ABSTRACTBRIAN KEITH FOREMAN. An investigation of the success of organizations involved in community engagement initiatives. (Under the direction of DR. DAVID M. DUNAWAY)Organizations seeking to invest human and financial resources in community-building initiatives have lacked an empirical study that determines what factors are present in successful initiatives for previous organizations. This study is an exploratory study, examining the success of 36 diverse organizations, cross-tabbed with corporate social responsibility indicators to determine which, if any, of the indicators are necessary for successful implementation. Additionally, organizational demographics were also studied for the same purpose. Significant corporate social responsibility indicators included corporate identity, stakeholder interest, altruism/moral duty, and employee equity. The organizational demographic that was significant was an indication of whether the process of engagement had shown some "philosophical change" in the organization. This study illustrates that broader research should be done in order to assist organizations that are seeking to be socially involved in their communities.