Release 1.25 introduces a Save and Continue Later feature for surveys, new security controls for embedded tools, referrer URL tracking, accessibility enhancements, and a refreshed icon library throughout the platform.

Major Features ⭐️

Save and Continue Later for Surveys

Participants can now save their progress when completing surveys and return to finish them at a later time.

For participants with an account

When a participant is signed in, their survey progress is saved automatically. A message confirms that progress is saved and can be accessed from their profile at any time.

For participants without an account

Participants who are not logged in can click Finish later to save their progress. They receive a unique link that allows them to return and continue the survey on any device. Any changes made in future sessions are automatically saved when the browser is closed.

• Saved drafts remain active for 60 days
• Drafts are removed when the survey closes

Learn more in our full article so you can understand how your participants can finish incomplete submissions. 

 

Referrer URL Tracking for Embedded Tools

Engagement managers can now track where submissions originate from when using embedded participation tools, making it easier to compare engagement across different embedded locations.

• View the Referrer Domain and Referrer Path for each submission in the submissions table
• Referrer data is included in submission exports
• New Submission Referrer URLs widget available in participation tool reports

 

Embed Security Settings

Administrators now have greater control over where participation tools can be embedded with new domain restriction settings.

• Global allowed domains: Configure site-wide permitted domains in Settings > Embed
• Per-tool allowed domains: Override global settings for individual participation tools in the tool's embed settings
• Domain validation prevents invalid entries (no protocols, no trailing slashes)
• Tools cannot be embedded on domains that are not in the allowed list

Learn more about embedding tools in our embedding guide.

 

Minor Features ✨

Refreshed Icon Library

We've updated the icons throughout Civio Engage with a modern, consistent, and more accessible icon set:

• Cleaner outlined style for improved legibility
• Consistent sizing across all interface elements
• More familiar iconography for common actions

 

Improved Heading Accessibility

We've updated the heading structure of content blocks to improve accessibility and SEO:

• Block and group titles now render as H2 headings for proper document hierarchy
• The Rich Content editor now supports H3 through H6 headings for use within your content

These changes help ensure your content meets accessibility standards without requiring additional configuration. Learn more in our Rich Content editor guide.

 

Support for Additional Image File Types

You can now upload additional image formats throughout the platform:

• WebP for optimised web images
• SVG for scalable vector graphics
• GIF for animated images

These formats are supported for primary images, content images, and all areas where image uploads are available.

 

Bug Fixes 🔧

• Fixed an issue where clicking internal links would not scroll to the top of the destination page
• Resolved an issue preventing image uploads on surveys with a large number of form fields

 

Release 1.24 introduces powerful new capabilities for community engagement, including our new participatory budgeting tool, enhanced user reporting dashboards, and AI-assisted features for submission analysis. These additions provide organisations with more flexible ways to engage communities and gain deeper insights into participation patterns.

 

Introducing Civio: Our New Brand Identity 🎉

We're excited to announce that District has evolved to become Civio! This rebrand reflects our strengthened commitment to civic engagement and community empowerment across Australia and beyond.

What's Changing

• District Engage is now Civio Engage
• Our company name transitions from District to Civio
• Fresh new colour scheme: We've updated our platform's visual appearance with a modern, accessible colour palette that enhances readability and user experience
• New visual identity and branding across all touchpoints
• Updated domain and email addresses (with automatic forwarding from old addresses)

What Stays the Same

• Same trusted team supporting your engagement initiatives
• All existing functionality and features remain unchanged
• Your contracts and agreements continue without interruption
• Same commitment to excellence in community engagement technology
• Continuous platform improvements and dedicated support

The Civio name better represents our mission to strengthen civic participation and democratic processes. It embodies our vision for more connected, engaged communities where every voice matters.

The refreshed colour scheme brings a more contemporary look to the platform whilst maintaining excellent accessibility standards. You'll notice these visual updates throughout the interface, designed to create a more engaging and professional experience for both administrators and community members.

 

Major Features ⭐️

Introducing Budgets!

We're excited to launch our new Budgeting participation tool, designed specifically for participatory budgeting exercises. This powerful feature allows communities to meaningfully engage with budget allocation decisions in a transparent and user friendly way.

Key Features

• Flexible budget types: points, money ($), or custom units to suit your engagement needs
• Create and manage budget proposals with rich descriptions and imagery
• Budget allocation reporting to understand community preferences and make well informed priority decisions

Whether you're running a traditional participatory budgeting program, allocating community grants, or seeking input on priorities, the Budgets tool provides an intuitive way for community members to make their voices heard.

 

Enhanced User Reporting Dashboards

We've significantly expanded user reporting capabilities, giving engagement officers comprehensive insights into individual participant activity across your platform.

New User Report Dashboard

Access detailed reporting for any registered user through a dedicated dashboard that includes:

• Submissions made across all participation tools
• Events they've registered for
• Projects they follow
• Email communications sent to them

To access a user's report dashboard, navigate to Users > Public Members, then click on any user's name. User dashboards also support the same flexible widget system as project and site dashboards. You can:

• Add, remove, and rearrange widgets to focus on the metrics that matter
• Configure widgets to show specific timeframes or content types
• Export data for further analysis

 

AI-Assisted Analysis Tools

Release 1.24 includes AI-powered features designed to streamline submission analysis and help engagement teams work more efficiently with community feedback. These experimental tools offer new ways to surface insights from community input.

Natural Language Submission Search

Filter and find submissions using natural language queries instead of manual filter building:

• Ask questions in plain English like "people who support the new park" or "submissions from residents aged 25-40"
• AI interprets your query and applies relevant filters automatically
• Refine results by adjusting filters as needed
• Works across all survey question types

This feature helps engagement teams quickly locate relevant feedback without navigating complex filter interfaces.

Automated Submission Tagging

AI can automatically categorise open-ended text responses, making it easier to identify themes and sentiment:

• Define custom tags relevant to your engagement topics
• AI automatically tags long-text responses based on content
• View sentiment analysis (positive, negative, neutral) for responses
• Manually adjust tags and sentiment as needed
• Bulk review and tag responses through the Questions view

Automated tagging helps surface key themes from large volumes of community feedback, whilst still maintaining human oversight and control.

Interested in AI Tools?

These features are available for Civio Engage customers. To learn more about AI-assisted analysis tools and how they might benefit your engagement projects, please reach out to the Civio Engage team.

 

General Improvements

We've made various improvements to platform stability, performance, and user experience based on customer feedback and ongoing optimisation efforts.

 

Looking Ahead

We're committed to continuously improving Civio Engage based on your feedback and evolving community engagement needs. The Budget tool and enhanced reporting capabilities in this release reflect features requested by our customers, and we're excited to see how organisations use them to deepen community participation.

We're excited to announce District Engage version 1.23, featuring a refreshed admin interface with enhanced visual design, improved accessibility, and better dark mode support. This release focuses on elevating the user experience for administrators with modern styling updates while maintaining all existing functionality and workflows.

Major Features ⭐️

Modernised Admin Interface Design

We've completely refreshed the visual design of the District Engage admin interface to provide a cleaner, more modern, and accessible experience for all users. This comprehensive update brings consistency and polish to every aspect of the dashboard while maintaining the familiar layout and navigation structure you're accustomed to.

Key improvements include:

• Updated colour system: A refined colour palette that improves readability and reduces visual fatigue
• Improved navigation: Streamlined left-hand navigation with better visual hierarchy and full keyboard accessibility and mobile support
• Modern component styling: Updated buttons, forms, inputs and cards with contemporary design patterns
• Consistent iconography: Unified icon set with improved contrast and clarity
• Clearer visual hierarchy: Better organisation of information across all admin screens

 

WCAG Accessibility Compliance

This release brings significant accessibility improvements to ensure the admin interface meets Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards:

• Enhanced colour contrast: All text and interactive elements now meet or exceed WCAG contrast ratio requirements for better readability
• Full keyboard navigation: Keyboard accessibility throughout the entire admin interface
• Improved focus indicators: Clear visual cues for keyboard navigation
• Screen reader optimisation: Better compatibility with assistive technologies
• "Enhanced accessibility" mode: Optional setting in Settings > Appearance for users requiring additional visual cues

Light and Dark Mode Enhancements

The admin interface now features a sophisticated theming system that seamlessly switches between light and dark modes:

• Optimised contrast ratios meeting WCAG standards in both modes
• Refined colour transitions that maintain visual consistency
• Improved focus states for better keyboard navigation
• Updated hover states across all interactive elements

 

What Hasn't Changed

• All functionality remains unchanged
• Your workflows stay exactly as they are
• Content, projects, and settings are unaffected
• Public-facing frontend remains unchanged
• Everything is exactly where you expect it – just cleaner and more accessible

 

---

These visual updates represent our ongoing commitment to providing an exceptional and accessible user experience for all District Engage administrators. The refreshed interface not only looks more modern but also significantly improves usability and accessibility, ensuring that everyone can use District Engage effectively regardless of their abilities or assistive technology needs.

The changes have been carefully implemented to maintain your familiar workflows while providing a cleaner, more accessible interface. We believe these enhancements will make your daily work in District Engage more pleasant and productive.

As always, we welcome your feedback on these improvements. If you have any questions or need assistance with the new interface, please don't hesitate to contact our support team.

This styling and theming release transforms how you can customise your District Engage site's appearance. Release 1.22 introduces extensive new styling options, homepage controls, and accessibility improvements to create more engaging and inclusive experiences for your community.

Major Features ⭐️

New Styling and Theming System

We've expanded District Engage's appearance customisation capabilities with a comprehensive suite of new styling options that give you more control over your site's visual identity.

Key Styling Options

• Spacious Theme Style: A modern, clean aesthetic that provides more breathing room between elements and follows contemporary government website design patterns.
• Flexible Navigation: Position your main navigation to the left, centre, or right to match your organisation's brand guidelines and user expectations.
• Enhanced Content Groups: New background colour options for highlighted content groups using your site's palette colours, with intelligent text contrast adjustment for optimal accessibility.

 

Advanced Homepage Customisation

Your homepage is often the first impression visitors have of your engagement site. We've introduced powerful new controls to help you create compelling homepage experiences:

Hero Style Options: Choose between default hero layouts or wide image formats that make visual impact with full-width imagery.

Search Integration: Toggle homepage hero search forms on or off to match your engagement strategy.

Registration CTAs: Configure custom call-to-action text for user registration directly in the hero section.

Title Positioning: Control how relationship block titles appear across your content with flexible positioning options (top, left, right).

These homepage enhancements work seamlessly with all existing District Engage themes and can be configured through Settings > Home page in your admin dashboard.

 

Accessibility Improvements ✨

Continuing our commitment to inclusive design, Release 1.22 delivers significant accessibility enhancements across both frontend and backend interfaces:

 

Bug Fixes 🔧

• Emails now properly display your organisation's name instead of "District Engage"
• Fixed visual issues with the Kiwi theme when using wide hero layouts
• Resolved background colour display problems with tabs and accordion group layouts
• Corrected hamburger menu icon alignment across different themes
• Addressed focus state inconsistencies in image gallery fullscreen controls
• Improved navbar positioning when site-wide messages are active

Many of these enhancements and fixes have been requested by our customers and represent our ongoing commitment to providing flexible, accessible, and visually appealing community engagement tools.

If you encounter any issues with this release or have questions about the new styling features, please reach out to the District Engage Support Team.

Release 1.21 introduces improvements to content reporting, API capabilities, and user customisation options, along with various improvements and bug fixes to enhance your community engagement experience.

 

Minor Features ✨

Event RSVP Customisation

Event organisers now have greater control over attendee registration:

• New "Allow RSVP" option when creating or editing events
• Automatic hiding of attendee limits and registration tabs when RSVPs are disabled
• Enhanced RSVP attendee details showing user profile information including contact details and postcodes

Learn more about creating and editing events and viewing your Event's registrations

 

Authentication Improvements

We've expanded single sign-on capabilities with several enhancements:

• New Okta SSO provider support for enterprise authentication
• Customisable SSO login text and button labels

Learn more about configuring your settings and customising user sign-up forms.

 

New Page Reporting Widget

We've improved our content reporting capabilities with a new dashboard widget to report on top pages:

• New "Published date" column shows when content was first published
• Separate widgets for different content types: "Top pages", "Top updates", and "Top timeline stages"
• Each widget displays Total Visits, Unique Visitors, and Published status
• Improved sorting by Total visits in descending order with 5-item limits for focused insights

Learn more about dashboard widgets and how to customise your dashboard.

 

API Enhancements

We've expanded our API capabilities with new endpoints for better integration with external platforms. Administrators can create API keys and access comprehensive documentation at /docs/api when logged into your site.

Learn more about using the District Engage API

 

Bug Fixes & Administrative Improvements 🔧

• Fixed registration form suffix field not saving changes properly
• Resolved SSO authentication errors
• Improved stability and error handling across API endpoints
• Translation settings now accessible via the dashboard menu

 

Released July 2025

Release 1.20 delivers significant accessibility improvements to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards, introduces powerful new content features including the Image Comparison Slider block, and enhances survey capabilities with better revision tracking and progress control options.

 

Major Features ⭐️

Introducing Image Comparison Slider!

We've added a new interactive content block that allows you to showcase before and after images with a sliding comparison tool:

• Perfect for demonstrating project transformations, development proposals, or environmental changes
• Multiple display modes including original, 1:1, 16:9, and 4:3 in both landscape and portrait
• Includes full keyboard accessibility with arrow key navigation
   

 

Map Address Search

Users can now search for specific addresses on maps, making it easier to find location-based information relevant to them:

• Search functionality available on map pages, map blocks, idea boards with maps, and map feedback tools
• Auto-complete suggestions help users find addresses quickly
• Maps automatically centre and zoom to searched locations
• Toggle option in map settings to enable or disable search per map

Find out more about setting up this feature in our guides for creating project maps and creating map feedback tools.

 

Accessibility Improvements

We've made comprehensive accessibility enhancements across the admin dashboard to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards:

• Full keyboard navigation support for all menus, dropdowns, and interactive elements
• Improved screen reader announcements for buttons, multi-select dropdowns, and navigation elements
• Clear focus indicators on all interactive elements
• Standardised dropdown behaviour with escape key support
• Proper labelling for all form elements and controls

 

Minor Features ✨

Survey URL Analytics Widget

Track where your embedded surveys are being viewed and submitted from:

• New "Form analytics urls" widget available in reporting dashboard
• View submission counts by URL for embedded surveys
• Track views and submissions from external websites
   

To use this feature, go to any survey's report page and add the "Form analytics urls" widget from the Survey widget category. Learn more about participation tool widgets.

 

Survey Progress Control

A new toggle option for participation tools gives you control over whether user progress is automatically saved:

• Find "Save progress automatically" checkbox in participation tool settings
• Particularly useful for embedded surveys where page context matters
   

Learn more about configuring this setting in our survey creation guide.

 

Enhanced Survey Revisions

Survey revision logs now provide much clearer information about changes:

• Clear indication of questions added, updated, or removed
• Changes to question options are tracked and displayed
• Survey settings changes included in revision history
   

 

Bug Fixes 🐞

• Fixed incorrect caching of form analytics widgets that was causing data to appear on wrong surveys
• Resolved focus trap issues in dropdown menus preventing keyboard navigation
• Fixed missing labels on various admin dashboard buttons for screen readers
• Corrected keyboard navigation behaviour in search/filter components
• Fixed focus issues when adding reporting widgets with table columns

Many of these enhancements have been driven by customer feedback and our commitment to accessibility. If you encounter any issues with this release or have questions about the new features, please reach out to the District Engage Support Team.

Understanding the Updated Backend Layout  

District Engage has updated its backend interface to make navigation easier and improve accessibility. This article explains the key changes to tabs, breadcrumbs and headings to help you navigate the dashboard more efficiently.

Key Interface Improvements

The refreshed backend interface includes two major improvements:

1. More accessible navigation tabs with clearer visual design
2. Consistent breadcrumbs and heading structures

Navigating with Improved Tabs

The tab navigation system has been redesigned to provide clearer visual distinction between main navigation options and sub-options.

The tabs structure now includes:

• Primary tabs for main navigation (Report, Preview, Edit, Followers)
• A new "More..." tab that contains additional options previously found in the dropdown menu

 

Using the "More" Tab

The "More" tab replaces the menu previously accessed by clicking the ellipsis (three dots) icon. When clicked, it displays a dropdown with additional options (depending on what page you are on) such as:

• Revisions
• Restriction settings
• Exports
• Shareable preview link
• Delete

When you select an option from the "More" dropdown, the tab remains highlighted to show your current selection.

 

Improved Breadcrumbs and Heading Structure

The heading structure has been standardised across all pages to improve consistency and accessibility. Each page now follows this specific order:

1. Breadcrumbs - Showing your location path through the system
2. Main page heading - The title of the current page (e.g., project title, survey title)
   • This heading stays the same regardless of which tab you're viewing
3. Status tag (if applicable) - Tag related to the page (e.g., workflow status, user role)
4. Tab title as subheading - Showing which tab you're currently using (e.g., Edit, Preview, Report)

 

These changes are part of our ongoing commitment to improving accessibility and user experience in District Engage. If you have any questions or feedback about these interface improvements, please contact your District Engage administrator.

For more information on navigating the admin interface, see Understanding the admin interface.

New Feature: Team Management in District Engage

 

What's New?

Regular Teams

• Team members get access to all team projects
• Maintains existing system-level permissions
• Perfect for standard project collaboration

Restricted Teams

• Only team members and administrators can access content
• Ideal for internal or confidential projects

 

Key Benefits

1. Better Organisation
   Group related projects and team members together for streamlined management
2. Enhanced Security
   Protect sensitive projects with restricted teams and granular access controls
3. Clear Responsibilities
   Define specific roles within each team to maintain clear workflows
4. Flexible Access
   Maintain administrator oversight while controlling general access to content
5. Streamlined Collaboration
   Make it easier for teams to work together on related projects and initiatives

 

Getting Started

 

Quick Setup Guide

1. In the left-hand menu, click People
2. Select the Teams tab
3. Click the + icon to create a new team
4. Fill in the required details:
   • Team Name
   • Summary (optional)
   • Team Type (Regular or Restricted)
5. Click Save to create your team

 

Next Steps

1. Add team members and assign their roles
2. Move existing projects to appropriate teams
3. Set up team-specific workflows
4. Configure team permissions

 

 

The Budgets tool enables you to run participatory budgeting exercises where community members can allocate funds, points, or custom units across different proposals. This powerful engagement tool helps you democratise decision-making by giving participants direct input into how resources are distributed.

This article will guide you through creating and configuring your first Budgets tool, adding proposals, and understanding each field along the way.

 

What is a Budgets tool?

The Budgets tool allows you to:

• Create multiple proposals that community members can review and fund
• Set a total budget using money ($), points, or custom units
• Define proposal costs and minimum spending requirements
• Collect and analyse community priorities through budget allocation

Budget tools use a Knapsack-style allocation method, where participants choose any combination of fixed-cost proposals within their allocated budget.

Creating a Budgets tool

You can create a Budgets tool within any project or as a site-wide tool.

1. From the Dashboard, navigate to the Projects tab and select the relevant project (or select Site Content for site-wide tools).
2. In the left-hand menu, under Participation, select Budgets.
3. Click Create Budgets.
4. Complete the required fields (see Budgets configuration fields below).
5. Add your proposals (see Adding proposals below).
6. When ready, click Publish to make your Budgets tool live.

 

Budgets configuration fields

When creating or editing a Budgets tool, you'll need to configure the following fields:

Main content fields

Summary & Introduction text

Detailed information about your Budgets tool that appears in and below the hero section. Use this space to provide context, instructions, and any important information participants need to know before allocating their budget.

Budgets type

• Choose how participants will allocate their budget:
  • Points (default) - Use a points-based system for abstract allocation
  • Money ($) - Use dollar amounts for real-world budgeting exercises
  • Custom - Create your own unit name (e.g., "votes", "tokens", "credits")

Total budget

The total amount each participant has to allocate across proposals. Enter an integer value only.

Example: If you set the total budget to 50,000 and select Money ($) as your budget type, each participant will have $50,000 to distribute among proposals.

Minimum spend to submit (optional)

Set a minimum threshold that participants must allocate before they can submit their selections. This field is optional but can encourage participants to engage more thoroughly with the proposals. If this field is left blank, participants can submit regardless of how much of their budget they have spent. 

Example: If your total budget is 50,000 and you set a minimum spend of 30,000, participants must allocate at least 30,000 before the submit button becomes active.

Custom budget name (only shown for Custom budget type)

When you select Custom as your budget type, this field appears. Enter your custom unit name (maximum 15 characters) that will replace "points" or "$" throughout the tool.

Example: You could use "stars", "tokens", "dollarydoos", or any other term that suits your engagement context.

 

Adding proposals

Proposals are the funding options that participants choose from when allocating their budget. Each proposal has a fixed cost and description.

To add a proposal:

1. While creating or editing your Budget tool, scroll to the Proposals section.
2. Click Add Proposal.
3. Complete the proposal fields (see below).
4. Click Add to save the proposal.
5. Repeat to add additional proposals.
6. Click Publish to make all proposals visible on your Budget tool.

Screenshot placeholder: Proposals section showing the Add Proposal interface with collapsed and expanded proposal cards

Proposal fields

Proposal title (required)

The name of your proposal as it will appear on proposal cards and lists. Keep it clear and concise.

Example: "Library technology upgrade", "Community centre renovation", "New playground equipment"

Proposal summary (optional)

A short description that appears on the proposal card. This field supports basic formatting through the simplified WYSIWYG editor.

Tip: While this field is optional, providing context helps participants make informed decisions about which proposals to fund.

Image (optional)

Upload an image to make your proposal more visually engaging. Images appear on the proposal card and can help communicate what the proposal is about.

Proposal cost (required)

The fixed cost for this proposal. Enter an integer value only. The budget type suffix (points, $, or your custom name) will automatically display next to this field.

Example: If your budget type is Money ($) and you enter 15000, it will display as "$15,000" on the proposal card.

 

High-quality images play a crucial role in enhancing the visual appeal and user engagement.

This guide offers best practices for selecting the right image sizes for your content.

 

Suggested Image Dimensions

Here are the recommended image dimensions for different tools on District Engage. These dimensions ensure your images look great on all devices and screen sizes.

 

Image type	Ideal size
Hero	Width: 750 px , Height: 500 px Aspect Ratio: 3:2
Full (only used in a Slideshow)	Width = 1900 px , Height = 1000 px Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Thumbnails	A thumbnail image will be automatically built from the project page image, so users will not need to upload thumbnail images. Width = 750 px , Height = 500 px Aspect Ratio: 3:2
Rich Content images	Width = 1200 px, Height = 800 px Aspect Ratio: 3:2
Image slider	Keep both images the same dimensions for best results. Available aspect ratios settings: 1:1, 16:9, and 4:3 in both landscape and portrait orientations. Recommended minimum: Width = 800 px, Height = 600 px
Hotspot images	Width = 1200 px, Height = 900 px Aspect ratio: 4:3

 

Banner Dimensions and View Width

Banner dimensions have a variable view width that affects how much of the image is visible to users. The view width varies based on the device's screen size, which means only a portion of your uploaded banner may be visible at any given time.

As shown in the examples above, the same banner displays differently at two common view widths. This adaptability ensures your content looks good across different devices and screen resolutions.

 

Adaptive images 📏

District Engage uses an adaptive viewport that adjusts image dimensions based on the user's screen size and the Items per row.

Because of this adaptability, banner dimensions can vary with screen width. Here are a few examples of how images adjust on different screens:

 

Card Thumbnails:

Hero Banners:

 

File Size Recommendations 📂

To ensure fast loading times and optimal performance, keep image file sizes within 10MB. This balance maintains image quality without compromising speed.

 

Effective Use of Image Banners 🖼️

• Image banners should be used to enhance the accessibility and visual impact of your projects. We recommend avoiding text within images to ensure readability across all devices.
• Choose images with ample space around the focal point for better visual appeal. 

 

Adding a FAQ section to your project is a great way to provide extra information to the public, without making your page content-heavy.

Posting answers to frequently-asked questions can also minimise the need for the public to contact you by phone or email, freeing up your resources for other tasks.

How to create a FAQ:

1. In your District Engage dashboard, select a Project. 
2. This will open up the project overview page. Go to the Edit tab. 
3. Select +Add block.
4. From the drop down, select Rich content.
5. This opens up a Rich content window. 
6. Fill in the Title field. This will be displayed on your project page. 
7. In the Content box, click on the + sign to open up the Additional toolbox.
8. Select Accordion. 
9. Choose the number of items in your FAQ. Click Add Accordion. 
10. Fill in the Title and Content fields with your questions and answers. 
11. You can rearrange the order of questions by clicking on the grab dots and dragging them into position. 
12. Click on +Add item to add extra rows. 
13. When you are finished, click Add Rich Content.
14. Click Publish.
    
    

 

To edit or delete a FAQ:

1. Go to the Edit tab in your project overview. 
2. Click on the FAQ content block.
3. To edit, make your changes, and click Done. 
4. Alternatively, to delete the FAQ, select Remove. 
5. Click Publish.

Participatory budgeting is an engagement tool that provides your community with direct input into how resources are allocated. When configured effectively, it can increase engagement and help ensure budgets reflect community priorities. This guide will assist you in setting up your Budgets tool for optimal outcomes.

Why configuration choices matter

Research indicates that how you configure your participatory budgeting process influences how participants vote and make budgeting decisions. These configuration decisions will have implications for equity and engagement outcomes in your community. 

 

Designing your Budgeting tool effectively

Choosing your budget type

When setting up your Budgets tool, you can choose between Money ($), Points, or a Custom unit. Each option may create a different experience for participants.

• Points or custom units (such as "tokens" or "stars") may reduce decision anxiety and encourage exploration—this can be particularly valuable for youth budgeting or first-time participants
• Money ($) provides concrete, real-world context but may create more hesitation about allocation decisions
• Regardless of your choice, ensure the conversion to real currency (if applicable) is clearly communicated

 

Budget amount

The size of your budget can influence participation levels. Research suggests that budgets need to feel substantial enough to justify the time investment required for participation.

Considerations:

• Consider budgets that feel meaningful to your community—what constitutes "meaningful" will vary based on your context and available resources
• A pilot programme can help test engagement levels before scaling up
• If working with a smaller budget, consider using Points or a Custom unit name rather than dollar ($) amounts in your Budgets tool—this can help participants focus on priorities and trade-offs rather than feeling constrained by the monetary value. Though be sure if your budget is constrained, communicate clearly about limitations and realistic outcomes

 

Managing the number of proposals

The number of proposals can affect participant experience. Too many options may lead to decision fatigue, whilst too few may feel restrictive.

Research-based guidance:

• Evidence suggests 7-12 proposals work well for most contexts
• If you have more proposals, consider using categories to organise them (e.g. parks, schools, transport, social services)
• Multiple voting rounds can be effective for larger proposal sets—for example, different rounds for recreation and infrastructure

 

Setting minimum spend requirements

The Minimum spend to submit field in your Budgets tool can encourage thoughtful participation, but should be used judiciously.

Considerations:

• If using minimum requirements, keep them relatively low (around 10-30% of total budget)
• Consider whether a minimum is necessary—research indicates most participants will allocate their budget without mandated requirements
• If you implement minimums, provide clear rationale (e.g. "to encourage consideration of multiple options")

 

Communicating about unallocated budget

Participants should understand what happens to any budget they don't allocate. Uncertainty of remaining budget can lead participants to make decisions to select the proposals to "use it all" or abandon the process out of confusion. Being explicit about unallocated budget helps participants make informed, confident decisions.

When to encourage full allocation:

Consider emphasising the value of using the full budget when:

• You want to maximise the number of funded projects
• Unallocated funds won't roll over to additional projects
• The community has worked hard to develop proposals and would benefit from seeing more projects funded

When to allow underspending:

Some contexts benefit from allowing participants to leave budget unallocated:

• If none of the remaining proposals align with a participant's values, forcing allocation may result in arbitrary choices
• Unallocated funds could roll over to partially fund the next highest-ranked project
• You want to signal that it's acceptable to be selective rather than feeling obligated to spend everything

 

After the vote: implementation matters

Once voting closes, clear and consistent communication about what happens next is essential. Implementing winning proposals and how you communicate throughout the implementation process can be equally critical for maintaining trust and encouraging participation in future rounds.

Implementation considerations:

• Establish clear, realistic timelines for implementing winning proposals
• Create public tracking tools so the community can follow progress
• Communicate regularly about implementation status, including any challenges or delays
• Evaluate each cycle and use learnings to improve the next round

 

Getting started with your Budgets tool

To set up your first participatory budgeting exercise, refer to our Getting started with Budgets guide for step-by-step configuration instructions.