There currently exists an incompatibility between the demands of university administrators for increased community engagement and the realities facing faculty who want to integrate it into their academic coursework, research, and professional service. This article provides insight on the complex challenges preventing faculty from becoming involved in reciprocal community engagement endeavors. It explores four factors to consider when recruiting faculty: where they are on their career track, access to resources, control over their teaching and research activities, and their interest and preparation. This article suggests that rather than viewing community engagement as a binary state where a faculty member is integrally engaged or not, faculty engagement can be viewed along a continuum where they are engaged in a variety of ways with different degrees of engagement and commitment. Finally, this article provides several examples of the multi-tier approach that Penn State has successfully championed to involve more faculty in community-engaged work by understanding their perspectives and meeting them where they are.