nextdoor.com: engaging neighborhoods & improving citizen satisfaction

Joseph Porcelli | Nextdoor Sr. City Strategist & Professional Neighbor | 857-222-4420 | Joseph@nextdoor.com | @JosephPorcelli

Nextdoor: Engaging neighborhoods and improving citizen satisfaction The free and private social network for neighborhoods

Your Presenters

Joseph PorcelliSenior City Strategist

Nextdoor.com

@JosephPorcelli857-222-4420

joseph@nextdoor.com

Adrian FineCity Strategist

Nextdoor

@adrianfineadrian@nextdoor.com

415-294-0761

Lon PetersonCity of Palo Alto

Communications Manager

@LonWasHerelon.peterson@cityofpaloalto.org

650-329-2656

Agenda

• Nextdoor background and differentiators• How to engage at the neighborhood level• Tips to improve citizen satisfaction• How Palo Alto uses Nextdoor to increase citizen satisfaction• Questions and answers

Nextdoor background and differentiators

Nextdoor is the private social network for the neighborhood

Photo credit - Kimberly C. Gaines, CEO/Founder, sondai expressions creative, llc

Nextdoor empowers neighbors who might not otherwise connect to build community and partner with government to create safer, stronger, and more resilient Neighborhoods.

Social networks in a neighborhood lower crime, improve public health and raise test scores.

Robert Putnam, Harvard Professor and Author, Bowling Alone

“

“

56% of U.S. neighborhoods have launched Nextdoor

96,000APRIL 2016

PrivatePrivacy is critical to creating a safe, trusting environment

LocalNeighbors must verify their address and use real names

UsefulUtility makes the service an essential resource

Built from the ground up for all kinds of neighborhoods

Nextdoor is the lifeline to the neighborhood

Neighbor use Nextdoor on the web, via the app, or email

Our initial product focused on immediate neighbors

Next came nearby neighbors from adjacent neighborhoods

NeighborsNearbyAgencies

Members then asked to include city agencies and utilities

We are currently exploring how businesses fit into the neighborsphere

How to engage at the neighborhood level

Engage Nextdoor members with Nextdoor for Public Agencies

• Communicate and engage with current verified residents

• Target messages and conversations into one, many, or all neighbor-defined neighborhoods, agency-defined service areas, or their entire jurisdiction

• Inform, educate, and activate residents to take actions and change behaviors that make their neighborhoods stronger, safer, and more resilient!

With Nextdoor for Public Agencies, staff can…

Post into specific neighborhoods or service areas

How Nextdoor for Public Agencies works

• Residents see agency posts on their Nextdoor website or mobile app, as well as through email

• Residents can thanks and reply to agency posts, or send agency users a private messages.

• Agencies cannot see other information about residents or what they are discussing in their neighborhoods

• Residents can mute discussions or staff, or unsubscribe from an agency.

Tips improve citizen satisfaction with Nextdoor

Configuration: Grant access to staff beyond the PIO

Focus: Post neighborhood-specific updates

Attitude: Behave like a “neighborhood concierge”

Approach: Mitigate for disruptions and close the loop

How Palo Alto uses Nextdoor to improve citizen satisfaction.

Nextdoor in practice, at the local level

● As a Nextdoor employee, I connect cities with their residents

● As a Palo Alto citizen, I see how my city uses various channels to engage residents

● As a Planning Commissioner, I use civic input to make better decisions

● Nextdoor is not the only channel, but it expands the conversation beyond the usual suspects

Digital engagement for real results

● Palo Alto was losing local retail businesses.. and residents were worried

● The city solicited feedback and I asked my neighbors about the types of retail they wanted to preserve or prohibit

● My personal post received 77 constructive replies; the city’s outreach garnered over 210 replies and ideas

● This feedback helped the planning commission write an ordinance that○ preserved ground-floor retail○ identified retail-types that citizens valued○ curtailed certain retail uses ○ passed council’s approval (!)

• New York, NY• Los Angeles, CA• Harris County, TX• Houston, TX• Tarrant County, TX• Santa Clara County, CA• Phoenix, AZ• Sacramento County, CA• San Diego, CA• Dallas, TX• Franklin County, OH• Travis County, TX• San Jose, CA• San Francisco, CA• Austin, TX• Fort Worth, TX• San Mateo County, CA• Charlotte, NC• Nashville, TN

To date, Nextdoor has partnered with 1,600 + agencies• Arlington, VA• Prince George’s County, MD• Howard County, MD• Charles County, MD• Fresno, CA• Sacramento, CA• Long Beach, CA• Kansas City, MO• Mesa, AZ• Virginia Beach, VA• Oakland, CA• Arlington, TX• Anaheim, CA• St. Louis, MO• Marion County, OR• Pittsburgh, PA• Riverside, CA• Cincinnati, OH• Arlington, VA

• Detroit, MI• Fairfax County, VA• Richmond, VA• Greenbelt, MD• Laurel, MD• North Las Vegas, NV• Chandler, AZ• Orlando, FL• Garland, TX• Chesapeake, VA• Irving, TX• Niagara County, NY• Boise, ID• Modesto, CA• Houston, TX• Tarrant County, TX• Santa Clara County, CA• Phoenix, AZ• Sacramento County, CA

• Philadelphia, PA• Newark, NJ• Raleigh, NC• Columbus, OH• Boston, MA• Laurel, MD• San Diego, CA• Dallas, TX• Franklin County, OH• Travis County, TX• San Jose, CA• San Francisco, CA• Austin, TX• Fort Worth, TX• San Mateo County, CA• Charlotte, NC• Nashville, TN• Denver, CO• Portland, OR

Nextdoor is the best way to reach your residents

● Engage and activate verified residents● Target messages to specific neighborhoods or service areas● No technical integration, contracts, or MOUs● Nextdoor will always be free, and we are here to help you succeed

Learn more and sign up at nextdoor.com/agency

30

Questions for your presenters?

Joseph PorcelliSenior City Strategist

Nextdoor.com

@JosephPorcelli857-222-4420

joseph@nextdoor.com

Adrian FineCity Strategist

Nextdoor

@adrianfineadrian@nextdoor.com

415-294-0761

Lon PetersonCity of Palo Alto

Communications Manager

@LonWasHerelon.peterson@cityofpaloalto.org

650-329-2656

Thank you

Joseph Porcelli | Nextdoor Sr. City Strategist & Professional Neighbor | 857-222-4420 | Joseph@nextdoor.com | @JosephPorcelli 31