Data-Driven Engagement: Willoughby Council's Success

Local councils can’t hide from the community.

Residents get a front row seat to council’s decisions, and they know who to blame when things go wrong.

That accountability creates a powerful incentive for deeper engagement.

One council leaning into this accountability is Willoughby City Council.

They engaged Captivate Consulting to raise awareness and recruit members for its new Community Voices Panel - a diverse group of residents who will provide ongoing advice to Council on big issues like housing and climate change.

But first, Captivate needed to know where those diverse residents lived.

That’s where Scopomap came in.

Captivate used Scopomap to map key cohorts across Willoughby’s large LGA,
helping them fine-tune their recruitment efforts to different areas and target groups.

The result? A strong and diverse mix of panel members.

With one tough exception: 25–34-year-olds.

“This is one of the hardest demographics to crack,” said Darius Turner, Captivate Founder.

“At that stage of life, careers, young families and social lives take priority.”

“And many don’t feel a strong connection to council engagement, so they’re not convinced it’s worth their time.”

With Scopomap, Captivate could see that the highest concentration of 25–34-year- olds were clustered along the train corridor in St Leonards.

“That’s vital intel,” said Darius. “Rather than spreading efforts thin across the LGA, Council can focus its energy where it matters most.”

That’s one of the superpowers of data-driven engagement – it makes the process smarter, faster and more cost-efficient.

Kudos to Willoughby City Council.

Lots of organisations talk a big game about diversity and inclusion, but Willoughby is walking the talk.