February Edition: How to Use the Fund It Tool to Boost Community Engagement ??
Discover Bayside City Council’s Library of Things, explore the City of Monash’s Annual Budget plans, check out the potential names for Wyndham City’s reserve and pavilion, plus much more!
Borrow, Enjoy, and Return a Library of Things
Bayside City Council introduced a ‘Library of Things’ initiative at Beaumaris Library, allowing community members to borrow, enjoy, and return various items instead of purchasing them. This initiative aims to encourage sustainable living practices within the community, fostering a circular economy, and reducing an excessive consumption and accumulation of objects that aren’t regularly used.
By leveraging the points system and grid view of the Fund It tool, Bayside had asked residents: "Which items would you like to see in our Library?" From a selection of 14 options, this prompted community members to vote for their favorite items, such as a leaf vacuum, a battery lawn mower, and a bread maker, with 14 points available.?
Annual Budget Engagement and Allocation Process
Each year, the City of Monash prepares an annual budget to outline how services and programs will be delivered to the community. This covered services such as waste management, infrastructure upgrades, community facilities, parks, libraries, recreation centers, events, festivals for all age groups. To involve the community, the City sought input from residents for ideas regarding the types of services they wish to be considered in the Annual Planning Process of the Budget for 2023/24.
Monash used the dollar variable option of the Fund It tool, to pose the following question to residents - "How do you think your rates should be allocated?" With a budget of $1,000 available, community members could vote by adjusting sliders to increase or decrease spending in each operating area.
Choosing a Name for a Reserve and Pavilion
Wyndham City is in the process of constructing a new and exciting Regional Football Facility, in Tarneit. Once completed, this facility will serve as the training base for the Western United Football Club, while the main grass pitch will host training sessions for Western United Football Club's A-League teams, NPL matches, and academy teams. So, Wyndham is currently seeking input from community residents to select a name for its new and exciting reserve and pavilion.
Using the Trade-off option of the Fund It Tool, Wyndham is asking residents to choose a name for the reserve and the pavilion from the two options available. These names are based on suggestions made by community members during the initial round of engagement, complying with Geographic Names Victoria Guidelines. Residents can vote for their preferred name using this tool, with each person given one point only.
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Determining What Services Matter to Residents
The City of Casey had undertook its largest community engagement campaign – Shape Your City - to inform residents about Casey’s long-term Community Vision, current Council Plan, and long-term Financial Plan. Mid-way through the Council’s plan, Casey wanted to check-in with community members to understand what services are important to them and their family.
In order to achieve this, Casey employed engagement tools like the points + list feature of the Fund It tool. This allowed residents to express their priorities and preferences, aiding the Council in making decisions for the upcoming year's budget. With 100 points available, residents could choose from nine options, including pets and animals, transportation infrastructure, sports and recreation, and the environment.?
While I find it commendable when Councils actively seek input from a diverse range of community groups, I know that sometimes it’s not always that easy. Based on conversations I’ve had with coworkers or insights I’ve heard from Councils, I’ve discovered that some of the most hardly-reached groups include the ‘youth’, ‘older adults’, and ‘rural’ communities.
In saying this, a Council approached us a few months ago to discuss ways on how to boost participation among older adults, as some individuals within that group were not comfortable with digital technology. But, after reviewing their site and making a few suggestions that didn’t require too much additional work, their contributions increased from 39 to over 200 in just a few weeks!
So, while having an engagement site is great, it’s equally important to concentrate on your marketing efforts to boost participation and to ensure that people know it exists.
So, if you're also encountering similar challenges, I've compiled my top five tips to help boost engagement with hardly-reached communities:
1. Social Media – Share your site and get the name out there! Utilize platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram and even get coworkers to re-share your projects online to increase its reach and visibility. For instance, utilize popular Facebook community groups with large followings to effectively target individuals who may be impacted or interested in these projects. This allows you to inform and share information about your site to the right audience.
2. Hybrid Engagement – To accommodate diverse communication preferences in your community, offer a combination of digital and in-person engagement methods. This could involve hosting virtual town hall meetings, conducting in-person and online workshops or sessions, and organizing informative webinars.
3. Printed Materials – In alignment with point 2, provide flyers containing step-by-step guides, QR codes, or printable surveys to accommodate community groups with limited technological resources. For instance, if you utilize the Social Map engagement tool on your site, you can collect information like names and emails through printable forms. Then, you can incorporate their details and feedback into the map online.
4. Accessibility – Make your site easily accessible. The longer it takes for residents to find your site online, the more likely they are to lose interest and disengage. So, make sure that any important information, such as specific links to your page or a call to action, is displayed towards the top of your page. This allows people to see it instantly or click a button when they land on your page.
5. Add Visuals – Due to limited attention spans, incorporate visuals such as imagery and videos to your site to better connect with residents, help convey information and reduce text-heavy content. This can also make your site look more appealing and visually engaging.
Are you incorporating these five tips into your engagement strategies? If not, what engagement methods are you using to boost public participation with hardly-reached communities?
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This month’s pinpoint perspectives have been brought to you by Laura Trappett , Marketing.
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See you in March!
– Social Pinpoint