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Outreach and Engagement Templates

Customizable templates for outreach assistance!

49 Topics
Team Polco
Team PolcoCommunity Manager
published in The National Community Survey (The NCS)
The NCS Press Release Template - Open Participation Survey (second version)

CITY OF ABC Adopts New Public Engagement PlatformLocal government diversifies engagement through technology  City of ABC, [st], [Date] – The City of ABC is excited to announce the launch of Polco (www.polco.us), an innovative online engagement platform that lets community members provide direct input to the local decision-making process regarding the policies and programs that are put in place in your area. Officials will post questions directly to residents on Polco’s website, where participants answer and comment on the issues. Polco makes public participation easier for residents to get involved, so more voices are heard.  The City of ABC wants the public’s insight on The National Community Survey, also called The NCS. Specifically, the City wants to know what they can do to work towards a better, safer community. [add specifics here as needed].  [Quote from City official about how Polco is a good tool to use for the project.] Ex: “This survey will help [City/County/other] staff and

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Team Polco
2 years ago
Team Polco
Team PolcoCommunity Manager
published in The National Business Survey (The NBS)
NBS Press Release Template

CITY OF ABC Adopts New Public Engagement PlatformCity of ABC, [ST], [Date] – The City of ABC is excited to announce the launch of Polco (www.polco.us), an innovative online engagement platform that lets community members provide direct input to the local government decision-making process and help to create better policies and programs to support local businesses. City staff will post questions directly to businesses on Polco’s website, where participants answer and comment on the issues. Polco makes public participation easier for residents to get involved, so more voices are heard.  The City wants the public’s insight on The National Business Survey, also called The NBS.  [Quote from City official about how Polco is a good tool to use for the project.] Ex: “This survey will help [City/County/other] staff and Council identify priorities for businesses and economic growth in the City.”  To get involved, business owners should go to polco.us/[shorturl]. Once they have answered the surve

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Team Polco
2 years ago
Team Polco
Team PolcoCommunity Manager
published in The National Employee Survey (The NES)
NES Press Release Template

[City Name] Adopts New Public Engagement Platform, Focusing on City Employee FeedbackLocal government diversifies engagement through technology  City of ABC, [ST], [Date] – [City Name] is excited to announce the launch of Polco (www.polco.us), an innovative online engagement platform that lets local government employees and residents provide direct input to the local government decision-making process. Officials will post questions directly to employees and residents on Polco’s website, where respondents answer and comment on the issues. Polco makes public participation easier for employees residents to get involved, so more voices are heard.  [City Name] wants their employees’ insight through The National Employee Survey, also called The NES.  [Quote from City official about how Polco is a good tool to use for the project.] Ex: “This survey will help City staff identify priorities for improving our work environment and City as a whole.” The City also seeks community involvement on dev

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Team Polco
2 years ago
Team Polco
Team PolcoCommunity Manager
published in The National Law Enforcement Survey (The NLES)
NLES Press Release Template

CITY OF ABC Adopts New Public Engagement PlatformLocal government diversifies engagement through technology DIVERSIFYING ENGAGEMENT THROUGH TECHNOLOGY City of ABC, [ST], [Date] – The City of ABC is excited to announce the launch of Polco (www.polco.us), an innovative online engagement platform that lets community members provide direct input to inform the community-based programs and decision-making of local law enforcement. Officials will post questions directly to residents on Polco’s website, where participants answer and comment on the issues. Polco makes public participation easier for residents to get involved, so more voices are heard.  The City of ABC wants the public’s insight on The National Law Enforcement Survey, also called The NLES. Specifically, the City wants to know resident opinions and experiences with law enforcement. [add specifics here as needed].  [Quote from City official about how Polco is a good tool to use for the project.] Ex: “This survey will help [City/Co

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Team Polco
2 years ago
Team Polco
Team PolcoCommunity Manager
published in The Community Assessment Survey for Older Adults (The CASOA)
CASOA Press Release Template - Random Sample SurveyTemplate

[Jurisdiction Name, State], [Date] – The [City / County / State / Area Agency on Aging / State Agency on Aging] is conducting a comprehensive needs assessment of the area’s aging community. The goal of the assessment is to gather direct feedback from residents ages [55] and over to better understand the contributions that older adults make to their communities and to identify their challenges and unmet needs.  Feedback will be gathered through The Community Assessment Survey for Older Adults (CASOA). The survey will be sent to [10,000] randomly selected households within zip codes serving [Jurisdiction Name], in which at least one resident is known to be age [55] or over. Surveys will be sent the week of [April 8] and will include a cover letter with more information, as well as a postage-paid return envelope. [Jurisdiction Name] residents will also receive a postcard in advance, with the opportunity to complete the survey online. [The mailed survey will be in English, and a Spanish tr

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Team Polco
2 years ago
Team Polco
Team PolcoCommunity Manager
published in The National Law Enforcement Survey (The NLES)
NLES Open Participation Press Release Template

CITY OF ABC ADOPTS NEW PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PLATFORMDIVERSIFYING ENGAGEMENT THROUGH TECHNOLOGY City of ABC, [ST], [Date] – The City of ABC is excited to announce the launch of Polco (www.polco.us), an innovative online engagement platform that lets local residents provide direct input and help to create better law enforcement programs and community-based initiatives. By using Polco, the [municipality type] is making public participation easier for residents and law enforcement. Officials will post questions directly to law enforcement officials on Polco’s website, where residents can answer and comment on the questions. The City of ABC will soon be asking participants for their input on [first topic]. Specifically, the City  wants to know what law enforcement officials think about [specific question].  [Quote from City official about how Polco is a good tool to use for the project.] The City will be asking for further input on [other projects that the municipality or police department wil

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Team Polco
2 years ago
Team Polco
Team PolcoCommunity Manager
published in The National Business Survey (The NBS)
NBS Open Participation Press Release Template

CITY OF ABC ADOPTS NEW PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PLATFORM City of ABC, [ST], [Date] – The City of ABC is excited to announce the launch of Polco (www.polco.us), an innovative online engagement platform that lets local businesses provide direct input to the local economic decision-making process. By using Polco, the City is making public participation easier for local businesses. Officials will post questions directly to business owners on Polco’s website, where they can answer and comment on the questions. [Quote from City official about how Polco is a good tool to use for the project.] The City will be asking for further input from businesses and residents on Polco in the coming weeks and months. To participate, business owners should go to polco.us/[shorturl]. Once they have answered the survey, owners will be asked to provide their ZIP code to confirm where they live. This allows the City to be sure they are hearing from each person only once and to see which general area of the city respon

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Team Polco
2 years ago
Team Polco
Team PolcoCommunity Manager
published in The Community Assessment Survey for Older Adults (The CASOA)
CASOA Press Release Template - Open Participation SurveyTemplate

[Jurisdiction Name, State], [Date] – The [City / County / State / Area Agency on Aging / State Agency on Aging] is asking all residents ages [55] and over to participate in a comprehensive needs assessment of the area’s aging community. The goal of the assessment is to gather direct feedback from the local older adult population to better understand the contributions they make to their communities and to identify any challenges and unmet needs.  [Quote from local leader/official about the purpose of this survey assessment or specific details about how results will be used. Example: “This survey will help [City/County/other] staff identify priorities for the aging population in [community name] and influence budgeting and strategic plans for the upcoming year.”] Initial feedback has been gathered over the past [five] weeks from a randomly selected sample of [Jurisdiction Name] residents. Now, all community members ages [55] and over are encouraged to share their input by completing The

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Team Polco
2 years ago
Team Polco
Team PolcoCommunity Manager
published in The National Employee Survey (The NES)
NES Email Template

Dear [City Employee Name], We think your input is critical to a healthy, happy workplace and are excited to introduce a new and easy way for you to provide your opinions on specific topics to the City. Your feedback will help us be sure that our City’s policies and programs align with the values of our employees.  We just posted The National Employee Survey on Polco to gain information and advice on how the city is best assisting employees, and where there is room for improvement. You can participate here: polco.us/[shorturl]. It will take only a few minutes. Polco will help us efficiently manage responses from you and your neighbors across the City as we reach out via email, social media and other channels.  Your response will remain anonymous to the City, and your information will be securely stored on Polco.  In addition, we hope you will choose to provide an email address to Polco, so we can contact you with new questions and surveys available for you to participate in! You can lea

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Team Polco
2 years ago
Team Polco
Team PolcoCommunity Manager
published in The National Law Enforcement Survey (The NLES)
NLES Email Template

Dear Law Enforcement Organization [or use the actual organization’s name], We think your input is critical to a safer, healthier community and are excited to introduce a new and easy way for you to provide your opinions on specific topics to the Police Department of the City of XYZ. Your feedback will help us be sure that our law enforcement programs, policies and values align with our residents’ values. We just posted The National Law Enforcement Survey on Polco to gain information and advice on how the city is best assisting law enforcement officials, and where there is room for improvement. You can participate here: polco.us/[shorturl]. It will take only a few minutes. Polco will help us efficiently manage responses from you and your neighbors across the organization as we reach out via email, social media and other channels.  Once you have answered the question, you will be asked to provide your ZIP code to confirm where you live. This allows us to be sure we are hearing from each

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Team Polco
2 years ago
Team Polco
Team PolcoCommunity Manager
published in The National Community Survey (The NCS)
NCS Email Template

Dear Resident, We think your input is critical to a healthy and thriving community and are excited to introduce a new and easy way for you to provide your opinions on specific topics to the City of XYZ. Your feedback will help us be sure that our city’s policies and programs align with our residents’ values. We just posted The National Community Survey on Polco to gain information and advice on how the city is best assisting residents, and where there is room for improvement. You can participate here: polco.us/[shorturl]. It will take only a few minutes. Polco will help us efficiently manage responses from you and your neighbors across the City as we reach out via email, social media and other channels.  Once you have answered the question, you will be asked to provide your ZIP code to confirm where you live. This allows us to be sure we are hearing from each person only once and to know which general area of the city they live in. Your response will remain anonymous to the City, and y

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Team Polco
2 years ago
Team Polco
Team PolcoCommunity Manager
published in The Community Assessment Survey for Older Adults (The CASOA)
CASOA Email Template - Random Sample SurveyTemplate

Dear community members age [55 and up -- adjust to minimum age of sample], We need your input! The [City / County / State / Area Agency on Aging / State Agency on Aging] is conducting a Community Assessment Survey for Older Adults to better understand the contributions that adults [55+] make to their communities, as well as the needs they have and challenges they experience. Your feedback will help us be sure that our policies and programs align with our residents’ values. The survey will launch [this week], with [2,800] randomly selected households receiving a postcard invitation to take the survey online. A week later, these same residents will receive a printed survey in the mail with a postage-paid return envelope. Please watch for these invitations in your mailbox and take a few minutes to participate!  If you are not randomly selected for this initial survey effort, stay tuned: We will be sharing a link in [Month] that will give all members of the community a chance to complete t

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Team Polco
2 years ago
Team Polco
Team PolcoCommunity Manager
published in The National Business Survey (The NBS)
NBS Email Template

Dear Local Business [or use the actual Business’ name if you’d like], We think your input is critical to a healthy local economy and are excited to introduce a new and easy way for you to provide your opinions on specific topics. Your feedback will help us be sure that our policies and programs align with our residents’ and business owners’ values. We just posted The National Business Survey on Polco to gain information and advice on how the city is best assisting businesses, and where there is room for improvement. You can participate here: polco.us/[shorturl]. It will take only a few minutes. Polco will help us efficiently manage responses from you and your neighbors as we reach out via email, social media and other channels.  Once you have answered the question, you will be asked to provide your ZIP code to confirm where you live. This allows us to be sure we are hearing from each person only once and to know which general area of the city they live in. Your response will remain ano

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Team Polco
2 years ago
Team Polco
Team PolcoCommunity Manager
published in The National Community Survey (The NCS)
Press Release Template - The National Community Survey Results

News Release For Immediate Release[Date] Contact: [Name][Title, Organization][Email][Phone] [City/Town] Measures Resident Satisfaction with The National Community Survey [City/Town] recently surveyed residents to better understand the community’s needs and perspectives.  The National Community Survey (The NCS) was developed by National Research Center (NRC) at Polco.This scientific assessment measures community livability according to residents. It captures opinions on the economy, mobility, community design, utilities, safety, natural environment, inclusivity, engagement, and more. The results give a comprehensive look at  [City/Town’s] strengths, areas of improvement, and residents’ priorities. Officials can compare [City’s/Town’s] data with more than 600 other communities around the nation. The results show that residents give high ratings to ______ and ________, among other findings. “[Quote from City/Town leader. Include general sentiments about importance of The NCS, why it was c

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Team Polco
2 years ago
Team Polco
Team PolcoCommunity Manager
published in The National Law Enforcement Survey (The NLES)
NLES Blog Template

NLES Blog Template: Share a Survey on Your City or Organization's WebsiteYour organization’s website is the home base for information, an outreach channel, and a resource for residents as well as staff and officials. The purpose of this Polco Connect article is to provide a template for an announcement explaining why your city chose Polco, what you want to achieve with it, and why the survey is important to your community/jurisdiction. It will answer questions such as:  Why is it valuable? How will feedback be used? How is data protected? How do you access Polco? Along with the announcement template, within Polco you can create a(n) FAQ — otherwise known as Frequently Asked Questions — page. It’s here on this page you can:  Add informational areas to spell out smaller details Create a home for repeated questions asked by residents Allow for the page to become a point of reference for any questions residents may have With this FAQ Page, you’re able t

370
Team Polco
2 years ago
Team Polco
Team PolcoCommunity Manager
published in The National Business Survey (The NBS)
NBS Blog Template

NBS Blog Template: Share a Survey on Your City or Organization's WebsiteYour city’s website is the home base for information, an outreach channel, and a resource for residents as well as staff and officials. The purpose of this Polco Connect article is to provide a template for an announcement explaining why your city chose Polco, what you want to achieve with it, and why the survey is important to your community/jurisdiction. It will answer questions such as:  Why is it valuable? How will feedback be used? How is data protected? How do you access Polco? Along with the announcement template, within Polco you can create a FAQ — otherwise known as Frequently Asked Questions — page. It’s here on this page you can:  Add informational areas to spell out smaller details Create a home for repeated questions asked by residents Allow for the page to become a point of reference for any questions residents may have With this FAQ Page, you’re able to:  Create

390
Team Polco
2 years ago
Team Polco
Team PolcoCommunity Manager
published in The National Employee Survey (The NES)
NES Blog Template

NES Blog Template: Share a Survey on Your City or Organization's WebsiteYour City website is the home base for information, an outreach channel, and a resource for residents as well as staff and officials. The purpose of this Polco Connect article is to provide a template for an announcement explaining why your city chose Polco, what you want to achieve with it, and why the survey is important to your community/jurisdiction. It will answer questions such as:  Why is it valuable? How will feedback be used? How is data protected? How do you access Polco? Along with the announcement template, within Polco you can create an FAQ — otherwise known as Frequently Asked Questions — page. It’s here on this page you can:  Add informational areas to spell out smaller details Create a home for repeated questions asked by residents and employees Allow for the page to become a point of reference for any questions residents and employees may have With this FAQ Page

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Team Polco
2 years ago
Team Polco
Team PolcoCommunity Manager
published in The Community Assessment Survey for Older Adults (The CASOA)
CASOA Blog or Newsletter TemplateTemplate

The Community Assessment Survey for Older Adults Set for [Fall 2023]The [City / County / State / Area Agency on Aging / State Agency on Aging] needs input from the older adult community! This [fall], residents ages [55] and over will have the opportunity to complete The Community Assessment Survey for Older Adults (CASOA). Feedback provided on this survey will help the [City / County / State / Area Agency on Aging / State Agency on Aging] better understand the contributions that adults [55+] make to their communities, as well as the needs they have and challenges they experience. These survey results will help us ensure that our policies and programs align with our residents’ values.The survey will launch in [Month], with [2,800] randomly selected households receiving a postcard invitation to take the survey online. A week later, these same residents will receive a printed survey in the mail with a postage-paid return envelope. Please watch for these invitations in your mailbox and tak

790
Team Polco
2 years ago
Team Polco
Team PolcoCommunity Manager
published in The National Community Survey (The NCS)
NCS Blog Template

NCS Blog Template: Share a Survey on Your City or Organization's WebsiteYour organization’s website is the home base for information, an outreach channel, and a resource for residents as well as staff and officials. The purpose of this Polco Connect article is to provide a template for an announcement explaining why your city chose Polco, what you want to achieve with it, and why the survey is important to your community/jurisdiction. It will answer questions such as:  Why is it valuable? How will feedback be used? How is data protected? How do you access Polco? Along with the announcement template, within Polco you can create a(n) FAQ — otherwise known as Frequently Asked Questions — page. It’s here on this page you can:  Add informational areas to spell out smaller details Create a home for repeated questions asked by residents Allow for the page to become a point of reference for any questions residents may have With this FAQ Page, you’re able to

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Team Polco
2 years ago
Team Polco
Team PolcoCommunity Manager
published in The National Community Survey (The NCS)
Press Release Template for NCS: Random Sample Survey

Get the news out! Create buzz through a media partner.Let your regional, local and hyper-local news agencies know about the survey. Different media outlets will appeal to different groups, so cast your net as widely as you can. Modify the template below to fit your needs. EXAMPLE: General press release to announce the surveyFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: [insert name]Telephone: [insert phone]Email: [insert email]Date: [insert date]Headline: [Community name] Officials Plan/Prepare for Upcoming Resident Survey[Community name, State]: [City/County/other] officials are pleased to announce they will be conducting a comprehensive quality of life survey next month. The survey will initially be available to randomly selected residents, who will receive a mailed invitation to participate. Soon after, all residents will be able to complete the survey online by visiting the [City/County/other]’s website at [homepage/URL]. “We’re very excited to be conducting this survey,” says [full name], [title

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Team Polco
3 years ago
Team Polco
Team PolcoCommunity Manager
published in The National Community Survey (The NCS)
Social Media Templates for The National Community Survey - Open Participation

How many ways are there to say “please take our survey”? Turns out — a lot!  We’ve created these templates to help you promote your city’s version of The National Community Survey (The NCS) open participation survey online.  These suggested posts are optimized for platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Nextdoor. We recommend posting a different message each week your survey is open.  Simply fill in the blanks to personalize the text for your community or organization, then copy and paste into your social media platform. To help increase your reach, encourage staff, councilmembers, community partners and local news outlets to “like” and “share” your social media posts about the survey.  Pro Tip: Social media posts that have colorful images get more clicks than posts that don’t. Feel free to choose an illustration provided by Polco here, or use your own. Pictures of your community (like skylines or popular downtown areas) are great! You can even tag partners in pictures to remind them

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Team Polco
3 years ago
Team Polco
Team PolcoCommunity Manager
published in The National Community Survey (The NCS)
Press Release Template to Share Open Participation SurveyTutorial

Get the news out! Create buzz through a media partner. Let your regional, local and hyper-local news agencies know you are taking this important step. Different media outlets will appeal to different groups, so cast your net as widely as you can. Modify the template below to fit your needs.   General press release: CITY OF ABC ADOPTS NEW PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PLATFORMDIVERSIFYING ENGAGEMENT THROUGH TECHNOLOGY City of ABC, [ST], [Date] – The City of ABC is excited to announce the launch of Polco (www.polco.us), an innovative online engagement platform that lets residents provide direct input to the local government decision-making process. By using Polco, the [municipality type] is making public participation easier for residents. Officials will post questions directly to residents on Polco’s website, where residents answer and comment on the questions. The City of ABC will soon be asking residents for their input on [first topic]. Specifically, the City wants to know what residents thi

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Team Polco
3 years ago
Team Polco
Team PolcoCommunity Manager
published in Custom Surveys (Engage)
Email to Polco Subscribers Template: Custom Survey LaunchTemplate

Customize this template by copy/pasting the text below or downloading the attached Word doc. Use Polco’s built-in notification system to share this email with your Polco subscribers (see this article for step-by-step instructions).  We need your input to build a stronger community! Please take a few minutes to complete the [survey title] survey today. Your feedback on [survey topic] will help us [survey goal]. These results will help us ensure that our policies and programs align with our residents’ highest priorities, allowing us to make more informed decisions moving forward.You’re receiving this email because you’ve subscribed to follow the (City/Town/Village/etc.) of (Community Name) on Polco, our civic engagement platform that brings residents’ voices into local government decision-making processes. We appreciate your time and participation in these important community matters! Your responses are always confidential, and your personal data or identifying information are never shar

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Team Polco
3 years ago
Team Polco
Team PolcoCommunity Manager
published in Custom Surveys (Engage)
Social Media Templates: Custom Survey PromotionTemplate

Customize the following post templates by copy/pasting the text below or downloading the attached Word doc. These posts are optimized for platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and Nextdoor. We recommend posting a different message each week your survey is open. To help increase the reach of your survey, you can encourage staff, council members, community partners and local news outlets to “like” and “share” your social media posts about the survey. The more you get the word out about your survey, the more responses you can expect!Tip: Social media posts with images get more clicks than posts that don’t. Feel free to choose an illustration provided by Polco (see options here) or use your own.  The [survey title] is live! Share your thoughts on our community’s [topic area] offerings and services before [close date] at polco.us/_______ (Short URL Link) Don’t wait! Take the [survey title] today before it closes. We need a few minutes of your time to make the best dec

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Team Polco
3 years ago
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