Boston’s Mayor Tom Menino is challenging citizens to submit ideas that might get funded by a $1 million Bloomberg grant. Inside, we look at his engagement strategy, other exampleWhat Happened?
Mayor Tom Menino of Boston is challenging residents and businesses to submit ideas that might get funded by a $1 million Bloomberg Innovation Delivery grant.
So What?
The move is a compelling engagement strategy, which is something that Mayor Menino happens to be particularly good at. It’s also inexpensive and easily replicable in other cities, and is an interesting tactic that Gov1 readers may want to consider for other purposes.
The Background
As Gov1 covered back in June–and as we still have listed in our Grants section—Bloomberg Philanthropies has announced a multi-million dollar grant challenge, which will fund innovative programs across the country. The program, part of a larger $24 million initiative, has already funded programs in Atlanta, Chicago, Louisville, and elsewhere.
Boston’s Twist
Instead of simply applying for a Bloomberg grant—as most cities are doing—Mayor Menino has democratized the process, asking Boston residents to propose ideas that meet grant requirements, including projects that focus on:
- Technology: Projects that increase use of technology by the city
- Elderly: Projects that support the needs of Boston’s growing senior population
- Energy: Projects that expand affordable energy solutions
- Diversity: Projects that support the diversity of languages spoken in Boston.
The Process
To collect ideas, Mayor Menino has created his own “Mayor’s Challenge,” which is a simple online form. The 11-question survey asks citizens to submit their idea, and to explain how it will change people’s lives—in less than 100 words.
The form also asks citizens about the “activities” that would be needed to fix the problem, and evidence that could be used to confirm the idea would work. Some of the questions are even lighthearted, such as, “Five years after your idea is implemented, what will the front page headline of the newspaper be?”
The Mayor has also leveraged Twitter and his other social media handles to promote his Challenge.
Other Examples
Soliciting feedback and ideas from citizens is of course nothing new, but Mayor Menino’s approach reflects how cities have increasingly relied on technology and social media to capture that information.
Lexington, Kentucky, for example, recently hosted a “Social Media Town Hall” to collect ideas for the same Bloomberg Challenge, using a conversation on Twitter and Facebook instead of a Menino-like form. Knoxville, TN, collected feedback for the challenge using a simple (and free) online surveying tool.
Many other cities have launched their own challenges that similarly take advantage of social networks. For example, New York recently challenged the public to share ideas for apps, and Alexandria (VA) solicited ideas for a greener community using Facebook, blogs, and more. Huntsville (AL) used Facebook and mapping apps to solicit ideas on development for the downtown area, and Wellington, New Zealand, has hosted several Facebook ideas challenges. Chesterfield County (VA) collects savings ideas for its school system, as does Roanoke County.
Resources
If you’re not fully leveraging social media to engage with citizens, consider viewing Code for America’s A City’s Guide to Social Media, or this Guide to Getting Started with Social Media in Your City. Another helpful presentation might be this longer (93 pages!) guide to Building a Municipal Social Media Presence.
Also, keep in mind that Twitter and Facebook aren’t the only engagement tools for municipalities; as we recently covered, there are private social media platforms that can be restricted to residents of your city.