Go Vocal’s blog—get insights, advice, and all the latest information on trends to help you foster meaningful engagement.
Civic participation initiatives are increasingly adopting a "more-than-human" perspective to incorporate nature's voice in policymaking. This involves innovative approaches like citizens' assemblies where participants represent non-human species, public engagement projects to gather opinions on the future needs of animals, and granting legal personhood to natural entities. Additionally, artificial intelligence is being explored to embody non-human perspectives. These efforts aim to shift conventional power dynamics in decision-making and enhance ecological stewardship, ultimately building more resilient democracies that can safeguard all life on the planet.
Diverse representation in decision-making promotes democratic legitimacy by building trust in local governments. When residents see themselves reflected in decisions, they’re more likely to support new initiatives. In a recent client-exclusive community session, we explored practical ways to boost diversity: starting with planning, tailoring communication channels, offering incentives, piloting new ideas, meeting people where they are, and keeping engagement consistent.
Have you ever had difficulty getting leadership buy-in for your engagement projects? It’s a concern we hear often: how to get both management and political leadership on board with participation initiatives. Management’s backing is crucial for having your whole organization get behind your engagement platform, while getting the ear of politicians helps ensure the community will be involved in the projects at the top of their To Do list.
Looking for the best way to engage your community? This article breaks down 10 of the most popular community engagement tools, from quick polls to deliberative assemblies. Each method comes with its own strengths, limitations, and ideal use cases – so choosing the right one matters.
To choose the right community engagement method, you need to consider five key factors: the level of influence you want to offer, your target audience, available resources, the topic at hand, and how methods work together over time. This guide walks you through each of these steps to help you select effective, inclusive, and realistic participation strategies.
Ever wish you’d known sooner? That a new policy was quietly frustrating residents in one neighborhood. That a group felt shut out of the planning process again. Or that something was up with service delivery long before it hit your inbox as a complaint.
Young people care about their communities, but most feel shut out of the conversation. It’s not that they don’t want to participate in local decisions. They just don’t see how or if it’s really worth the effort. Outdated systems, complex processes, and inaccessible formats create invisible walls. This article breaks down how local governments can break through those barriers – with 10 practical strategies to engage youth in ways that actually work.
Designing a successful hybrid engagement strategy starts by understanding your audience and recognizing that different groups require different approaches. Next, match methods to moments – leveraging the strengths of each approach to gather the input you need. This way, you create a more inclusive, representative, and impactful engagement process.
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Instead of the exhausting cycle of big-splash projects followed by digital silence, smart governments are making sure residents are engaged year-round. From simple monthly questions to seasonal activities and always-open feedback forms, there are multiple ways to keep community members invested without draining your team. Here are a few strategies discussed during one of Go Vocal's client-exclusive community sessions.
Improving community engagement starts with removing key barriers like unclear communication, lack of trust, poor accessibility, weak strategy design, and internal misalignment. This article breaks down these common challenges and provides proven strategies – like transparent processes, inclusive participation, and better coordination – to help boost meaningful engagement.
In 2025, community engagement is more crucial than ever as polarization and misinformation make it harder to gain support for decisions and move projects forward. Local governments, as the most trusted level of government, have the opportunity to bring people together, ensuring that communities can work toward shared goals and real progress.
We've never had more tools to connect with our communities and countless promise to “revolutionize” community engagement. Yet, a paradox exists: too many engagement initiatives still fall short. What's the missing ingredient? In 2025, it's understanding the five critical features that drive genuine connection and lasting impact.
The impact of communications work can sometimes be hard to quantify – and if you’re tight on budget, you might be wondering how to justify the cost. Here, we meet 2 local governments whose sharp engagement project branding has led to more inclusive participation in their communities.
Governments are increasingly recognizing the value of proposals. This engagement method empowers residents to shape policies directly, leaning on their unique insights and lived experiences. However, implementing a proposals process isn't as simple as flipping a switch. Success requires thoughtful planning, internal buy-in, and the right tooling.
For many governments, building trust and ensuring transparency in budget allocation are ongoing challenges. Enter participatory budgeting: a proven approach that empowers communities to have a say in how public funds are spent. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the advantages and challenges of participatory budgeting, explore real-world examples, and provide actionable steps for getting started.
Online engagement tools enable you to reach a large number of community members in an instant. But not everyone is so simple to reach. Here, we meet four cities using low- and no-tech engagement methods like WhatsApp, SMS, in-person visits, and the good old telephone to ensure the underheard voices in their community get a chance to have their say.
Are you tired of seeing only the same faces show up at every town hall meeting? Frustrated by low engagement rates and lackluster feedback? You're not alone. Many peers struggle to engage their communities and get meaningful input. But it doesn't have to be this way. This blog post will share ten best practices to help you break the cycle of low engagement and boost participation.
Are you struggling with low survey response rates? You're not alone. Survey fatigue is a common issue that can hinder your ability to gather accurate and representative data. But there are ways to overcome this challenge and ensure that your community's voice is heard. Read on to discover effective strategies to combat survey fatigue.
Citizens’ assemblies and panels are on the rise, at all levels of government. Between September 2021 and September 2023, the OECD collected 160 new cases of representative deliberative processes. In this article, you’ll get a deeper understanding of deliberative democracy, its principles, and how it contrasts with other forms of democracy.
Once again we’re off to Vienna – Europe's Capital of Democracy. Vienna has long been a pioneer when it comes to contemporary citizen participation. And the Austrian capital is also repeatedly named among the world’s most liveable cities. In 2024, Vienna once again took first place in the “Global Liveability Index” published by The Economist. Is there a connection between participation and liveability?
We know the youth are our future, but how good are we at including them in the decisions that affect their lives? Well, not that good, studies have shown. This article outlines key strategies and provides practical tips for achieving meaningful youth engagement.
Surveys are used across our platforms to gauge communities' opinions on pressing issues. However, crafting an effective community engagement survey is far from simple. How you structure your questions can make or break your project – it affects the quality of data you collect, the number of responses, and, perhaps most importantly, the level of public engagement you’re able to generate.
Governments are strategically combining multiple tools and techniques to achieve a 10x improvement across operations, service delivery, customer experience, and mission outcomes. In this article, we'll explore what GovTech is, its benefits, how to implement it, and what the future holds for this exciting field.
Participatory democracy is a form of government that has gained significant traction over the past years, making government more responsive and decisions more equitable. This article explores the principles, benefits, and challenges of participatory democracy, comparing it to other forms of democratic governance.
Building a community where residents trust their government requires a strategic and intentional approach to engagement. To ensure your initiatives are successful, it's essential to establish a strong community engagement strategy based on the following six pillars.
Climate change, social equity, affordable housing, and sustainable mobility top the list of priorities for local governments. To address these effectively, there's an urgent need for better planning tools to meaningfully engage residents in the decision-making process. That’s why we’ve recently released a significant upgrade of our platform's interactive Mapping suite, turning it into a powerful toolbox for local governments and planners to harness collective wisdom and foster collaborative problem-solving.
Ensuring equal participation in decision-making processes for all community members is paramount. Digital accessibility stands at the forefront of this inclusive approach. By embracing accessibility, we help you unlock the potential for diverse voices to contribute, fostering a more representative and dynamic democratic process.
