“Simply put, diligent and responsible local government vendors and their products and services make our communities run better,” Engaging Local Government Leaders (ELGL) states as it introduces this year’s winners of the Haverford Awards, which celebrates the best companies working with local governments.
FlashVote cracked the Top 10 in its first appearance as one of the 2020 ELGL Haverford winners–vendors nominated by cities across the country. After one year of FlashVote surveys, the City of Stillwater made a nomination that stood out. FlashVote was the only survey company on the list.
“FlashVote is [a survey tool] that the public has come to depend on. They have even started using ‘FlashVote’ as a verb. As in, ‘Let’s FlashVote this,” wrote Director of Marketing and Civic Engagement Sherry Fletcher in the City’s nomination. “Citizens debate the results amongst themselves, but they don’t doubt the validity of the survey.”
On its mission to give every government “smart input”– timely input that is representative, informed and tailored to guide unique decisions–FlashVote succeeds at getting statistically valid numbers of people to weigh in on community decisions. Community members who sign up to take FlashVote surveys by phone, email or online see results at the same time as their city council members, board members and other local decision makers.
Since its first contract in California in 2015, FlashVote has grown to serve agencies in 20 states, guiding decision-makers on everything from coronavirus impacts to police funding to backyard chickens–a topic that drove Stillwater’s nomination. In addition to patent-pending software, FlashVote includes full-service professional survey design and delivers actionable results in 48 hours.
Kevin Lyons, FlashVote’s co-founder and CEO, responded to the nomination: “Our mission has always been to empower officials to make great decisions with great data. So it’s rewarding to read that our data tailored a city ordinance to community needs, built community trust and prevented mistakes with public money.”
The nomination also highlighted customer service: “What I appreciate is that FlashVote treats every interaction I have with them as important. It may be just a survey on backyard chickens, but it is important to us. FlashVote understands that.”
Lyons added: “We believe that everyone who works with public servants is a public servant too. So we try to delight, not just our customers, but their constituents too. Everyone benefits from having data from the many and not just the noisy few.”
By making short, automated scientific community surveys that are fast, easy and affordable, FlashVote gives any public agency a true representation of community needs. By understanding needs, local leaders can better serve the public and make them happier.
Or as Fletcher summed up in the award nomination: “Who doesn’t need good data? I love FlashVote.”