Murrindindi Shire Council
Connecting rural communities through more thoughtful digital engagement.
How Civio helped Murrindindi Shire Council strengthen rural community connections
Murrindindi Shire Council transformed their approach to community engagement with Civio's intuitive platform, connecting their dispersed rural population through our accessible digital tools.
Industry
Local Government
Rural Shire
Challenge Overview
Murrindindi Shire Council serves a picturesque rural area north of Melbourne known for its natural beauty and strong community ties. Despite its smaller size, the council has always prioritised community engagement, leveraging local radio and a popular weekly newspaper to keep residents informed and involved.
Like many regional councils, Murrindindi faced the dual challenges of a small, dispersed population and an ageing demographic. These factors created unique obstacles for community engagement, particularly when trying to reach residents across multiple small towns separated by significant distances.
Partnership Journey
Murrindindi Shire Council sought a more dynamic community engagement solution and chose Civio as a partner who could work with them on co-design features that meet rural councils’ needs.
The council was drawn to Civio’s collaborative development model, where clients shape our product roadmap. The platform’s rapid release cycle and flexible integration capabilities meant they could embed participation tools across their digital channels.
As a smaller council with limited resources, Murrindindi needed a cost-effective solution. Civio’s pricing structure provided access to a full suite of participation tools, allowing the council to gather meaningful feedback without compromise.
Platform Implementation
We worked closely with Murrindindi to relaunch their new Dindi In The Loop engagement platform, designed specifically to address their unique challenges:
- User-friendly interface with more customisation options and improved accessibility.
- Separate tabs for timelines and events to enhance navigation.
- Embedded participation tools that integrate seamlessly with council websites and communications channels.
- Comprehensive accessibility features to ensure diverse community participation.
Comprehensive Migration
To preserve Murrindindi’s engagement history, we conducted a thorough migration process:
- Transferred content from historical projects.
- Preserved project pages and associated content through an automated process.
- Maintained historical context while allowing for necessary refinements.
- Supported the council in migrating live surveys.
The migration was executed in phases, with careful attention to detail and continuous support from our team, allowing the council to transition at their own pace.
Co-design Development
A standout aspect of our partnership with Murrindindi has been the co-design approach to feature development:
- Co-design process for new features based on council feedback.
- Regular consultation on feature priorities and implementation.
- Responsive development cycle to address specific council needs.
- Ongoing dialogue about rural engagement challenges and solutions.
This approach has already yielded several new features, including enhanced content categorisation, improved version management, and fine control of image displays.
Community Impact
Since implementing Civio, Murrindindi has experienced significant improvements in their community engagement efforts. The platform has increased participation among older residents who were previously reluctant to engage digitally, important given the shire’s aging demographic.
The council has established specialised Youth and Volunteer Hubs, allowing different demographic groups to engage more effectively and increasing participation from previously underrepresented groups.
Operational efficiency has improved through embedded surveys and streamlined editing tools, helping the resource-limited council maximise their engagement capacity.
The council has maintained a single data source by integrating online and face-to-face engagement, creating a more cohesive approach to community consultation.
Community members and internal users have provided positive feedback on the platform’s usability and ongoing improvements.
Looking Forward
The partnership between Murrindindi Shire Council and Civio continues to evolve, with ongoing enhancements based on real world usage and feedback. Current development priorities include:
- Dashboard and reporting improvements.
- Enhanced email and participant management.
- Standard project and tool templates.
- New ways to display and link content and tools.
These improvements reflect our commitment to supporting Murrindindi’s community engagement mission through continuous platform development that addresses the unique challenges of rural councils.
The Civio Difference
This partnership demonstrates how the right community engagement platform can help smaller originations overcome their unique challenges and connect effectively with their communities.
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