Participatory Methods

Community Auction

Community Auction

The Community Auction is a participatory activity where different projects or proposals “bid” for symbolic resources allocated by a group of participants acting as investors. This activity encourages critical analysis, negotiation, and prioritization, allowing participants to evaluate proposals based on their impact, relevance, and feasibility.

Preparation

  1. Define the purpose:
    • Clarify the objective of the auction, such as prioritizing projects, distributing resources, or fostering critical debate about community needs.
  2. Prepare the proposals:
    • Ask participants in advance to develop clear and concrete proposals, including information such as:
      • Project description.
      • Objective.
      • Expected impact.
      • Required resources.
  3. Symbolic resources:
    • Define the total amount of “symbolic money” to be distributed among the investors (this could be play money, tokens, or points).
    • Distribute the resources evenly among participants.
  4. Design the auction:
    • Create a list of proposals to be auctioned and set a time limit for each round.
    • Prepare a space where teams can present their proposals and investors can “bid.”
  5. Necessary materials:
    • Symbolic money, tokens, or point markers.
    • Board or whiteboard to record bids.
    • Templates to describe each proposal.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Introduce the purpose
    • Explain the objective of the activity: evaluating and prioritizing projects through a participatory auction.
    • Clarify that symbolic money represents available resources and must be distributed strategically.
  2. Presentation of proposals
    • Each team presents their project to the group, highlighting:
      • The problem it addresses.
      • The impact it seeks to generate.
      • Why it deserves to receive resources.
    • Limit presentations to 3-5 minutes per proposal.
  3. Start the auction
    • One by one, projects are presented for bidding.
    • Participants (investors) decide how much of their symbolic money they want to “bet” on each proposal.
    • Bids are recorded on a board or whiteboard.
  4. Negotiation and strategy
    • Allow participants to justify their bids and, if necessary, negotiate with other investors to adjust their contributions.
    • This fosters discussion about priorities and impact.
  5. Closing the auction
    • Once all rounds are completed, review the results:
      • Which projects received the most resources?
      • What patterns emerged in the group’s decisions?
  6. Analysis and feedback
    • Reflect collectively on the auction process:
      • What factors influenced investment decisions?
      • What key learnings emerged?
    • Discuss how the results can guide real resource allocation or project development.

Examples of symbolic resources for the auction

  1. Play money (toy bills).
  2. Colored tokens.
  3. Points on a whiteboard.
  4. Digital credits on online platforms.
  5. Printed tokens customized with project themes.
Recommendations
  • Define clear criteria: Ensure participants understand the evaluation categories.
  • Encourage active participation: Motivate all participants to justify their investment decisions.
  • Facilitate discussion: Moderate debates to keep the focus on the activity’s objectives.
  • Document the results: Keep records of bids and decisions for future reference.
Materials
  • Symbolic money, tokens, or chips.
  • Board or whiteboard to record bids.
  • Templates to describe proposals.
  • Timer or clock to manage presentation times.
Online platforms
Purpose
The purpose of the Community Auction is to foster critical analysis and participatory decision-making by allocating symbolic resources to the projects the group considers most relevant and viable, while also generating insights on negotiation and prioritization.
Type of activity
Participatory BudgetingParticipatory DesignParticipatory Planning
Level of participation
Collaboration, Shared decision-making, Exchange of perspectives
Target audience
Community leaders, NGOs and social collectives, Business teams, Government
Fields of application
Community development, Organizational and business management, Urban and rural planning, Health and social well-being, Art, culture, and creativity, Sustainability and environment, Public policies and governance, Innovation and design, Citizen and social participation
Estimated duration
From 90 to 120 minutes, depending on the number of proposals and participants.
Ideal number of participants
From 12 to 30 people, organized into small teams or working individually.
Topics related to this activity
Active ParticipationCollaborative Decision-MakingCollective EvaluationParticipatory BudgetsParticipatory InnovationResource PrioritizationStrategic Reflection
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