“We are committed to inclusive, meaningful and responsive communication and engagement to support our decisions so we can deliver informed leadership and decision-making.”
– City Of Moreton Bay Community Engagement Policy Statement
In the last few years, Council has transformed its approach to engaging with communities. With a wealth of experience in face-to-face engagement, and facing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Council knew there was strong community demand for more accessible, online options. To truly reconnect with their wider community and drive more informed decision-making, Council took to the online space and launched its first iteration of online engagement.
After launching their initial site, Council required a little more customisation and flexibility in their platform and switched their Your Say Moreton Bay over to Social Pinpoint.
Pioneering Online Community Engagement
Council’s Community Engagement team has a refined focus on continuously learning and pushing the boundaries of best practice. A huge part of their growth has been advancing further into the digital space and committing to increasing inclusion with an integrated balance of both online and offline methods. Moreton Bay is home to an expansive and diverse demographic, so finding a platform that works for the needs of their entire community with the right balance of features and functionality was essential.
“We have a very diverse community across Moreton Bay. Some people will not engage online. Some people will not engage offline. So, being able to offer both in an integrated way is really important for us getting everybody involved. That’s our continuing goal. “
– Elle Price, Principal Community Engagement Officer
Social Pinpoint appealed to the Council team as it provided a level of flexibility, customisation, and efficiency they could implement easily. One of the key features that appealed to their team was our advanced survey builder. As Council began to welcome their community into the online engagement space, they were conducting surveys on a range of matters for a variety of purposes. So, having a survey builder that was visually engaging and could hold attention for longer was essential.
“Is a survey really the best tool? What information or data are you looking to get? Because a survey really might not be the best tool to use. And thankfully, we have a lot more tools to work with! “
– Elle Price, Principal Community Engagement Officer
Integrating a Hybrid Approach for a Diverse Community
So, how do you support someone to engage who doesn’t feel confident going out and participating in an event, but also isn’t confident online? Well, the Council team has successfully integrated a hybrid engagement approach to ensure everyone can participate.
Council’s Community Engagement team enlisted the help of their Libraries and Customer Service teams. Community members can confidently visit their local library or one of three customer service centres to provide feedback via the Your Say Moreton Bay site with assistance from trusted and familiar staff.
But, Council is no stranger to executing a hybrid approach. Their recent Creative Communities project is a great example of using their engagement site to gather information and further understanding from their community. By using a combination of community reference groups, in-person conversational interviews, and a Quick Poll and Visioner on their Your Say Moreton Bay page, they were able to collect an incredible amount of diverse feedback.
More Informed Decision Making
“Our job as a Council must be to balance all the competing interests and make decisions that will help to build a community that all current and future residents want”
– Peter Flannery, Mayor City Of Moreton Bay
Seeing Council transform their online community engagement in such a short time is a testament to their team’s hard work and willingness to adapt. With inclusivity as a guiding principle, they have built an accessible space for their community that provides everyone with an opportunity to have a voice, no matter their background or digital literacy.
We can’t wait to see what meaningful conversations City of Moreton Bay conducts in the future.
