Online Advocacy: Using the Internet to Communicate with Your Constituents

www.npower.org

Session Overview

• What IS e-advocacy?• Components of an e-advocacy program• Tools to consider• Getting started

Jargon busting

Alphabet (or Acronym) Soup:ASPCRMCMSBCCHTML, URL

Also:SPAMAction-alerts

Are there others you have in mind?

What is Advocacy?

(Official)ad·vo·ca·cy – n. The act of pleading or arguing in favor of

something, such as a cause, idea, or policy; active support.(Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Ed © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company)

(Strict)ad·vo·ca·cy – n. The ability of an organization to facilitate

communication between citizens and decision makers (Source: “Using Online Advoacy” available at www.groundspring.org)

(Loose)ad·vo·ca·cy – n. Comprehensive efforts to grow membership,

engage potential supporters, cultivate relationships, build communities, raise awareness, and mobilize constituencies around a cause. (Source: “Using Online Advoacy” available at www.groundspring.org)

What is Advocacy?

What does advocacy mean to YOU?

What offline advocacy do you already do?

What is Advocacy?

Catch phrases for Advocacy:

What is E-Advocacy?

• Faxes• Websites (CMS)• Email• eNewsletters• Listservs• Weblogs (‘blogs)

• RSS (content syndication)• Online forms/surveys• Integrated databases• Online donations• Others?

Technology changes the landscape of advocacy:

Which of these tools are you already using?

What is E-Advocacy?

What are the benefits of e-advocacy?

Reach more people at less cost Grow your support or member base Fast… Opportunistic High response rate Cultivate relationships (& potential donors) Raises awareness

First things first…

What do you want to accomplish with e-advocacy?

What are your expected outcomes?

What impact would you like to have?

Possible outcomes of e-Advocacy

Impact policies, laws and decisionsRaise awareness about your issue (outreach &

education)Grow your member base (i.e. email list)Catalyze actionRaise moneyRecruit help or boost involvement (i.e. at an event)Build community

WHICH 2 OR 3 OF THE OUTCOMES RESONATE THE MOST FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION?

What activities do you want to do?

Possible e-advocacy activities:Send email, enewsletter, or action alertsSurvey constituentsFoster petitionsPost information on the webWrite newsConnect citizens and lawmakers (through letter-

writing, emailing or faxing)Send E-cards or “tell-a-friend”Collect donations

Goals impact Tools

Your goals & activities for e-advocacy will help determine what tools you choose.

Regardless, there are 3 core elements to any online advocacy strategy…

Components of e-advocacy

3 core pieces you need to launch an e-advocacy strategy:

1) Constituent emails & a way to organize them

2) A current, content-rich & engaging website

3) An effective email messaging strategy

Step 1: Collect email addresses

• Collect email addresses at every turn• Combine & clean up existing lists• Maintain them in database and respect privacy• Keep your list current & clean

Step 1: Collect email addresses

Where/How can you collect email address?

Step 2: Have an engaging website

Your website should:

Attract

Engage

Retain

Renew

Static brochure-ware won’t cut it anymore…

(Easter Seals Activity)

Step 2: Have an engaging website

Consider:Who is your target website audience?How are you driving them to your site?What content can you change frequently?What opportunities are you giving participant to

engage on your site?Why would they come back?

Step 2: Have an engaging website

Tips:Reuse offline content onlineUse shortcuts: share content, newsfeeds, ask for

help from your stakeholdersMonitor & adjust based on your web statsCollect email addresses on your sitePlan for a symbiotic relationship between your

website and your email messaging

It’s important, so I’m saying it again:

Your website and email messaging should have a symbiotic relationship.

Step 3: Email Messaging

Distribution listsGroups or listservsE-newslettersAction alerts & Issue advocacy

Step 3: Email Messaging

What are the benefits to email messaging (i.e. e-newsletters or action alerts?)

Fast & cheapProfessional & compellingHigh response ratePersonal (and invited) “word of mouse” marketing

Step 3: Email Messaging

Tips to start:• Decide on frequency of contact• Get permission: Use double opt-in approach• Clear privacy policy• Use an ASP to help• Be prepared to respond!

Step 3: Email Messaging

Tips for writing:• One action, One idea• Be succinct, use hyperlinks to your site for more• Clear contact information• Legitimate “from” address• Truthful subject line• Always give an opt-out option• Test every message first – internally, and

maybe externally

Step 3: Email Messaging

Tips for maintenance:• Monitor & adjust based on statistics• Honor unsubscribe requests• Segment lists & personalize messages

How Technology Can Help

THE GOOD NEWS:

The number of tools to help you do all forms of online advocacy is increasing…

THE BAD NEWS:

The number of tools to help you do all forms of online advocacy is increasing…

The tools range from free & simple to expensive & robust.

Benefits of using an ASP

• Compared to building & hosting in-house, can be cost-effective

• Helps you better track & analyze your results• Makes process simpler for constituent• Requires less in-house tech staff for you• Help with email management (I.e. bounces)• More integrated approach• Easy to create & launch effective & professional

campaigns quickly

Evaluating ASP’s

Things to consider for yourself:• Are we thinking about our long-term goals?• Do we have (or will we create) the staff time & energy to

do this?• Are we willing to train our staff?• Are our constituents online?• Do we have high-quality data? (more important than

quantity)• Have we budgeted (time & money) to plan & execute

these efforts?

If YES, then proceed. If NO – hold up!

Evaluating ASP’s

Questions to ask them:How long have you been in business?How many nonprofits do you work with?What are their results/impact?Access to customer service?24/7 access to data?Contracts/length of commitmentNext steps in developmentDo they have the functionality you need?How will they train your staff to use it?Upfront & ongoing costs

For more tools

Nonprofit Matrix – www.nonprofit.matrix.com

TechSoup Stock – www.techsoup.org/stock

Compasspoint’s guide to ASP’s – www.compasspoint.org/enonprofit

Refer to your handouts for more tools…

Getting Started

Let’s take a few minutes to get you thinking about your own online advocacy strategies…

Tips for success

Start small; pace yourself

Scale your initial investment & commitment

Quality over quantity

Be creative & opportunistic

Leave time to do research, explore tools

Make your website & messaging symbiotic

Integrate multiple strategies, including offline

Analyze your results & make adjustments

NPower ~ Putting technology know-how in the hands of Non-Profits

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