Amy Sample Ward’s Version of NPTech

Today we had a great opportunity to hear from Jeanette Russell of DemocracyInAction.org for our monthly brown bag event. Here are some of the take-aways I quickly jotted down about online advocacy.

- DIA is a one stop shop for communication needs with a 360 view of donors, volunteers, etc. (salesforce-esque)

- You can sign up for a webinar to learn more, sign up on the website

- Tools are only as good as your strategy
1. know the goals: influence decision makers, grow the base or engage supporters, fundraising - “what ARE your objectives?”

2. be timely and relevant TO SUPPORTERS whenever possible. combine things with the news or on everyone’s minds

3. integrate with offline activities

- online petitions are also about growing your list and not only about influencing legislation

- momsrising.org is a star member group, in 18 months they grew their list to 140,000 members but have smart strategies. have an appealing message to a large audience. considering engagement of members (strangers, friends, donors), working mothers so they don’t have time so MR had to figure out alternative ways to get involved.

- decision makers are getting more emails but groups are getting better with their strategies (integrating on and offline).

- keep emails simple because people forward more often than use the tell a friend link

- action alerts should stay simple - give only one thing to do and multiple references to the same thing and how to do it

- leadership ladder
turn strangers into friends->
friends into activists->
activisits into donors!

- fundraising - keep it personal. give specific ask amount and time deadline, espeically tied to a project

- tie fundraising to an event (can’t come? give money!)

- tracking=listening; send out test messages to small groups and adapting to successes/failures from the test