To get the most accurate results from your nonprobability-based survey efforts, share your survey as widely as possible. Below is our suggested calendar for outreach, assuming a survey is active for four weeks. Adjust as needed to accommodate your timeline, available resources, communication channels, and community’s needs.

Before Survey Launch

Let your community know about the upcoming survey! Share a quick link to your Polco profile to encourage residents to join Polco in advance, so you can easily notify subscribers when the survey goes live.

• Publish a blog post or e-newsletter announcement
• Share social media posts
• Email existing community lists

After Survey Launch

While the survey is active, provide frequent reminders across multiple platforms (both digital and physical!) to meet residents where they are. Try out different messaging and call-to-actions to see what resonates with your community.

Week 1

Announce the launch of your survey, explain the importance of the effort and the goals/purpose of the survey, and invite all eligible residents to participate.

• Create a blog post or website page/banner/modal
• Share a press release with local media outlets
• Post on social media channels

Week 2

Widen the reach of your survey communications with help from other departments or local organizations.

• Prepare messaging for physical newsletter (publicizing the random sample survey)
• Continue to post across various social media channels

Week 3

Continue to engage the community! Begin to emphasize the upcoming survey close date.

• Re-engage community with additional social media posts, emails, blogs, and/or other digital platforms

Week 4

Prepare for the launch of the open participation survey (but do not share that URL yet!)

• Continue to re-engage community on social media
• Prepare messaging for physical newsletter and utility bill inserts (to publish next week)
• Print survey flyers (but do not post until next week)

Week 5

Announce the open participation survey launch, sharing the URL through as many channels as possible.

• Polco will send a survey invitation email to existing platform subscribers
• Update website banner/modal with survey URL, and/or issue a new blog post
• Email existing distribution lists, if applicable
• Share another press release with local media outlets
• Publish newsletter (printed or electronic) with link to open participation survey
• Email community partners to ask for help reaching their visitors and networks
• Publish social media posts across all available platforms
• Post physical survey flyer in public spaces (e.g., library, community/rec centers, parks, municipal buildings, schools/universities, bus stops, public walkways and bulletin boards)

Week 6

Publish one last, urgent call for participation. 

• Share final reminder email with distribution list(s)
• Follow up with community partners one last time
• Emphasize the survey’s close date on social media

After Survey Close

Share results and anticipated next steps with your residents.

• Within a week or two of the survey closing, thank respondents for participating and let them know what to expect next (e.g., timeline for next steps, when results will be released).
• Analyze survey results with internal stakeholders and determine appropriate next steps for these results (e.g., conduct additional surveys to dive deeper/get more information, implement new programs or changes to existing services, schedule a community-wide listening session on the topic, etc.).
• Share a press release and/or other communications to highlight key survey results/takeaways, as well as upcoming plans based on the results.