Internal Use — Association Staff
Partner Activation Guide
How to Champion the Study
Everything your team needs to promote TalentMap’s State of Employee Listening in Canadian Municipalities – 2026 to your member municipalities — in 15 minutes or less.
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How to Promote This Study in 15 Minutes
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Review the campaign kit 2 minScan the provided folder. Assets include HTML emails, newsletter snippets, a social media kit, and a one-page participant overview. You won’t need all of them — pick what fits your channel mix.
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Send the Initial Announcement email 3 minUpload the short or long HTML file to your email platform. Replace
[Association Name]with your organization’s name. Choose a subject line from the options at the top of the file. Send or schedule to your member contact list.01_Initial_Announcement_Short.html / 02_Initial_Announcement_Long.html -
Insert the newsletter snippet into your next member newsletter 2 minOpen the short or long newsletter HTML file. Copy everything between the START COPY and END COPY comments and paste it into your newsletter builder’s HTML block. Update the section label placeholder to match your newsletter’s structure (Member Update / Research Spotlight / Partner News).Newsletter_Short.html / Newsletter_Long.html
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Attach or link the one-page overview 2 minOpen
OnePageOverview.htmlin Chrome or Safari. Print to PDF (File → Print → Save as PDF, margins: None, background graphics: on). Attach to your announcement email or upload it to your website resource library.OnePageOverview.html -
Post the LinkedIn Awareness caption 2 minOpen the social kit text file. Copy Post 1 (Awareness) and publish from your organization’s LinkedIn page. Add your province’s member city tags from the regional cluster suggestions in the kit.Social_Media_Kit.txt — Post 1
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Set two calendar reminders 1 min• Reminder email: Schedule for around April 24, 2026 (3 weeks before close)
• Last Call email: Schedule for May 8–9, 2026 (week of the deadline) -
Send the Reminder email 2 minSame upload process as the initial email. The reminder copy emphasizes momentum and the approaching deadline.03_Reminder_Short.html / 04_Reminder_Long.html
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Send the Last Call email 1 minDeploy the week of May 8. This is your final push — the copy is direct and urgency-focused.05_Last_Call_Short.html / 06_Last_Call_Long.html
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Suggested Promotional Cadence
| Timing | Action | Asset | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Now — ASAP | Send Initial Announcement email to member list | 01_Initial_Announcement_Short.html 02_Initial_Announcement_Long.html |
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| Next newsletter cycle | Insert newsletter snippet into member bulletin | Newsletter_Short.html Newsletter_Long.html |
Newsletter |
| Same week as email | Post LinkedIn Awareness caption; attach overview PDF to website | Social_Media_Kit.txt — Post 1 OnePageOverview.html |
LinkedIn / Web |
| ~April 24, 2026 | Send Reminder email; share LinkedIn Value caption | 03_Reminder_Short.html Social_Media_Kit.txt — Post 2 |
Email / LinkedIn |
| ~April 24, 2026 Urgent | Send Last Call email; post LinkedIn Urgency caption | 05_Last_Call_Short.html Social_Media_Kit.txt — Post 3 |
Email / LinkedIn |
| May 15, 2026 | Study closes — no further action required | — | — |
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Key Messages & Talking Points
Use these in forwarded emails, member calls, conference conversations, or when a colleague asks “what’s this study about?”
- ✓ First of its kind. This is the first national benchmark specifically measuring how Canadian municipalities listen to employees — there is no comparable dataset.
- ✓ Completely free. There is no cost to participate, no subscription, and no sales pitch attached. TalentMap’s goal is to build a national dataset for the public sector, not a sales pipeline.
- ✓ Fully anonymous. Individual municipal responses are never shared. Only aggregated national benchmarking data is published. No municipality is identified without explicit consent.
- ✓ Quick. The survey takes approximately 10–15 minutes for the person completing it on behalf of the municipality.
- ✓ Custom benchmarking report. Every participating municipality receives a detailed report comparing their organization directly to the national average — not just aggregate findings, but their own data in context. This data would cost thousands to commission independently.
- ✓ Additional return. Beyond the custom report, participants receive early access to the full 2026 State of Employee Listening Strategic Report and an invitation to a national findings session before public release.
- ✓ Momentum. 30+ municipalities are already contributing — including Halifax Regional Municipality, City of Kitchener, Region of Waterloo, Regional Municipality of York, Resort Municipality of Whistler, and more.
- ✓ Hard deadline. The study closes May 15, 2026 with no extensions. There is a finite window to be included in the national dataset.
- ✓ Right contact. HR leads, CAOs, and anyone responsible for employee listening or engagement programs at the municipal level should complete the survey.
“Employee listening done right sparks a ripple effect: engaged teams, stronger leadership, and better outcomes for the residents you serve.”
— TalentMap | Use freely in forwarded emails or member conversations
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Quick-Reference FAQ
Anticipated questions from member municipalities. Use these responses as-is or adapt for your voice.
Q Is this free?
Yes, completely. There is no cost to participate and no sales follow-up of any kind. TalentMap’s goal is to build a national public sector dataset.
Q Who sees our data?
Individual municipal responses are kept fully confidential. Only aggregated national benchmarking data is published. No municipality is identified in the report without explicit consent.
Q Is our data secure?
Yes. TalentMap uses a secure, purpose-built research platform for data collection. All responses are transmitted and stored securely, are never sold or shared with third parties, and are used exclusively for this research study. Individual responses are aggregated before any reporting — no single organization’s answers are identifiable in published findings. For platform-specific security details, direct inquiries to Sean Fitzpatrick.
Q How long does it take?
Approximately 10–15 minutes for the person completing the survey on behalf of the municipality.
Q Who should complete the survey?
Ideally an HR or People & Culture leader, CAO, or the person most directly responsible for employee listening and engagement programs at the municipal level.
Q What exactly do we receive?
Each participating municipality gets a custom benchmarking report comparing their organization directly to the national average — their own data, in context, not just a generic summary. Plus: early access to the full 2026 Strategic Report and a seat at the national findings session.
Q Will TalentMap contact us after?
Participants receive their custom benchmarking report and an invitation to the findings session. There is no unsolicited sales contact — this is a firm commitment.
Q When do we get the results?
The 2026 State of Employee Listening Strategic Report will be released in Summer 2026. Participants receive early access before the public release.
Q What if we’re unsure who should complete it?
Direct them to Sean Fitzpatrick at TalentMap — he can help identify the right contact and answer any questions before they register.
Q Can we miss the May 15, 2026 deadline?
The study closes May 15, 2026 with no extensions. Municipalities that miss the deadline will not be included in the national benchmarking dataset or the 2026 report.
Q Can we share with multiple contacts?
Yes — encourage it. Forwarding the one-page overview and the registration link to multiple contacts per municipality is welcome.
Q Is TalentMap credible?
TalentMap has 20 years of employee listening expertise in the Canadian public sector and has worked with municipalities, provinces, and federal agencies across Canada.
Research Lead & Point of Contact
Sean Fitzpatrick
CEO & Research Practice Lead, TalentMap
sfitzpatrick@talentmap.com
Study Registration & Information
talentmap.com/employee-listening-in-canadian-municipalities-2026/