Reynolds School District is a true feel-good story. After suffering through devastating financial issues that severely damaged their reputation and trust in the community as well as multiple election losses, they endured the worst possible tragedy imaginable – a school shooting at the high school. Despite these terrible events, the community and school district came…

Strong community support for this district in most cases would have translated into easy passage of a $17 million bond request that did not increase the overall tax burden on its community. But the district took a calculated risk and included some key projects that the community rated as ‘low priority’ projects in survey work.…

Clackamas Community College is one of the largest community colleges in the state of Oregon. After several devastating losses at the polls they engaged Nelson Research to do their research. Learning how and what to talk about in their bond measure campaign was instrumental in helping them pass a $90 million bond measure in November…

Pendleton School District serves 3,200 students in northeastern Oregon and successfully passed a $55 million bond measure in November 2013. Using their survey results as a guide, they were able to target and deliver individual messages to specific voter blocs to reflect their community’s priorities and concerns. Lesson Learned: Strategic and targeted messaging is the…

Sublimity Fire District is a rural volunteer fire district that serves 44 square miles east of Salem, OR. Our experience is that fire districts are always highly regarded in the communities they serve, but passing a measure to replace fire engines can be difficult simply because they are generally very well maintained and cared for.…

Tsunamis are always a concern for coastal communities and Lincoln County School District’s community was no different. With Waldport High School located within a tsunami zone, moving the school to higher ground became a high priority for the school district. Sometimes districts make the mistake of assuming the priorities of a vocal few are the…

In the depths of ‘The Great Recession,’ the Forest Grove School District achieved the impossible and was the only school district in Oregon to pass their bond measure in the November 2010 election. While residents expressed serious concern about the state of the economy in the survey research conducted by Nelson Research, the district was…

This project was for Oregon Project Independence, a state-funded program that serves senior citizens or individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or other related diseases who are challenged in their abilities to function independently. The survey work found that while very few Oregonians were aware of Oregon Project Independence and the services they provided, they strongly…

In rural, largely unincorporated areas, it is often more difficult to gain the level of support needed to pass a bond because the tax burden tends to be higher for these residents. After three failed attempts, the district re-thought their process, worked with Nelson Research to survey their community and discovered they could win using…

Bend La Pine School District is a relatively large district serving multiple communities in Central Oregon. Over the years this school district has learned that regular contact and communication with its community is the key to winning elections. As their communications director Julianne Repman says, “We are always in campaign mode whether we are actively…

Through consistent and regular survey research (community perception surveys and benchmark bond/levy surveys) conducted by Nelson Research, Everett School District has been consistently successful in passing multiple money measures on the same ballot. In 2005, Everett SD not only won the renewal of their operating levy with a 58.7% yes vote, they also passed a…

Located along the Oregon coast, Neah-Kah-Nie School District is a small district with only 4,422 total registered voters. Through their survey research conducted by Nelson Research, they learned residents valued replacing old/outdated buildings and providing increased educational opportunities for students. Lesson Learned: By being willing to listen and respond to the community’s priorities and sell…

To this day, one of the most interesting projects we’ve ever done. It is rare for government entities to come together collaboratively on a survey research project. It is even more uncommon when it comes to passing money measures. This, however, was exactly what happened here. Rather than compete on the ballot, they worked collaboratively…