Learn all the steps involved in starting a community plan.
Beginning your community plan
To begin your community planning process, we recommend the following steps:
- Form a planning group: Gather 10 – 15 committed and enthusiastic individuals. Ensure the group represents the community's diversity, such as younger members representatives from sporting clubs, local schools or kindergartens, and community groups.
- Contact the City: Contact Community Partnerships at [email protected] or phone 1300 002 642 about community planning and how to develop a community plan
- Consider setting up a social media platform: This helps inform and involve individuals in your planning process
- Contact local groups and clubs: Inform them about your community planning initiative and see if they would like to get involved
- Consider organising an information session: Meet with the community and tell them about your intention to develop a community plan and see if they are interested in being involved
Key steps for the development of your community plan
To help guide you through the community planning process, we have broken it down into 8 simple steps. Each step is outlined below.
Before you start working on your community plan, take time to learn about your community. The more you know, the better your plan will reflect your community’s real story and future goals.
Find out:
- The history of your community
- Who lives there and what makes them unique
- Local issues — environmental, social, economic, and political
- What services, businesses, and groups are active in the area
Where to find information
- Census and statistics
- ABS Greater Bendigo Census Quick Stats
- Profile ID – Greater Bendigo - Local stories
- Talk to long-time residents and workers - Seach the City website at bendigo.vic.gov.au and Let’s Talk Greater Bendigo to determine any relevant projects and adopted strategies
- Expert advice
- Speak with various stakeholders which may include government staff, local leaders, and professionals
- Look at strategies and plans from councils or government agencies - Community groups and businesses
- Ask for data or stories they can share
Getting started with your community plan
To create a strong community plan, it's important to talk with your community and gather ideas on how to make things better. Aim to hear from at least 10% of your community and include people from different backgrounds.
Develop a community engagement plan
Before asking for feedback, plan how you’ll do it. This helps you stay organised and makes sure everyone has a chance to be heard.
Your Community Engagement plan can include:
- Your goals – What do you want to learn? What questions will you ask?
- How you’ll connect – Think about surveys, events, workshops, or social media. Set dates and locations
- Resources – Make sure you have what you need (like staff, venues, or materials)
- Inclusion – Find ways to reach people who are often left out. You might offer translation, childcare, or accessible spaces
Refer to the community engagement plan template.
Ways to collect feedback
- Use online or paper surveys
- Hold small group chats or big community meetings
- Ask questions on social media
- Run events like workshops or dinners to share ideas
Tips for good engagement
- Explain why you're asking for feedback and how it will be used
- Offer different ways to participate (e.g. email, forums, suggestion boxes)
- Schedule activities at different times to suit more people
- Try different methods to reach those who haven’t joined in yet
- Keep the community updated on what’s happening and what comes next
After collecting feedback: What’s next?
Once you’ve gathered feedback from the community, the next step is to review it and look for common ideas or concerns. This helps you understand what matters most to people and guides your planning.
How to organise feedback
- Read through all the responses
- Look for repeated topics or ideas
- Group similar feedback under headings (e.g. “Road Safety” or “Parks and Recreation”)
- This makes it easier to see what’s important and where to focus your efforts.
Need help?
For more ways to organise and analyse community feedback, check out the following helpful resources
- Australian Treasury website
- NT Gov website
- Local government Professional website
- AIFS website
Once you’ve reviewed the feedback, it’s time to build your plan. Here’s how:
- Run a planning workshop
Bring your group together to shape the plan. In the workshop, you can:
- Write an introduction and vision for the community
- Set themes, goals and actions
- Choose realistic timeframes
Tips for a successful workshop:
- Use a professional facilitator (small grants are available to support this)
- Invite a mix of people for diverse ideas
- Start with an activity that gets participants to imagine a better future
- Share what you’ve learned so far (data and feedback themes)
- Focus on top themes and explore new ones that emerge from the workshop
- Develop goals that fit under the themes
- Develop actions that will help you achieve your goals
- Decide who will do what tasks and what resources are needed. (this information does not need to go into the plan but helps you make sure your goals and actions are realistic)
- Refer to Template Community Planning Workshop Agenda for an example - Draft the plan
Use the workshop outcomes to write a first version of your community plan. - Add community images
Collect photos that show your community's spirit - local events, landmarks, and everyday life. Ensure that permission is granted if including residents in photos.
Once the draft is ready, share it with community members to get their feedback and make sure it reflects their needs and ideas. This helps build trust and a sense of ownership.
You can gather feedback by:
- Sharing the draft at local community spots or online
- Hosting meetings to talk about it in person
- Using any other method that suits your community
After the review, collect all the feedback and update the draft as needed.
Once your community plan is ready for publication, email it along with any images to Community Partnerships:
They will coordinate the professional design of your plan. A proof version will be sent to you for review, and once approved, they will arrange for it to be uploaded to our Community Plan webpage.
Once your plan is online or printed, celebrate with a launch event to thank everyone and share the excitement.
Here’s how:
- Pick a venue that's easy for everyone to access - like a community centre, hall, or even online
- Invite community members, local groups, council staff, and media to help spread the word
- Share the key parts of your plan - the vision, goals, and actions
- Hand out the final plan through:
- Local networks (schools, libraries, neighbourhood groups)
- Community events and meetings
- Newsletters and noticeboards
- Social media and websites
To make your community plan happen, try these steps:
- Meet regularly to check progress and keep things moving
- Share your plan with the City of Greater Bendigo
- Form small groups to work on different parts of the plan
- Look for grants or sponsorships to help fund your work
- Stay connected with community members, local groups, and council staff
- Think about setting up a formal group (like a committee) to keep things going long-term
- Review your plan often to make sure it’s still on track
- Hold yearly events to celebrate and reflect
- Keep everyone updated through newsletters, social media, and meetings
- Invite new people to join and help out
- Plan for the future by refreshing your plan every 3–4 years.