Knowledge Base: Engagement Tools

Polco’s engagement tools help you connect with residents, gather meaningful feedback, and build trust. Whether you need quick input on a single question, deep insights through a survey, interactive learning via simulations, or ongoing updates through content posts, Polco provides a range of options to fit your goals.

What You Can Do

Project Pages – Create a central hub where residents can see all related polls, surveys, simulations, and updates for a specific initiative.
Polls – Ask short, focused questions to quickly gauge resident opinion.
Surveys – Collect in-depth, structured feedback on complex topics or projects.
Simulations – Use interactive tools to help residents explore budget, policy, or planning trade-offs.
Content Posts – Share updates, reports, and calls to action to keep your community informed and engaged.

Why Engagement Matters

Ensures that decision-making reflects a representative cross-section of your community.
Builds transparency and trust by involving residents early and often in the process.
Creates a record of public input that can be referenced in planning, reporting, and grant applications.
Closes the loop with residents by showing how their feedback informed outcomes.

How Engagement Fits with Other Polco Tools

Engagement data is stored alongside benchmark survey results, public datasets, and locally uploaded files. This allows you to:

Compare resident opinions with objective performance data.
Track sentiment changes over time as new policies or programs are implemented.
Use AI assistants like Polly to interpret engagement results and link them to relevant indicators or benchmarks.

Best Practices

Use Project Pages to organize related engagement opportunities and give residents one place to follow progress.
Keep questions clear and concise.
Offer background information so residents can make informed choices.
Use multiple engagement formats to reach different audiences.
Promote your engagement opportunities widely using email, social media, and community partners.

In the following sections, you’ll find detailed guidance on creating and managing Project Pages, Polls, Surveys, Simulations, and Content Posts within Polco.

Resident Engagement Overview

Resident engagement is at the heart of Polco’s mission. By giving community members a voice in local decision-making, governments can build trust, create more informed policies, and strengthen civic participation.

What Resident Engagement Means

Resident engagement is more than just collecting opinions—it’s a structured process for involving community members in shaping policies, programs, and priorities. Effective engagement is representative, transparent, and tied to real outcomes.

Key Benefits

Better Decisions – Policies and programs reflect the needs and priorities of the entire community.
Increased Trust – Transparent, inclusive engagement builds stronger relationships between residents and government.
Greater Participation – Ongoing opportunities to provide input encourage residents to stay involved.
Data-Driven Insights – Combining resident sentiment with objective data provides a complete picture for decision-making.

How Polco Supports Engagement

Engagement (Project) Pages – Central hubs where residents can find all engagement opportunities, updates, and results for a specific initiative.
Multiple Tools – Use polls, surveys, simulations, and content posts to reach residents in different ways.
Accessibility – All resident-facing tools meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards and work on any device.
Representative Sampling – Benchmark surveys and targeted outreach ensure feedback reflects the whole community, not just the most vocal voices.
Real-Time Reporting – Engagement results are instantly available in the admin interface for review and analysis.

Best Practices for Resident Engagement

Engage early in the planning process to shape direction before decisions are finalized.
Offer background information so residents can provide informed responses.
Use multiple channels (email, social media, partner organizations) to promote engagement opportunities.
Close the loop by sharing results and explaining how feedback influenced decisions.

Resident engagement through Polco is designed to be simple, inclusive, and actionable—helping communities work together toward shared goals.

Polls and Surveys

Polco offers two core tools for collecting resident feedback: Polls for quick insights and Surveys for in-depth analysis. Both tools are designed to be easy for residents to access and simple for administrators to manage.

Polls

Polls are short, focused questions that can be answered in seconds. They’re ideal for gauging quick opinions, checking sentiment on a timely issue, or starting conversations with the community.

Best For: Quick decisions, timely issues, or testing ideas before deeper engagement.
Question Types: Single choice, multiple choice, rating scales, or yes/no.
Distribution: Embed in a Project Page, share via social media, email, or direct link.
Response Time: Most polls can be answered in under 30 seconds.
Analysis: Results available in real time, with demographic filters if resident profiles are available.

Poll Best Practices

Keep questions clear and free of jargon.
Limit to one or two questions for maximum participation.
Provide brief context so residents understand why the question matters.
Use as conversation starters leading to deeper engagement opportunities.

Surveys

Surveys allow for a more comprehensive collection of resident feedback on a topic or initiative. They can include multiple sections, diverse question types, and open-ended responses for detailed input.

Best For: Complex policy questions, strategic planning, community needs assessments.
Question Types: Multiple choice, rating scales, ranking, open text, matrix questions, and more.
Distribution: Available via Project Pages, email campaigns, QR codes, or shareable links.
Custom Branding: Include logos, color schemes, and images to match your community identity.
Analysis: Built-in charts and data tables; filter results by demographics, location, or custom tags.

Survey Best Practices

Start with an introduction explaining the purpose and how results will be used.
Keep surveys focused—avoid adding unrelated questions.
Mix question types to keep respondents engaged.
Test the survey internally before publishing to ensure clarity and flow.

How Polls and Surveys Work Together

Polls and surveys complement each other. You might start with a poll to gauge initial sentiment, then launch a survey to explore the topic in greater depth. Both feed into Polco’s analytics, allowing you to compare results with benchmark data and track changes over time.

Simulations

Polco’s simulation tools allow residents to explore real-world trade-offs in policy, budget, and planning decisions. By interacting with these scenarios, residents can better understand constraints, see the impact of their choices, and provide informed feedback.

What Are Simulations?

Simulations are interactive experiences that let residents allocate resources, adjust priorities, or test policy options within a defined set of rules and constraints. They’re most commonly used for budgeting, tax scenarios, and strategic planning exercises.

Common Simulation Types

Budget Simulations – Residents adjust spending in various categories while staying within a balanced budget.
Tax Rate Simulations – Explore the impact of increasing or decreasing specific tax rates.
Policy Trade-Offs – Choose between competing priorities or investment areas.
Custom Scenarios – Tailored to a specific project or community initiative.

Benefits of Using Simulations

Education – Helps residents understand the complexity of decision-making and the limits of available resources.
Transparency – Clearly shows how changing one variable affects the rest of the system.
Constructive Feedback – Encourages informed input rather than abstract opinions.
Engagement – Interactive format often leads to higher participation rates than static surveys.

How Simulations Work in Polco

Setup – Admins define categories, constraints, and starting values.
Resident Interaction – Residents make changes and immediately see the results of their choices.
Data Collection – The system records all participant choices and comments.
Analysis – Results are aggregated and available in the admin dashboard, with options to filter and export.

Best Practices

Keep scenarios realistic—avoid overly complex or hypothetical setups.
Provide clear instructions before residents begin the simulation.
Use visuals and charts to help participants understand impacts quickly.
Pair simulations with surveys or polls to gather additional context.

Simulations are especially valuable when you need residents to weigh in on decisions with multiple possible outcomes and trade-offs. They transform complex policy discussions into accessible, engaging experiences.

Prioritizations

Prioritizations are engagement activities where participants rank or select the most important items from a list. They’re designed to help governments understand which issues, projects, or services matter most to residents, and to guide decision-making where resources are limited.

What Are Prioritizations?

Prioritizations ask residents to weigh different options—such as potential projects, policy goals, or budget categories—and indicate which they value most. This can be done through ranking, point allocation, or selecting a fixed number of top choices.

Common Uses

Strategic Planning – Identify top community priorities for the next 3–5 years.
Budget Allocation – Determine which services or investments residents value most.
Project Selection – Narrow a list of proposals to those with the most community support.
Policy Trade-Offs – Understand how residents prioritize competing needs.

How Prioritizations Work in Polco

Setup – Admins create a list of items to be prioritized, along with instructions and any relevant context.
Participation – Residents rank items, assign points, or select their top choices depending on the chosen method.
Data Collection – The system captures rankings and calculates overall priority scores.
Analysis – Results are aggregated and displayed in the admin dashboard, with filters for demographics or location.

Benefits of Using Prioritizations

Clarity – Helps identify what matters most to residents.
Efficiency – Focuses discussions and resources on the highest-impact areas.
Transparency – Demonstrates how community preferences inform decisions.
Engagement – Gives residents a meaningful way to shape outcomes beyond yes/no voting.

Best Practices

Keep the list of items manageable—too many can overwhelm participants.
Provide context for each option so residents understand the trade-offs.
Use clear instructions on how ranking or point allocation works.
Combine with other tools (e.g., surveys or simulations) to provide deeper insight into reasoning behind preferences.

Prioritizations are a powerful way to involve residents in setting the agenda, ensuring that community goals align with actual public preferences.

Live Events

Live Events in Polco allow you to collect feedback from participants in real time during public meetings, workshops, town halls, or virtual sessions. They combine the immediacy of in-person discussion with the structure and data quality of Polco’s digital platform.

What Are Live Events?

Live Events are time-bound engagement activities where attendees respond to polls, prioritizations, or simulations on their own devices while results update instantly for facilitators and the audience. They work equally well for in-person gatherings or online webinars.

Common Uses

Town Halls & Public Hearings – Gather quick sentiment on agenda items as they’re discussed.
Workshops & Planning Sessions – Use live polls or prioritizations to guide group discussions.
Community Events & Fairs – Capture resident input on the spot using mobile devices.
Virtual Meetings – Engage remote participants during video calls or livestreams.

How Live Events Work in Polco

Setup – Create the questions or activities in advance and select the “Live Event” mode.
Participation – Share a short link or QR code so participants can join instantly on their phone, tablet, or laptop.
Real-Time Display – Responses appear instantly in the facilitator’s view, and can be projected or shared for group discussion.
Follow-Up – All responses are saved in Polco for later analysis and reporting.

Benefits of Live Events

Instant Feedback – See results as soon as participants respond.
Interactive Experience – Keeps participants engaged and invested in the conversation.
Representative Capture – Adds structured data collection to events that might otherwise rely on informal input.
Seamless Integration – Responses are stored with your other Polco engagement data for analysis and benchmarking.

Best Practices

Test the link or QR code before the event to ensure a smooth start.
Keep questions short so participants can respond quickly.
Use visual displays of results to encourage discussion.
Pair live questions with a follow-up survey to capture deeper feedback after the event.

Live Events turn public meetings and gatherings into dynamic, data-driven conversations—making them more interactive, inclusive, and impactful.

Content Posts

Content Posts in Polco allow you to share updates, reports, and calls to action with your community. They help keep residents informed, close the loop on engagement efforts, and drive participation in polls, surveys, simulations, or events.

What Are Content Posts?

Content Posts are information-based updates published directly on Polco. They can include text, images, links, and embedded media, and are often tied to a specific Project Page or initiative. Posts can be public or targeted to certain audience segments.

Common Uses

Project Updates – Share progress reports, milestones, or next steps.
Result Summaries – Report back on survey, poll, or simulation findings.
Event Promotion – Announce upcoming meetings, workshops, or live events.
Educational Content – Provide background information to help residents make informed decisions.

How Content Posts Work in Polco

Create – Write your content using the built-in editor, adding images, videos, or documents as needed.
<strongpublish< data-hsprotectstrong=""> – Make the post public immediately or schedule it for a future date.</strongpublish<>
Distribute – Share the post via Project Pages, email campaigns, or social media.
Engage – Link directly from a post to related engagement opportunities such as polls or surveys.

Benefits of Using Content Posts

Transparency – Keeps residents updated on decisions and project progress.
Engagement – Encourages continued involvement between formal feedback activities.
Centralization – Stores all public communications in one accessible place.
Cross-Promotion – Drives traffic to active engagement tools.

Best Practices

Use clear, accessible language—avoid technical jargon.
Include visuals to make posts more engaging.
Keep posts concise but link to more detailed documents or resources when needed.
Always connect updates to next steps or upcoming opportunities for participation.

Content Posts ensure that engagement isn’t just about asking questions—it’s about maintaining an ongoing, transparent dialogue with your community.

Engagement (Project) Pages

Engagement Pages are the central hub for all engagement activities related to a specific initiative, topic, or plan. They give residents one place to access background information, participate in polls, surveys, simulations, and see updates or results over time.

What Are Engagement Pages?

An Engagement Page is a dedicated space within Polco where you can organize all related engagement tools, resources, and communications for a single project or topic. This makes it easier for residents to follow along and participate throughout the project’s lifecycle.

Common Uses

Strategic Plans – Share key goals, track progress, and gather feedback on priorities.
Capital Projects – Provide updates and collect resident input on major infrastructure initiatives.
Policy Development – Centralize discussions, trade-off simulations, and survey results for policy proposals.
Community Programs – Promote events, highlight outcomes, and share related engagement opportunities.

How Engagement Pages Work in Polco

Create – Set up a new page with a title, description, images, and optional branding elements.
Add Engagement Tools – Link polls, surveys, prioritizations, simulations, or live events directly to the page.
Publish Content – Post updates, documents, and media to keep the page current.
Promote – Share the page link via email, social media, QR codes, or your municipal website.
Analyze – Review participation metrics and feedback collected through all connected tools.

Benefits of Using Engagement Pages

Centralization – Keeps all project-related information and engagement in one place.
Clarity – Makes it easy for residents to understand the scope, timeline, and purpose of the project.
Continuity – Supports ongoing engagement across multiple phases of a project.
Transparency – Shows residents how feedback is being used and how the project is progressing.

Best Practices

Include a clear project description and purpose at the top of the page.
Use a mix of visuals and concise text to keep content engaging.
Update regularly with new posts, milestones, and results.
Prominently feature active engagement opportunities so residents can take immediate action.

By using Engagement Pages, you provide a consistent, transparent, and accessible experience for residents—helping them stay informed and involved from start to finish.

Polco Library

The Polco Library is a collection of ready-to-use content and best-practice examples that help you launch engagement activities faster. It includes pre-written questions, survey templates, policy simulations, and outreach materials—designed to save time while maintaining quality and consistency.

What Is the Polco Library?

The Library is an ever-growing repository of curated resources created by Polco’s team of civic engagement experts. These materials can be used as-is or customized to fit your community’s specific needs.

What You’ll Find in the Library

Survey Templates – Professionally written questionnaires on common local government topics such as housing, transportation, parks, and budgeting.
Poll Questions – Short, ready-to-use questions for quick resident feedback.
Simulation Configurations – Pre-built budget, prioritization, and policy trade-off setups.
Outreach Copy – Sample emails, social media posts, and website text to help promote your engagement activities.
Benchmark Question Sets – Standardized questions that allow comparison with national or peer benchmarks.

Benefits of Using the Polco Library

Speed – Launch engagement activities in minutes instead of starting from scratch.
Quality – Leverage language and structures proven to get high participation and clear results.
Consistency – Maintain professional, accessible wording across all engagement tools.
Benchmarking – Use standardized questions to compare your results with other communities.

How to Use the Polco Library

Browse – Search or filter by category, topic, or engagement type.
Select – Choose a template or resource that matches your needs.
Customize – Adjust language, branding, or options to fit your community’s context.
Publish – Add the customized content directly into your Project Page, poll, survey, or simulation.

Best Practices

Start with Library templates when you’re short on time or need a baseline structure.
Always review and customize content to ensure it matches your community’s policies and tone.
Use benchmark-ready questions when you want to track performance against peers.
Regularly check the Library for new additions and seasonal content ideas.

The Polco Library ensures you never have to start from a blank page—helping you launch professional, effective engagement activities quickly and confidently.

Saving and Sharing Data Points

Polco allows you to save and share individual data points—such as Track indicators, benchmark results, or survey findings—so you can quickly access them later or share insights with colleagues and stakeholders.

Why Save and Share Data Points?

Quick Access – Bookmark key metrics for faster reference during meetings or reports.
Collaboration – Share specific data with team members without giving them access to the full dataset.
Storytelling – Highlight data that supports your communication, presentations, or grant applications.

How to Save Data Points

Navigate to the indicator or result you want to save.
Click the Save or Bookmark icon next to the data point.
Optionally, add a tag or note to describe why the data point is important.
Access saved data points anytime from your Saved Items panel in the admin dashboard.

How to Share Data Points

Locate the saved or live data point you want to share.
Click the Share icon.
Choose your sharing method:
- Direct Link – Copy a secure link to send via email or chat.
- PDF Export – Generate a shareable file for offline use or presentation.
- Embedded View – Add the data point to a report, website, or Project Page.
Confirm any permissions or privacy settings before sending.

Best Practices

Use descriptive tags so saved data points are easy to find later.
Double-check benchmark context when sharing to avoid misinterpretation.
Keep shared links active only as long as needed to maintain data security.
Group related data points into saved collections for reports or presentations.

By saving and sharing key data points, you make it easier to collaborate, communicate, and act on insights without having to dig through full datasets each time.

Best Practices for Engagement

Successful community engagement requires more than just asking questions—it’s about creating meaningful opportunities for residents to participate, ensuring their voices are heard, and showing how their input shapes decisions. These best practices will help you get the most out of Polco’s engagement tools.

Plan with Purpose

Define Clear Goals – Know what you want to learn and how you’ll use the information.
Choose the Right Tools – Select polls, surveys, simulations, or prioritizations based on the type and depth of feedback you need.
Set Realistic Timelines – Give residents enough time to respond, but keep deadlines short enough to maintain momentum.

Reach a Representative Audience

Promote Widely – Use email, social media, local news, and partner organizations to reach diverse groups.
Target Outreach – Use targeted invitations to reach underrepresented populations.
Offer Multiple Channels – Provide online and in-person opportunities for feedback.

Make Participation Easy

Use Clear Language – Avoid jargon and explain key terms.
Provide Context – Share background information so residents can make informed responses.
Design for Accessibility – Ensure all content meets WCAG 2.1 AA standards and is mobile-friendly.

Encourage Engagement

Use Project Pages – Centralize all engagement opportunities and updates for a topic in one place.
Post Regularly – Keep momentum with frequent updates and new opportunities.
Vary Content Formats – Mix quick polls, longer surveys, and interactive simulations to maintain interest.

Close the Loop

Share Results – Post summaries of what you learned and how feedback will be used.
Be Transparent – Acknowledge all feedback, even if it can’t be acted on immediately.
Celebrate Participation – Thank residents for their time and contributions.

Evaluate and Improve

Review Metrics – Use Polco’s analytics to track participation rates, demographics, and response quality.
Identify Gaps – Look for underrepresented voices and adjust outreach strategies.
Refine Your Approach – Apply lessons learned to future engagement efforts.

By following these best practices, you can build a culture of open communication, strengthen trust with residents, and ensure that community decisions are informed by diverse perspectives.