The goal of this research is to identify positive practices used when conducting community‐based research with people living with vulnerable conditions. Community‐based research practitioners who participated in the research included 37 researchers, community partners, program planners, and government employees, working in health, human services, children and youth, and education sectors. Concept mapping, a participatory stakeholder‐driven process, was used to generate a framework of how community‐based research practitioners responded to the complex environments of people living with vulnerable conditions when conducting research. Respondents generated positive practices, determined relationships among practices, and rated practices on frequency of use and perceived effectiveness. This study revealed 7 clusters of positive practices: ethical practices, participant supports, social accountability, community involvement, language competence, financial compensation, and project management.