Polco News

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  • 14 Topics
  • 1 Reply

14 Topics

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
published in Polco News

An Important Update to Email Outreach on Polco

Emailing your community is an important way to let them know about your survey on Polco. Previously, Polco sent an email to all subscribers every Thursday letting them know about local governments requesting their input. This Thursday email included links to surveys in the jurisdictions to which they had subscribed. In this way, subscribers got a reminder each week to respond to surveys currently open on the city’s profile. Recent changes replaced the Thursday email with a new form of email outreach. Instead of reminding subscribers each Thursday to answer open surveys, subscribers will receive an email as soon as your survey is published. You can toggle this feature on or off on Polco for each survey. Subscribers will only be notified by email of surveys they haven’t voted on yet. To use this feature, create a survey or navigate to a currently published survey. If using a currently published survey, click “Share and Manage Access.” Scroll down and you will see the option to email all

280
Jen
6 days ago
Jen
JenCommunity Manager
published in Polco News

How to Keep Residents Engaged Through Quick Quarterly Surveys

Here’s what we’re hearing from cities like yours:  We want to follow up our scientific survey with short surveys for ongoing resident engagement, but we don’t know where to start.  We’d like to write our own questions, but we don’t know how to make sure the questions are neutral and unbiased.  Our staff doesn’t have time to conduct more than one survey a year.   Introducing: Quarterly Quick Surveys! This set of surveys and polls, developed by survey scientists at Polco’s National Research Center, focus on the heart of livability in your community. If you cannot find these in your profile yet, feel free to save them from the Library! Your Customer Success Manager will be happy to help you review customize, and schedule them if you’d like assistance.Community Identity Neighborliness Customer Service Community Highlights & Challenges Alternate Interaction #4 - Safety Your CSM will also share best practices in engagement and outreach to communicate about these surveys with your com

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Jen
1 month 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
2 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!

140
Emily
4 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year ago
Jen
JenCommunity Manager
published in Polco News

An Inside Look at Polco's ARPA Engagement PackageNews

 

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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
Jen
JenCommunity Manager
published in Polco News

The Polco Pulse: A Monthly Newsletter You Won't Want to Miss

One of the best things about working at a startup is that we don’t just build it once and call it “done”.  Polco is very much a labor of love for those of us who believe that stakeholder engagement is crucial to well-functioning organizations.  And just as we encourage you to reach out and gather data to make informed decisions, we do the same at Polco.  From our Engineering Team to Client Success, we listen and learn from you and others in our field so we can focus on continuous improvement. In just the last year, we have moved from the first version of the platform to a newer, improved model based on client feedback.  We have changed pricing to give more organizations and local governments an opportunity to use Polco and have provided clients with the ability to customize their experience. Polco launched our new respondent experience, opened the Polco Library, and more. We know that all of our changes continually expand opportunities for clients to use Polco in new ways but also reco

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Jen
1 year ago
Heather Locke
Heather LockeCommunity Manager
published in Polco News

Introducing Polco Live — Get Instant Resident EngagementNews

 - By Jen Aceto -Polco Live allows local governments conduct real-time engagement at remote or in-person events Polco’s new live polling feature lets local governments hear from residents instantly. Polco Live allows local leaders to poll their communities in real time, delivering insightful feedback while keeping their communities engaged. The new feature is custom-made to gather crucial information about any issue in numerous settings, whether it be a streaming event, a video call, or an in-person meeting. Polco Live integrates with live video streaming services like Facebook and YouTube Live, allowing for a completely virtual community engagement experience.“Imagine being able to propose policy in either a virtual setting or an in-person one and in an instant receive feedback, data and comments from your audience to inform decision making,” said Polco CEO Nick Mastronardi. “We believe this not only changes the game for local governments now in the COVID-19 pandemic, but for the futu

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Heather Locke
1 year ago
Heather Locke
Heather LockeCommunity Manager
published in Polco News

National Survey Reveals Resident Perceptions of Community Equity and Inclusion

National Survey Reveals Resident Perceptions of Community Equity and Inclusion - By Michelle Kobayashi -A new study by National Research Center at Polco provides a rare and insightful look at equity and inclusion in US communities, according to the residents.Along almost any definition of “diversity,” the United States has become more and more diverse over the last couple decades. And with it, cities are grappling with questions about equity and inclusion. They are asking themselves if there are systemic biases they may not have been aware of previously. Local governments are looking to understand if residents feel welcome, if diversity is an organizational value, and if community-members think their government is just.“Community populations continue to evolve to include new and diverse members. So it is essential to support city leaders with the tools and resources necessary to help understand the needs, expectations, and priorities of all residents, businesses, and stakeholders,” sai

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Heather Locke
1 year ago

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