2022 LOCAL PROGRESS REPORTS IN OHIO: WHAT CIVIC LEADERS NEED TO KNOW

SUMMARY

RuralOrganizing.org Education Fund’s innovative use of a drop-off/pick-up survey methodology, an approach which has been shown to reduce nonresponse bias, takes canvassing for community perspectives to a whole new level. Blending door-knocking and community-based research techniques, this approach empowers local leaders to develop the right questions for their neighborhoods, hear from a wider range of community members than can be reached by traditional canvassing techniques, and generate local solutions that respond to local needs.

Through semi-structured interviews with four field staff, including three surveyors in supervisory roles implementing the Local Progress Reports through door knocking, RuralOrganizing.org Education Fund sought to gain insights and lessons as data collection drew to a close and experiences were fresh in mind. Our separate report details the analysis of the survey findings while this report reflects on lessons and opportunities for implementation and scaling of the Drop-Off/Pick-Up community input approach.

The need to capture a more holistic set of community perceptions, amplify the needs of ignored neighbors’, and turn these community needs into a winning rural prosperity agenda drove the development of the Local Progress Report project in three Ohio Counties - Athens, Fairfield, and Licking. The approach is innovative along the dimensions of developing the project, intentionally radical community inclusion, and civic infrastructure-building.

Click below to download the full report.