Budget Delegates are essential to Participatory Budgeting. Volunteering as a Budget Delegate is a great opportunity to become a community leader, develop teambuilding skills, get to know your neighbors, build your resume, and help make your city a better place.
Budget Delegates will review all of the ideas submitted by the community in June and July and will work during the fall to research, assess, and prioritize those ideas and determine which ones will be developed into full proposals for the PB vote in December.
Serving as a Budget Delegate requires a significant time commitment from mid-August through October, and a smaller time commitment in mid and late November. Please review the schedule below to decide whether this role is right for you.
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BUDGET DELEGATE SCHEDULE |
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· Budget Delegate Orientation: Monday 8/6 from 6-8pm Location TBD. Learn more about the process, choose your committee, and meet your teammates and facilitator. · Weekly committee meetings: Budget Delegate Committees will meet weekly from mid-August through late October to review, research, and prioritize ideas. Committees don’t have to meet every single week, but 6-8 meetings will likely be necessary. Budget Office staff will help find meeting space. · Speed Consultations with City staff: We will organize two in-person consultations with City staff, one in September and one in October, at City Hall. Think of it as Department speed dating – Budget Delegates will move around the room talking with and asking questions of various department reps. Budget Office staff will help coordinate communication with departments outside of these consultations as well. · Delegates submit Proposal Shortlist to Budget Office: Monday 10/22 by 5pm. Delegates do not need to meet while City staff are evaluating proposals. City staff will provide final feedback and cost estimates to Delegates by 5pm on Thursday 11/8. · Delegates submit final ballot text to Budget Office: Thursday 11/15 by 5pm. · PB Vote Week: Saturday 12/1 – Friday 12/7. Tell your friends to vote! · PB Vote Results Party: Wednesday 12/12 from 6-7pm. Find out which projects won $900,000 in funding! |
Questions? Email pb@cambridgema.gov
Other 2018 Volunteer Opportunities
Want to get involved in the next PB cycle? Here are some other ways you can help:
- Volunteer as a Budget Delegate - recruitment will start in early summer 2018
- Translate outreach and voting materials into Amharic, Arabic, Bengali/Bangla, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, and Spanish
- Distribute PB doorhangers, flyers, and posters around the city
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Help staff voting events during vote week in December
- If there are other ways you'd like to support the PB process, please let us know!
If you're interested in getting involved in the 2018 PB cycle, please contact Matt in the City's Budget Office at pb@cambridgema.gov or (617) 349-4270.
Thank you to those who answered our 2017 volunteer call!
Many, many thanks to everyone who served on the PB Outreach Committee, volunteered as a Budget Delegate, facilitated a Budget Delegate Committee, translated materials, distributed flyers and door hangers, and spread the word about Participatory Budgeting. You are the backbone of Cambridge's PB process.