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New: Participation Methods

Ken Van Mechelen avatar
Written by Ken Van Mechelen
Updated this week

What is a participation method?

A participation method is a way for people to interact with a project on the platform. Each method represents a different type of engagement, from submitting ideas or completing surveys to voting, volunteering, or reviewing documents.

Participation methods help structure how input is collected, shared, or acted on. By choosing the right method for a phase, project owners can guide how the community engages and ensure the interaction fits the project’s goals.

What are the different participation methods on the platform?

Collect Input & Feedback

  • When to use:

    Use this method when you want broad, open community engagement and discussion. It’s ideal for gathering ideas, comments, and feedback in a transparent way.

  • Key features:

    • Public idea submissions and threaded discussions.

    • Map view to collect geospatial input (e.g. residents pin contributions on a map).

    • ESRI add‑on integration for advanced map setups.

Read more about this participation method in our support article on ‘Ideation, proposals and input management’.

Voting / Prioritization

  • When to use:

    Use when you want participants to rank, vote, or prioritize options — especially for decision‑making or budget allocation.

  • Key features:

    • Multiple voting methods available (ranking, up/down voting, etc.).

    • Supports participatory budgeting exercises (participants allocate funds to preferred options).

    • Quantifies community preferences to guide priorities.

Read more about this participation method in our support article on ‘Voting and Prioritization’.

Survey

  • When to use:

    Use surveys for structured, in‑depth feedback or quick insights via short polls.

  • Key features:

    • In‑platform surveys with multiple question types (e.g., multiple choice, open text).

    • Embed external surveys for advanced data collection.

    • Quick polls that display directly on a project page.

Read more about this participation method in our support article on ‘Surveys’.

Proposals, Petitions, or Initiatives

  • When to use:

    Use this method when you want the community to submit their own ideas or campaigns for others to support.

  • Key features:

    • Users upload proposals or petitions for community backing.

    • Time and vote limits can be set to control the process.

    • Ideal for crowdsourcing initiatives and building consensus.

Read more about this participation method in our support article on ‘Ideation, proposals and input management’.

Share Information

  • When to use:

    Use when you need to keep your community informed or share results from other participation phases.

  • Key features:

    • Publish updates and phase results.

    • Create attractive reports to summarize findings.

    • Reports appear on the phase description for easy visibility.

Read more about this participation method in our support article on ‘Report Builder’.

Recruit Participants or Volunteers

  • When to use:

    Use this method when you want to mobilize people for events, panels, or community efforts.

  • Key features:

    • Recruit volunteers or participants for specific causes or activities.

    • Manage sign‑ups easily from the platform.

    • Builds an active, engaged community base.

Read more about this participation method in our support article on ‘Volunteering’.

Collect Feedback on a Document

  • When to use:

    Use when you need collaborative review of documents like plans, proposals, or policy drafts.

  • Key features:

    • Konveio integration to embed and annotate PDFs.

    • Users provide comments directly on the document.

    • Ideal for detailed feedback and refinement.

Read more about this participation method in our support article on ‘Konveio’.

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