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EmilyCommunity Manager

published in Discussions

Share Your Feedback in the Local Government Innovation Survey!

We’d love to learn more from thought leaders like you around what problems in government should be a focus for innovation! Our product team has been very focused on improving your experience with Polco, and we would love your feedback. We have created the Local Government Innovation Survey to provide you the opportunity to do so! At your convenience, please share your thoughts with us! Your feedback helps us learn and start conversations that can lead to new ways to empower residents and raise communities!

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

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

Heather LockeCommunity Manager

published in How to use this Community

Meet the Community and Introduce Yourself!

Meet the Community and Introduce Yourself! Hi Polco users! My name is Heather and I am a Community Manager at Polco. It’s great to be here with you and create this space for Polco users to connect, share knowledge, and get inspired. Please introduce yourself here in the thread - share where you live and work, your role, and how you use Polco (share your bigger Polco story here). Feel free to add any other interesting information or even a fun picture with your pet! It’s a great way to connect and get to know each other a bit.

Kimberly HumphreyNew Participant

asked in Basics

QR CODE

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

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!

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?

Heather LockeCommunity Manager

published in How to use this Community

Five Tips on Getting Started with Polco ConnectTutorial

Hello and welcome to Polco Connect, our online community forum! As a Community member, you’re able to use this forum as a collaborative space to learn, grow, and share tips on using Polco, community engagement, best practices, and ideas for improving the platform with other Polco users and partners.Ready to get started? Here are 5 steps to make sure you’re off to a successful start! 1. Complete your profile informationLet’s get to know each other in the Community. By adding additional information to your profile, you are more likely to build a stronger network, and receive better and quicker replies from other users. In order to complete your profile information, navigate to "My Profile" (accessed by clicking your avatar) page Click on your avatar next to “+ Create topic” to access your Profile pageMake sure to include: A profile picture (you can add a picture of you or your organization’s logo) A signature (feel free to add a link to your website!) The city you live in A littl

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Anonymous

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?

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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?

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?

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?

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?

Heather LockeCommunity Manager

published in How to use this Community

How to Use This Community

Welcome to Polco Connect! This is where you will meet and connect with other organizations and communities who are using the Polco platform to engage with their residents, stakeholders and community members. If you’d like more information about the Polco platform, you can check out our admin page here, our resident page here, or our main website here. We’re glad you are here. This is a space where Polco users can share knowledge, learn from, and connect with each other. Conversation about how to use the platform is encouraged, but also feel free to connect about the larger topic of civic engagement. We welcome your feedback and hope that you find more than what brought you here. Polco Connect is the best place for asking questions and finding answers about the Polco platform and community of users. Polco’s team will participate, but this is primarily a place where you can learn from one another. We will jump in and answer a question if no answer has been provided within a certain tim

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.

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!

JenCommunity Manager

published in Basics

Using the Knowledge BaseTutorial

Think of the Knowledge Base as a treasure trove of answers to all your Polco questions. Here you’ll find FAQs, tutorials, and how-tos. We compiled the answers to all the questions that people ask us about using Polco and put them right here. Here’s how we split things up: Basics: Wondering how to choose a plan, edit a logo or description, or get help? This is the place to find the very basics. Everyone starts somewhere, and we suggest you start here :) Create Your Content: This is where we answer allll your questions about creating surveys, polls, and live events. Engagement & Outreach: How many ways are there to say “please take my survey”? Look here for social media templates, sample press releases, email list uploads, and engagement strategies. Then sit back and watch the responses roll in! Understand Your Data: Your responses are in, and now it’s time to understand, interpret, and share them. Look here about everything from participation rates to reports and much more. Webinars

JenCommunity Manager

published in Basics

Learn and Share: About This Section

We know you love hearing from other communities using Polco. In this section, you’ll find a number of articles and discussions about how communities like yours are using Polco.Check out Best Practices for expert tips about using our platform to get feedback. Scroll through Community Stories to read about cities and organizations around the country who used Polco to make data-driven decisions. Find the latest news about our surveys, our research, and other products from Polco in Polco News. Go off-topic, get to know the Polco community, and engage in some friendly competition in Discussions and Competitions. Create a topic to share something you’ve learned, your tips for Polco, and enjoy connecting with other leaders.

Heather LockeCommunity Manager

published in How to use this Community

Privacy

Polco was designed to be a safe and civil place to provide input and feedback on issues that matter to you or affect your community. A cornerstone of that vision is keeping personal information safe. Much like the privacy afforded to votes you cast during elections, we've always believed you should not have to associate your name or any personally identifiable information with the feedback you provide. When you participate on Polco, our commitment to you is that personally identifiable information will be safe, never shared, and never associated with the feedback or input you provide. Privacy StatementLast revised on February 16, 2021.Polco will not sell or distribute personal information of users, clients, respondents, or those who provide us information on our website, including:Contact information such as emails, phone numbers or addresses Any other personal identifying information such as name or birthdate Payment informationPolco Inc. (“Polco” or “we”) respects your privacy and

Heather LockeCommunity Manager

published in Basics

Why Polco?

Successful organizations know the importance of engagement to build stronger communities and govern responsively. Our online platform has made that engagement easier and effortlessly data-driven. Convenient engagementPolco is online and viewable on all devices, making it convenient for respondents to share their opinions whenever, wherever. Schedule conflicts with in-person meetings are no longer a barrier for your community members. Professionally-written surveysOur data scientists at National Research Center continually contribute to the Polco Library. You’ll find content for when you simply want to get a pulse on your community or hear how your members are doing when serious events arise. You can use these surveys and pollsets as they are, look around for inspiration, or make a copy and customize to fit your needs. Verified respondentsWhen your respondents answer, some of them create accounts, providing their full name and zip code. Polco uses a proprietary matching algorithm to mat

Heather LockeCommunity Manager

published in Basics

Meet Polco

Polco is an online civic engagement platform designed to receive ongoing feedback from members of a community. This award-winning tool gives officials data-rich reports and input to make more informed decisions. We deliver the ease and accessibility of online surveys combined with the verification and reliability of in-person engagement. Polco was designed from inception by former public servants for organizations such as local governments, agencies, foundations, universities, nonprofits and more. After spending time at some of the country’s top tech companies, we wanted to bring world-class communication technology to the civic process. Learn more about Polco here.

Heather LockeCommunity Manager

published in How to use this Community

Community Guidelines

Community Guidelines: Welcome to Polco Connect! We are here to create a space where Polco Pros can share knowledge, learn from, and connect with each other. These Community Guidelines should not only help you understand how to act within the community but also help you understand what to expect from others in this space. Your participation here is subject to these Guidelines and our Terms of Use. Be RespectfulAll are welcome here! You are invited to treat your fellow Polco Pros with respect and kindness. This is a welcoming community of users and we make it a priority to keep this community a safe space where everyone feels comfortable. Engage with the Community Our moderators will post helpful content but we really want to learn and hear from you! Take a look around and if you see a place where you can add your voice and expertise to an existing conversation or you want to start your own topic, please jump in. Search First, Ask SecondWe’ve got experts in all areas in this community

Heather LockeCommunity Manager

published in Community stories

How Bar Harbor Transforms Community EngagementNews

Using Polco to Engage Community in Bar Harbor, MaineThe gateway to Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine is a quaint town of about 5,000. The coastline Town’s rustic charm and exceptional outdoor activities have long attracted artists and nature lovers. In fact, the area is home to summer cottages of elite American families such as the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers and Astors. The Town strives to balance the economic benefits of tourism, while preserving Bar Harbor’s small-town quality of life. Bar Harbor has long held meetings to get feedback from community members. However, audiences were in many cases not reflective of the overall community demographics. Learn More Here

Heather LockeCommunity Manager

published in Community stories

Resident Feedback Guides Sioux Falls to Record-Breaking Economic Growth

Resident Feedback Guides Sioux Falls to Record-Breaking Economic Growth Over the past few years, Sioux Falls, South Dakota has seen record-breaking economic growth even during the pandemic.“Strong Midwestern values and fiscal discipline allow our City to prosper,” said Jim David, Chief of Legislation and Policy for Sioux Falls.Indeed, a focus on resident feedback and a commitment to making Sioux Falls comfortable, fun, and beautiful has led to the City’s award-winning local economy.Data also show that Sioux Falls residents are happy with the local economy. The City regularly conducts The National Community Survey (The NCS) to gather feedback from community members. Sioux Falls’ residents rate almost all aspects of the City’s economy higher than the national benchmark.“Sioux Falls are leaders in listening to resident priorities to develop their local economy,” said Damema Mann, Director of National Engagement for Polco/National Research Center (NRC). “It has been impressive to see them

Heather LockeCommunity Manager

published in Community stories

Resident feedback guides Bloomington to address COVID-19 budget impacts, saving $390,000

Resident feedback guides Bloomington to address COVID-19 budget impacts, saving $390,000 -By Julia Steege-Reimann-Like many communities nationwide, Bloomington, Minnesota faces many simultaneous challenges regarding COVID-19 response.Leaders want to protect residents from the spread of COVID-19, while also helping the economy to recover. Plus, limited ability to engage in-person and constantly changing circumstances make it a struggle to connect with residents, but it is even more of a necessitySo Bloomington’s leaders swiftly began problem solving for how best to reach their residents. They decided to turn to the online civic engagement platform Polco."We selected the Polco platform because of its ability to provide quick snapshots of how constituents we're faring and gather feedback on budget and service issues," said Diann Kirby, Bloomington's Community Services Director. Learn More Here

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