Blog
Go Vocal’s blog—get insights, advice, and all the latest information on trends to help you foster meaningful engagement.
Go Vocal’s blog—get insights, advice, and all the latest information on trends to help you foster meaningful engagement.
Over the last few years, there’s been a shift from top-down governance to more horizontally organized types of governance. This new political current includes all the stakeholders of public policy projects, such as public organizations, businesses and community members, into the decision-making process.
Every local government and organization that has ever launched a community engagement project knows the challenge: How do you reach underheard groups? In this article, we’ll cover some of the good practices to follow for inclusive community engagement so that you’ll be ready to set up your participation broadly and activate even hard-to-reach target groups.
AI is transforming how local governments connect with their residents – making community engagement more efficient, focused, and impactful. From sentiment analysis to real-time insights, AI equips staff with the resources and insights to improve decision-making and increase community trust and satisfaction.
Public spaces should be equitably distributed, open to everyone, and inclusively designed. It’s no wonder that many urban planning processes now focus on placemaking, the people-centered approach to planning and design of public spaces. More than ever before, there is recognition of the importance of neighborhoods and the significance of factors such as walkability, public transportation, access to jobs, and diverse housing options. And even beyond their immediate neighborhoods, people’s expectations of the public realm have changed.
In a time where problems with governance can be overwhelming, governments are frantically searching for a solution. There is a constant debate about how exactly a government should go about facilitating change, whether that be with incremental improvement or radical change.
During the holiday season, you might find some more time to grab a book and learn about the possibilities to innovate our democracies in the digital age and how you can help build better politics. Not sure where to start? Our curated list of favorite books, listed in no particular order, has you covered. Let’s dive in!
Strong communities, where members trust and are enthusiastic to work with their governments, don’t happen by chance – they require meaningful and well-delivered engagement. Implementing this requires thoughtful and effective community engagement planning.
Community engagement reports are a government’s proof of listening. When done well, they transform resident feedback into visible outcomes, building trust and accountability. This 5-step framework helps you create reports that matter: set clear context, document outreach, highlight participant voices and synthesize feedback, and directly link input to decisions. With a free template at the bottom!
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.
It sounds like a contradiction in terms, like ‘sound of silence’ or ‘sensible Twitter debate’. But ‘slacktivism’, a contraction of ‘activism’ and uh, ‘slacking’, has become a widespread phenomenon that urges us to reflect on the nature of activism and participation.
The terms “community engagement” and “community development” are sometimes used interchangeably. After all, both ideas are based on the strength and improvement of our communities. Nonetheless, there are a few key distinctions between the two concepts. Let’s take a closer look at what they are.
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.
When we’re juggling work, school, hobbies, chores, and family time, participating in your local government seems like a great idea in theory. But how do you possibly make time for it? The good news is that participation doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming. There are many things you can do as a community member to uplift your community and the people in it. Some of them will cost you little to no effort, but with such a tangible impact on your neighborhood, how could we ever call them ‘small things’?
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.
Oftentimes it can feel like your community engagement project is just one of the many things competing for your residents’ time. As a result, you’ve probably found yourself wondering how you can make engagement more appealing and participation more exciting. The good news is that there are plenty of creative ways to engage your community members! While we always encourage local governments and organizations to run meaningful engagement projects, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for fun and lighthearted activities. After all, your community engagement platform should be a space where your residents and other stakeholders want to return to when there are opportunities to provide input and deliberation.
