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37 Topics

Emily
EmilyCommunity Manager
published in Community stories

Creating Community Resilience with Resident Engagement

 In a changing world, it’s crucial communities are resilient enough to overcome the unknowns. Some of the most worrisome predictions include cyberattacks and mass migrations from climate change. More optimistic voices suspect life will be more efficient and clean, and technology will work for us versus against us. Regardless, change is imminent, and government leaders must consistently build relationships with residents to create community resilience and a society that works together.Transparent two-way communication, follow-through, and adjusting the plan as needed cultivates trust between local government and constituents.Community surveys enable leaders to execute these trust-building steps. Surveying collects residents’ opinions on quality of life in their communities. With insightful data, officials can make a plan, communicate the reasoning behind that plan, and demonstrate how that plan is working by comparing reports over time. Building Trust Results in Fast Action Consistent e

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Emily
9 days ago
Emily
EmilyCommunity Manager
published in Polco News

Case Studies

Polco loves to spotlight jurisdictions that have conducted surveys or polls to better their community engagement! We have a plethora of great case studies that highlight these stories. Check them out and more on our blog! See all case studies by clicking here. Here’s a snippet from a recent case study on Palm Coast, FL: Palm Coast Transforms Community Livability Through a Commitment to Community Development"We take pride in being one of the best places to live in America," said Denise Bevan, Palm Coast's Interim City Manager. "This is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our residents, City staff, and public officials." Polco presents to Palm Coast the Voice of the People Awards for  "Transformation in Foundations of Livability" award in conjunction the International City & County Management Association (ICMA).The Transformation in Foundations of Livability award recognizes and honors communities that have improved the overall quality of life for their residents and the

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Emily
28 days ago
Emily
EmilyCommunity Manager
published in Basics

Voice of the People Awards

The Voice of the People Awards (VOP) are the only awards given in local government based on the opinion of community residents. They are presented jointly by National Research Center (NRC) at Polco and the International City / County Management Association (ICMA). Award-winning communities embody the spirit of The National Community Survey™ (The NCS™) and display commitment to best practices in moving their communities forward. The awards acknowledge local governments with the highest or most improved ratings on The National Community Survey (The NCS), or the best use of the Polco engagement platform, and that take the best actions based on their data.  The awards for Excellence recognize communities that received the highest marks from residents in the previous year and are at the top of the cohort of The NCS participants. The awards for Transformation recognize communities that have seen significant increase in favorable ratings in resident responses over repeated administrations o

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Emily
2 months ago
Emily
EmilyCommunity Manager
published in Best practices

The Aftermath of Your Benchmark Survey

Congratulations on wrapping up your benchmark survey efforts! You’ve received your results, and you have a lot to process at this point, but what next? Share your results! It’s very important to show your community that their input matters. More than that, how is their input going to affect change within the community? There are a few things to think about when working on these communications. A great idea would be to create a press release outlining your results (see templates) - the highlights, the areas for improvement, etc. What are the main points you want to share? From there, tell your community how you plan to use the results! If you’d like to read some examples of how other communities have done this, check out this thread.To help you get started, here’s a great brainstorming template! Feel free to download it, print it and create your own communications plan!  

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Emily
3 months ago
Emily
EmilyCommunity Manager
published in Polco News

Search Function Location in the Polco Library

Hi Connect Community! We have some great news to share! We are continuously working on updating the platform’s functionality, and making the tool increasingly helpful and easier to use. So thank you to all who update the Ideas section! We see it, and we thank you for your input to help us help you.  The search function within the Library has been relocated to the top of the page, and will stay in view throughout your scrolling.  Search any topics you are looking to survey your community on. Can’t find what you’re looking for? Add your feedback to the Ideas tab within Connect! We’ll add it to our product roadmap, and create new content. If you already see your idea within the pipeline, give it an upvote! The more activity, the more noticeable that request will be.  It’s important to stay connected with each other and ourselves, and share new ideas. Happy New Year! Hopefully it’s off to a great start!

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Emily
3 months ago
Jen
JenCommunity Manager
posted in Best practices

Two great examples of using press releases for survey outreach

We love these press releases from Eden Prairie, MN, and Redlands, CA. What a great way to get the word out about your survey! Check out our press release template here. Share your city’s Polco press releases below! @olaskey @Taylor.Wolfe @Joe Carey @Al Roder @Brent Stockwell @Diann Kirby @Evan Michel would love to see any examples you have from your communities :)  

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Jen
8 months ago
Jen
JenCommunity Manager
posted in Best practices

Sharing poll and survey results with your residents

 We love this example of how the Wisconsin Newspaper Association shared the results of their recent poll about vaccine mandates in schools. By sharing outcomes on local media outlets, residents who voted in the poll can see how other residents felt and how this may impact decisions of local leadership around this issue. @DonVincent @jayvincent do you have any examples to share of The Daily Line doing something similar?  

0
Jen
8 months ago
Jen
JenCommunity Manager
posted in Best practices

Using Twitter to tell residents about your survey

We love this great example of how Athens-Clarke County used Twitter to tell residents about their Community Survey. Great job @Alice Hayes and Athens-Clarke County team!   Anyone else have examples of how they’ve used Twitter to get the word out? @Jordan VanLoo @Brent Stockwell @Kimberly Humphrey @Megan DeMoss Curious if you’ve tried something like this!

3
Jen
8 months ago
Jen
JenCommunity Manager
published in Polco News

Brand-New Reporting with an Equity Lens

Get the insights you need to spend ARPA funds - without the hassle. Polco’s ARPA Engagement Package includes a brand-new data dashboard where you'll see key findings, critical focus areas, benchmark comparisons, equity disparities, and trends over time.

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Jen
11 months ago
Jen
JenCommunity Manager
published in Polco News

New Expert-Made Surveys Just AddedNews

 Our survey scientists regularly create new surveys around relevant issues for you to use in your community. Just added: Police-Community Interaction, Accessibility, Marijuana, and more! Got a request for a survey to be added to the Polco Library? Let us know. 

70
Jen
11 months ago
Jen
JenCommunity Manager
published in Polco News

Level Up Your Engagement with a Free TrialNews

Get access to demographic breakdowns by age, gender, race/ethnicity, location, and more with a 30-day free trial of Basic and Premium plans. Or get instant input through live polling with a free trial of Polco Live.Shoot us an email to get your coupon code. Then head to the Polco Store and use the code at checkout.  

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Jen
11 months ago
Jen
JenCommunity Manager
published in Polco News

An Inside Look at Polco's ARPA Engagement PackageNews

 

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Jen
11 months ago
K
Kimberly HumphreyNew Participant
asked in Basics

QR CODE

Quick question does Polco have a QR code option for surveys?

1
Jen
11 months ago
alyssa
alyssaCommunity Manager
asked in Basics

Admins adding other admins

Hey! @Laurie Urban and I heard that admins can now add other admins within Polco. Could someone tell us how this works? Thank you! 

2
Jen
1 year ago
Jen
JenCommunity Manager
published in Polco News

Get community input with a free public safety surveyNews

Policing is a controversial issue, and you need data. Our survey scientists created this Police-Community Interaction Survey that you can customize to get input from your community to inform decisions. Log into Polco to launch this survey, or get your Polco profile here.Use survey in your community. 

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Jen
1 year ago
Jen
JenCommunity Manager
published in Polco News

Create Your ARPA Recovery RoadmapNews

ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) is here to fund local government community recovery efforts. Now begins a critical time to measure, rebuild, and demonstrate progress.Long-term success demands that local government leaders understand economic impacts and engage residents and businesses in recovery planning. So Polco now provides an engagement and benchmarking program to help communities get ahead.Learn more about the ARPA Engagement Package by Polco here. 

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Jen
1 year ago
Heather Locke
Heather LockeCommunity Manager
published in Basics

Welcome to Polco Connect, Polco’s online community forum!

Welcome to Polco Connect, Polco’s online community forum!  This is your one stop shop community forum to educate yourself on the Polco platform with all the resources you need to be successful! In addition, you can connect with other communities conducting surveys. You’ll also find best practices and tools to engage with your residents and stakeholders. Polco Connect is the best place for asking questions and discussing solutions with community leaders on the Polco platform.  Let’s get started! Here’s a quick checklist of the essentials:  Meet the Community and Introduce yourself! Need a Polco profile? Get one here. Here are Five Tips on Getting Started with Polco Connect Join a group on benchmarking surveys or using the Polco platform Visit the Polco Connect Knowledge Base for detailed help articles about all things Polco! Frequently asked questions:  How do I add an admin to my profile? What can my respondents expect to see when they fill out a survey on Polco? How do I get help?

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Heather Locke
1 year ago
Cory
CoryVP- Strategic Development
asked in Discussions

Next steps after Community Equity and Inclusion survey

Many municipalities used our Community Equity and Inclusion (CEI) survey to gather feedback from their residents.  What steps are you planning to take after your initial CEI survey?

0
Cory
1 year ago
D
Damema MannEmployee
posted in Discussions

What new surveys/topics would you like to see in the Polco Library?

We frequently add new questions and full-length surveys to the Polco Library. What’s on your wish list?

0
D
1 year ago
Jen
JenCommunity Manager
asked in Ask a Question

Order of poll questions

Can I determine the order that respondents will see polls in a poll set? For example, say that I created five polls (questions) in a poll set. Will respondents see them in a random order (different for every respondent) or can I set the order so respondents see the questions in a certain order? 

1
Amanda
1 year ago
Jen
JenCommunity Manager
asked in Ask a Question

How to find poll embed code?

I’m trying to find the HTML code to embed my poll into another website. I don’t see this under “Share” (where I can upload an email list, find the short URL, etc). Where would I find that? 

1
Amanda
1 year ago
Jen
JenCommunity Manager
published in Polco News

Every Polco Pulse Newsletter in One Place

In the middle of every month, we send out a newsletter to update Polco pros like you on the latest product updates, community stories, and survey research. If you’d like to receive the Pulse, email us and let us know. Here, you’ll find the Polco Pulse archives updated each month so you can catch up on anything you may have missed in the world of Polco! June 2020: What in the World is the Polco Pulse?July 2020: Reinventing Civic Engagement and Community InputAugust 2020: The CARES EditionSeptember 2020: How Online Polling Transforms Resident Engagement October 2020: From Place to Service: Repurposing Library ServicesNovember 2020: Honoring Veterans Day at PolcoDecember 2020: Six Ways Local Governments Can Engage Young AdultsJanuary 2021: Introducing… Polco Live! February 2021: Your Community’s Next Steps Toward Equity and InclusionMarch 2021: How to Streamline Your Engagement StrategyApril 2021: Introducing Polco Connect: A Place for Ideas Worth SharingMay 2021: Join Cities Gathering In

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Heather Locke
1 year ago
Jen
JenCommunity Manager
asked in Ask a Question

Editing published surveys

I’d like to add a line item to a grid question for a survey that's already published. I’m not able to do this under “Edit.” Do I need to revert the survey to a draft? What are the capabilities of editing once a survey is already published? 

1
Amanda
1 year ago
Jen
JenCommunity Manager
published in Basics

All About Product Updates

We’re always working to improve Polco so that you can maximize your community engagement. That means that you may notice changes as you’re using the Polco platform.In the Product Updates section, we’ll give you a heads up about what’s new on the Polco platform, explain changes you may notice, and let you know when we release new features. Our Product team has some exciting things in the works, and we can’t wait to share them with you! If there’s something you’d like to see on Polco, or you have a suggestion or idea for a change to our platform, check out the Ideas category. 

170
Jen
1 year ago
Jen
JenCommunity Manager
published in Basics

Joining and Using Groups

Groups are a place to connect with other Polco pros about specific topics. For example, you may be looking for a place to talk to other community leaders who have done The National Community Survey (The NCS) or The National Law Enforcement Survey (The NLES). You may want to connect with other communities or departments with specific goals, such as public libraries or school districts. We keep certain groups private since they apply only to specific admins on Polco. You can request to join a group at any time and one of our Community Managers will review your request.Looking for a group that doesn’t yet exist? Let us know by replying to this post!   

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Jen
1 year ago

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