You’ve Just Completed The National Community Survey. Now What Should You Do?

by Cory Poris Plasch on June 18, 2021

You've Just Completed The National Community Survey. Now What Should You Do?

How To Use The Polco Platform To Dig Deeper Into Benchmark Survey Results

-Webinar with Cory Poris Plasch and Michelle Kobayashi-

You have just completed The National Community Survey or another benchmark survey and reviewed your data report. You want to take action based on that data. At the same time, you’d also like to know more about what is causing the ratings in some areas or how your residents might prioritize a few potential next steps. So what should you do?

To learn more, we spoke with Michelle Kobayashi, Vice President of Innovation at Polco, and Cory Poris Plasch, Vice President of Strategic Development at Polco. Kobayashi and Poris Plasch both have decades of experience working in local government and survey science. They share how clients can dig deeper into benchmark survey data and establish priorities through using the Polco platform.

In this conversation, they discuss tools that local governments can use to make the most informed decisions.

Assess. Take Action. Assess Again.

The NCS works well with the Polco Platform to support the cycle of continuous improvement.

“After you get data from The NCS, you know what areas of your community to focus on. You can then use the Polco platform to crowdsource ideas about solutions or to prioritize actions. Then do the NCS to evaluate the work you have done. It’s part of a cycle. Assess. Take Action. Assess again,” said Kobayashi.

The platform can also be used to help dig deeper into various data from The NCS.

“Often after communities finish a benchmark survey, there are areas where people would like to dig deeper. They want to know what is causing certain ratings or where folks expect more. This is where the platform comes in,” said Kobayashi.

Tools To Dig Deeper

Polco Library surveys are one tool that can help local governments dig deeper into The NCS results. The Polco Library includes over 100 ready-to-use surveys designed by survey scientists. You can publish the survey as is or edit it. Topics cover everything from quality of life to economy to COVID-19 recovery to community design and much more. Choose Polco Library surveys based on the areas of The NCS that you would like more information about.

Connect with Community

Or, connect with other local government leaders through the online community forum Polco Connect. Ask questions, provide tips, and share your successes. Last, explore the Knowledge Base for helpful articles on a wide range of topics, including how to reach hard-to-reach populations, how to understand your data, and more.

ARPA Engagement Package

Many communities have received American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funding. The Treasury urges local governments “to engage constituents and communities in developing plans for how to use these funds given the scale of funding and its potential to catalyze broader economic recovery and rebuilding.”

Polco recently partnered with International City County Management Association (ICMA) and National League of Cities (NLC) on an ARPA Engagement Package. This survey will help communities gather input from residents about how best to spend those funds. Data from the survey will meet the reporting requirements from the Treasury.

“We are excited that the Polco Platform can help you assess data more deeply and prioritize initiatives. This will help you make the right decision based on what residents have told you about The NCS,” said Kobayashi.