From NIMBY to Neighbor: How Community Engagement Can Help Solve Homelessness

Posted by Steve Machesney

Solving homelessness can feel overwhelming and insurmountable. But Chuck Flacks, the Homelessness Services Coordinator for the City of Goleta, California, is convinced that we know how to solve homelessness it's a matter mustering the political (and public) will to do it. With eight years of experience under his belt, Chuck has seen firsthand what works and what doesn't when it comes to addressing homelessness.

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Tags: citizen engagement, homelessness

Transparency and Equity Boosted with Surveys in Watertown, MA

Posted by Steve Machesney

The City of Watertown, MA is leading the way when it comes to leveraging technology to better serve its residents. From standing up a constituent services team complete with a 311 system, to using FlashVote, a scientifically valid, done-for-you resident survey solution, this small city is taking its citizen engagement game to the next level.

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Tags: citizen engagement

Keeping Special Interests from Hijacking Park Projects

Posted by Steve Machesney

John Courtney, Managing Director of LPA Design Studios, recently shared his thoughts around the importance of including the right kinds of resident feedback when planning large Park projects. John generously shared his process and insights from using FlashVote scientific surveys to help local governments better meet the needs of all residents, not just the noisy few.

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Tags: parks and recreation, master planning

What percentage of your population do you need to hear from?

Posted by Kevin Lyons


The number one question we get asked is: “What percentage of our population do we need to hear from?” And the answer always surprises them: it isn’t a percentage. Only the total number of responses matters. The target range is about 250 to 600 people – no matter the size of your population.

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Tags: margin-of-error, survey data