No Need to Go It Alone - Where to Find Help

Passing a bond proposal is not easy, and fortunately you do not need to go it alone. Here are several organizations that can help your district pass your next bond proposal.

Market Research Companies. Market research companies can help your district by conducting an anonymous, third-party survey that allows your voters to share their opinions and concerns. Market research companies are experts at surveying and will develop an unbiased and objective survey for your district. Market research firms generally provide research services to a wide variety of clients and industries and may have limited experience working with school districts to help pass bond proposals. As a result, many will be unable to provide guidance on how to proceed based on their survey results. Consider using a market research firm when you know exactly what information you need from your voters and want that information collected in a statistically representative manner.

Public Relations Firms. Public relations firms are ideal for helping your district get your message out and convince voters to support your requests. They will help you focus your message and develop and implement a plan for effectively communicating with your voters. They may be able to conduct a basic survey which will provide some information to guide your efforts, but they often have limited experience conducting surveys and lack the expertise necessary to analyze the results. Retaining the services of a public relations firm will be essential if your district does not have the staffing capacity and capability to effectively communicate with your voters.

Construction Management Companies/Owner Representatives. These organizations can provide your district with all you need to know about your building conditions, facility needs, construction times and costs, and provide experienced staff to oversee the process. Sometimes these firms will try to assist districts they are working with by conducting basic surveys to provide some information to guide your efforts. These firms, however, have limited experience conducting research and lack the expertise to analyze the results. Using a construction management company and/or owner representative will allow your district to effectively and successfully complete the design and construction of your facility improvement projects.

School Bond Proposal Specialists. There are some firms like Perspectives Consulting Group that focus on addressing the unique challenges and information needs of districts looking to pass a bond proposal. Perspectives’ Comprehensive Voter Approval Assessment is based on statistically representative survey research combined with in-depth analytical analysis and assessment of how much voter support exists for different facility improvement options, and how to attract and grow voter support for those options. School Bond Proposal Specialists like Perspectives have years of experience helping districts to pass bond proposals but do not provide other services like marketing/communication. If your district has experienced challenges trying to pass previous bond requests, working with a school bond proposal specialist will provide the information and guidance your district needs to pass your next request.