metrics
- 1,750
- homes across multiple sites
- 225
- affordable homes in Site A
- 850+
- community responses
With NationBuilder, the team launched their first centralized system for engaging residents, transforming how they consult the public on housing developments, and setting a new standard for civic participation in local government.
The cost of working with scattered systems
Before 2024, the Church Street team had no unified system for managing community relationships or tracking resident participation. Each redevelopment project relied on siloed data and inconsistent tools. “Excel is great for many things, but it’s not a CRM.”
That approach wasn’t sustainable for projects that would shape the lives of hundreds of Westminster residents for decades to come.
“There are parts of Westminster where life expectancy changes by 20 years in just a few miles. That’s the kind of inequality we’re trying to address with better engagement.”
Paul Hutchinson Simpson, Communications and Engagement for the regeneration of Church Street
As the council prepared for the next phase of its multi-decade regeneration plan, including 1,750 new high-quality homes, a new library, improved public spaces, and community health and wellbeing services, the team needed a better way to listen to residents and act on what they heard.
To do this, they needed to scale and track outreach at the Regeneration Space at 56 Church Street, a dedicated public hub offering face-to-face conversations, employment support, and regular events that serve as touchpoints for resident participation.
The solution: NationBuilder + FormJoy + FieldEdge power smarter, faster consultation
In December 2024, Westminster implemented NationBuilder as its first CRM platform, integrated with FormJoy, a tool for optimising NationBuilder surveys to field and receive responses, and FieldEdge, a mobile app for organizing and canvassing built to supplement NationBuilder. The team also used Bitly links to track response rates across digital campaigns.
Paul Simpson, with experience at Lambeth Council, knew exactly what to look for in a tool:
“NationBuilder was the obvious choice. It’s affordable for the public sector, easy to use, and brings all the tools together in one system. It gave us exactly what we needed.”
Using this new system, the team launched the Church Street Check-in, a multi-channel survey campaign that offered residents a way to weigh in on early-stage development plans and future services. To drive participation, the team used targeted digital outreach and even offered £20 vouchers for every 50 responses received, a modest but effective incentive to help boost response rates.
Real-time data fuels rapid pivots and smarter spending
What made the Check-in project different wasn’t just the volume of responses, it was how quickly the team could act on them. When email engagement started slowly, NationBuilder gave them real-time insights into what was working and what wasn’t. That allowed them to shift their strategy on the fly.
“My email kept going ‘ding ding ding’ with survey responses. It showed us exactly what was working. So we did more of that.”
Instead of spending their budget on additional mailings, the team redirected efforts toward community events, market pop-ups, and door-knocking, meeting residents where they were already gathering. From coffee mornings and exhibitions to on-site pop-ups, every interaction was tracked and informed by CRM data.
This agility made every pound count, essential for a public body balancing community engagement with a tight housing budget.
Smarter outreach, stronger participation
Using NationBuilder’s integration with FieldEdge, the team filtered their outreach lists to focus only on residents who hadn’t yet responded, reducing duplication and maximizing efficiency.
“We weren’t knocking on every door. We were focused on the people we hadn’t heard from yet. That let us concentrate our efforts where it mattered most.”
By combining CRM targeting with real-world engagement, the team was able to activate over 850 residents in just five months, moving from implementation to full operation much faster than expected.
Beyond the numbers: building trust through feedback
The CRM didn’t just help Westminster gather feedback, it helped them earn trust. For the first time, the team could base their engagement plans on data rather than assumptions, moving confidently into the next phase of development.
“We’re no longer working on hunches. Everything we’re doing now is shaped by what people actually told us.”
The Church Street Check-in followed a 2022 residents’ ballot with a 56% turnout, where over 73% voted in favor of redevelopment. Together, these milestones reflect a maturing culture of consultation, one where residents play an active role in shaping what gets built and when.
As Westminster moves forward with Site A, which will include 450 new homes, 50% of which are affordable for lower-income residents, they’re using what they’ve learned from Check-in to guide ongoing outreach. With construction starting in 2025 and expected completion by 2030, CRM tools like NationBuilder are essential to keeping community relationships strong over time.
A cost-effective solution built for public sector impact
For Westminster, investing in engagement means more than managing communications, it’s about ensuring the community is represented at every stage of planning. NationBuilder’s all-in-one platform proved to be a powerful and cost-effective solution compared to more fragmented systems.
From linking survey responses to in-person conversations, to tracking engagement across pop-ups and employment fairs, the Church Street team now has a unified strategy for inclusive consultation.
What’s next: scaling impact across multiple sites
Westminster City Council is now applying its CRM-powered approach to additional projects, including Sites B and C, which could deliver up to 750 more homes. With three concurrent initiatives already running in NationBuilder and more on the way, the team is exploring Groups functionality to coordinate engagement across departments.
FieldEdge continues to power their door-to-door efforts, while resident insights captured through NationBuilder + FormJoy help them design each new phase of outreach based on real input, not guesswork.
“If we didn’t have [the new] system and the feedback loop that came with it, we simply wouldn’t have been able to adapt or succeed the way we have.”
About Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council serves one of London’s most complex boroughs, encompassing both world-famous landmarks and some of the city’s most underserved neighborhoods. The Church Street regeneration project is a multi-year initiative to deliver affordable housing, public infrastructure, and social opportunity, while maintaining meaningful community input at every stage.
Challenges and results
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The challenge
- Limited CRM infrastructure, no way to track or scale engagement
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The solution
- NationBuilder + FieldEdge + FormJoy, Community listening
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The results
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73%
voted in favor of building affordable housing -
450 new homes
and counting
Ready to modernize your approach to community engagement?
Learn more about the Church Street Regeneration project. And when you're ready, discover how NationBuilder can help your organization build stronger relationships, surface real insights, and make every outreach effort count. Reach out for more info.
