Leveraging Tech for Successful Advocacy Grassroots

Leveraging Technology for
Successful Advocacy
Sean Gannon
Senior Manager, Education Sector
GetActive Software

Mike Dean
Tipping Point Strategies

© 2005. GetActive Software. All rights reserved Proprietary and Confidential 11/13/07 page 1

Why Grassroots Advocacy is
Important

Educates and empowers major constituents
Creates a balanced approach
Grassroots pressure is noticed and effective


Educate and empower major
constituents

University Constituents: Alumni, faculty, staff,
students, parents, and community members
Universities have a natural base of supporters that
are underutilized
Invest in your constituents


A Balanced Approach

The three legs of Advocacy
Lobbying
Media
Grassroots


Grassroots Pressure is noticed

Influence of Individual Communication

100%
90%
80%
% of respondents

70%
60% A lot of influence
50% some influence
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Postal letters E-mail messages

Source - Communicating with Congress, Congressional Management Foundation


Everyone else is doing it
Business Trade Associations

Special Interest Groups


Growing Power of the Internet

52% of internet users, or about 63 million people, said
they went online to get news or information about the
2004 elections. We call them online political news
consumers.

35% of internet users, or about 43 million people, said
they used email to discuss politics, and one of the most
popular email subjects was
jokes about the candidates and the election.

11% of internet users, or more than 13 million people,
went online to engage directly in campaign activities
such as donating money, volunteering, or learning
about political events to attend.

Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project


Effective Advocacy
revolves around the web

It is where people go to get information
Easy to participate
More engaging
Proven that it works


How Technology Makes it Easy

Improves the speed and efficiency that
you can get information out
Your messages can spread to a wider
audience
Save time and money
Advocates expect it
Can evaluate and target impact


A Case Study of a
University client

Went from 3,000 advocates to 15,000
advocates in less than one year
Organized over 150 face to face meetings
between legislators and constituents
Registered over 3,500 people to vote


University client
Case Study Results

Increased base budget funding by
$106 million
Received 86% of request
Received 134 million for capital
request
Moved Football Stadium project
from last to first in state’s priority
list


5 Best Practices in Online
Advocacy

Personalize

Be Timely

Create a Theme

Engage the Advocates

Create a Balanced Approach



1. Personalize
Send your message
from an individual,
not from an
organization
Address the person
by name
Include personal
data and legislator
contact information
in the body of the
email
Sign the message
with your name and
organization


Letter Carousel
“Personalized or individualized messages to Congress have more influence on
the decision-making process of Members of Congress than do identical form
messages.” – Communicating with Congress, Congressional Management Foundation report, 2005

Using letter carousel,
universities increase
the uniqueness of
each communication
Provide constituents
with several options
for including
personal content in
their letters


Establish Regular, Personal
Interactions


Plan Your Year:
Create a Marketing Schedule
JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC.

1 1 1 2 1
Action
Alerts

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
e-News

1 1
Petitions

1 1 1 1
Tell-a-
friend


Pyramid of Engagement
Alumni/Advocate
University
eNewsletters Receiving eNews
Action Alerts Visiting Advocacy website
Interactive/Informative Learning about issues
Advocacy website
Petitions

Tier 4

Tier 3

Tier 2

Tier 1


University Alumni/Advocate
Targeted and Visiting advocacy website
personalized emails with purpose
based on Writing letter to legislator
participation,
Letting their voice be
legislative district,
heard
etc.
Additional
Tier 4
information about
possible events for
advocates to
Tier 3
participate in

Tier 2

Tier 1


Continued targeted Continued Advocacy on
and personalized University’s behalf
emails based on
Event participation
participation,
Calling a legislator
legislative district,
Very engaged advocate at
etc.
this point
Asking advocates to
Tier 4
join you for a
legislative event
Asking them to place
Tier 3
a call on the
university’s behalf

Tier 2

Tier 1


Continued targeted Continued Advocacy on
and personalized University’s behalf
emails based on
Further Event
participation,
participation
legislative district, etc.
Calling a legislator
Hosting events and
Visiting with a legislator
going on trips to the
Advocate feels that they
Tier 4
capital
are making a difference in
Sending advocates on
the University’s efforts
missions; e.g., meet
Tier 3
with Senator
Kennedy and discuss
this issue
Tier 2

Tier 1


Establish Regular, Personal Interactions

June-Sept 2003
8,000 140,000

120,000

6,000
100,000
New Members by Day

Total New Members
80,000

4,000

60,000

40,000
2,000

20,000

0 0
6/1/2003 6/15/2003 6/29/2003 7/13/2003 7/27/2003 8/10/2003 8/24/2003 9/7/2003 9/21/2003

New Members by Day Email message sent Total New Members


2. Be Timely


3. Create a Theme
UMN’s Successful
“Bring Gopher
Football Back to
Campus” Campaign
Victory!!

Sample
emails from
their 3 year
campaign

4. Engage the Advocates


5. Create A Balanced approach


The Future is Now

Americans spend more time on the
Internet than any other activity
Number of hours Americans spend on these media activities:
3.6 – Internet, 2.5 - TV, 1.3 – Radio, 1.3 - Telephone

OMD, a New York based media services company, November 2006

An increasing number of people now
believe that the web can give them more
political power;
USC Annenberg School, December 2005


Recruit, Engage, Retain™

Online Communications Solutions
that Strengthen Relationships
with Alumni, Parents, and Friends


Leveraging Tech for Successful Advocacy Grassroots

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