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.
New to participatory budgeting?
We recommend reading our Best practice guide for Participatory Budgeting article to understand how to set up effective participatory budgeting exercises that engage your community meaningfully.
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 ($), points, or custom units
- Define proposal costs and minimum spending requirements
- Collect and analyse community priorities through budget allocation
Budget tools use a Knapsack-style allocation method, where participants choose any combination of fixed-cost proposals within their allocated budget.
Creating a Budgets tool
You can create a Budgets tool within any project or as a site-wide tool.
- From the Dashboard, navigate to the Projects tab and select the relevant project (or select Site Content for site-wide tools).
- In the left-hand menu, under Participation, select Budgets.
- Click Create Budgets.
- Complete the required fields (see Budgets configuration fields below).
- Add your proposals (see Adding proposals below).
- When ready, click Publish to make your Budgets tool live.
Budgets configuration fields
When creating or editing a Budgets tool, you'll need to configure the following fields:
Main content fields
Summary & Introduction text
Detailed information about your Budgets tool that appears in and below the hero section. Use this space to provide context, instructions, and any important information participants need to know before allocating their budget.
Budgets type
- Choose how participants will allocate their budget:
- Points (default) - Use a points-based system for abstract allocation
- Money ($) - Use dollar amounts for real-world budgeting exercises
- Custom - Create your own unit name (e.g., "votes", "tokens", "credits")
Your chosen budget type determines how costs and totals are displayed throughout the tool. If you select Money ($), values will be prefixed with a dollar sign. For Points or Custom types, the unit name appears as a suffix.
Total budget
The total amount each participant has to allocate across proposals. Enter an integer value only.
Example: If you set the total budget to 50,000 and select Money ($) 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:
- While creating or editing your Budget tool, scroll to the Proposals section.
- Click Add Proposal.
- Complete the proposal fields (see below).
- Click Add to save the proposal.
- Repeat to add additional proposals.
- 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.
Note
When a proposal is collapsed in your admin view, the right-hand side displays the proposal cost with the budget type suffix (e.g., "2 points" or "$21,000").