarios, and ensure engagement is grounded in integrity and accountability from planning through to delivery.

First Nations Engagement: How authentically and respectfully an organisation partners with First Nations peoples and aligns with First Nations priorities across all levels of planning and practice. One of the nine key elements EngageMark assesses.

First Nations Engagement Strategy: A dedicated strategy developed in partnership with First Nations communities that outlines how the organisation will engage in a respectful, culturally informed, and ongoing way. The strategy should be regularly reviewed and refined to reflect evolving priorities, needs, and contemporary First Nations engagement practices.

Engagement governance: How well an organisation embeds engagement into its formal policies, strategies, reporting and ethical standards. One of the nine key elements EngageMark assesses.

Engagement Impact: How well organisations communicate engagement opportunities and outcomes, demonstrate how input has shaped decisions, and share success stories. One of the nine key elements EngageMark assesses.

Engagement Leadership: How actively and consistently senior leaders champion, model and embed engagement. One of the nine key elements EngageMark assesses.

Organisational values: The core beliefs and guiding principles that shape how an organisation behaves, makes decisions, and interacts with others. Strong organisational values are more than just words on a page – they’re reflected in culture, leadership, and day-to-day practice.

Engagement Practice: How consistently and effectively engagement is planned, delivered and reviewed across the organisation. One of the nine key elements EngageMark assesses.

Senior Leaders: The executive or highest operational leadership level within an organisation.

Skills matrix: A tool used to assess current engagement capability across an organisation. It helps identify strengths, gaps, and development needs – so organisations can plan targeted training, mentoring, and long-term capability building. Often linked to workforce planning, it ensures engagement skills are built and sustained in the right places, at the right levels.

Relationship quality: A measure of the strength, trust, and connection between an organisation and its stakeholders. Relationship quality can be tracked using surveys, feedback tools, or defined indicators—and should inform planning, reporting, and strategic decision-making. When measured well, it becomes a powerful marker of engagement success. One of the nine key elements EngageMark assesses.

Engagement Resourcing: Whether an organisation has the frameworks, funding, tools and systems in place to support consistent, high-quality engagement. One of the nine key elements EngageMark assesses.

Please find below links to all the policies relating to EngageMark:

• Terms of Supply
• Privacy Policy
• Collection Statement
• Acceptable Use
• Data Retention Policy
• Data Disposal Procedure
• Certification Dispute Policy

EngageMark is based on a set of ‘Standards’ of behaviour that organisations should underpin engagement practice, these include:

• Engagement Institute Principles
• IAP2 Core Values
• IAP2 Quality Assurance Standard for Community and Stakeholder Engagement