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At Aalto University, you can implement participatory budgeting projects. Participatory budgeting is a community-based process where members of the community have a direct say in how a certain part of the university's funds are spent. This process allows decisions to be made about the allocation of resources in a way that reflects the real needs and wishes of staff or students.

One of the aims of participatory budgeting is usually to make budgeting more transparent, democratic and accountable. Participatory budgeting also engages the whole community. For more information on how to implement participatory budgeting, including how to budget, you can ask your school/department/unit. On this page, you will find useful general tips on how to implement a project.

Project phases

Participatory budgeting projects can be divided into the following phases.

1. Define the theme and objective. What is the participatory budgeting project trying to achieve? What are the needs of the community? What is the successful outcome of the project? Be sure to narrow down the project theme as much as possible and also think about what to do with proposals that do not fit within the boundaries.
2. Set a budget. How much money does the project have available?
3. Gather a project group around a theme. The project team should include people with expertise not only in the subject matter, but also in areas such as finance and communications.
4. Participation round. Involve the community or part of the community in the project. When collecting suggestions from them, you can use a tool such as Webropol. Encourage the work community to get involved in the planning and proposal process. Everyone has a unique perspective and experience that is valuable to the process. Utilize your communication skills effectively.
5. Voting. Community members vote on which project or projects to implement. Emphasise that everyone has a say and every vote counts. Participatory budgeting promotes a sense of community and shared responsibility, and usually involves discussion and joint reflection and justification. Encourage open discussion and exchange of ideas. Collaboration and listening to different perspectives enrich proposals.
6. Second round of participation. If necessary, rounds of participation can also be held after the vote to collect further suggestions on the winning proposal.
7. Implementation. The selected projects will be implemented within the allocated budget.
8. Feedback. Encourage feedback at all stages of the project. Feedback is valuable for improving the process and the participatory experience.
9. Follow-up and evaluation. When the project is finished, the project team should evaluate the project's implementation and success.

Participatory budgeting aims to build stronger, more inclusive and more accountable communities. It is an opportunity to directly influence how common funds are spent and to promote transparency and cooperation in decision-making. At Aalto, participatory budgeting has been used, for example, for projects to improve student wellbeing on the campus, with a budget of one euro per student. You can read more about the "One Euro for Every Student" participatory budgeting project below.