Online Organizing 101

What We’ll Cover

• Who’s Online?• Why People Respond• What the Internet Can Do• Internal Organization• Online Tools• Track & Engage

Who’s Online?

Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project April 2009 Survey

Why People Respond

• Engaging them where they spend a large amount of time

• Tapping into what they’re already interested in

• Connecting with them visually through video and pictures

• Timeliness and sense of urgency

• Meaningful action

What the Internet Can Do

Online organizing allows you to:

• Scale your actions• Connect with people you couldn’t

possibly visit in person• Articulate a clear theory of

change in a transparent way• Empower supporters to take

action in their own communities• Engage new audiences

from http://www.cheswick.com/ches/map/

Online Organizing

• Should be integrated into every corner of your org

• Complements and improves:– Fundraising– Communications– Field plans– Volunteer program

• Must have an offline connection

Field/Organizing Communications

Fundraising

OnlinePresence

Internal Organization

• Who has responsibility for new media initiatives?

• How much time do they have?

• How can you coordinate with other departments in your organization?

• How can you develop an event calendar & organize around milestones and key dates?

• Who can be an internal ally in this work?

Online Tools

1. Website2. Email3. Online Fundraising4. Blogs5. Social Networking Sites6. Video7. Metrics

1. Website

• Email signup form• Organized navigation & content• Clean design – don’t mumble!• Pictures & photos• Sharability• Bio/About/Issues section• Call to action buttons (e.g., donate, volunteer)• Promote presence on social networking sites

Home Page Example

Issue Page Example

2. Email

• From line (voice of the org)• Subject line (engaging and action-oriented)• Clean design – don’t mumble!• Content

– Short paragraphs with a link– Conversational– One “ask”

• Frequency• Landing Page• Email calendar

Email Examples

3. Online Fundraising

• Empower supporters and provide a way for them to take action

• Set goals and deadlines

• Use personal stories whenever possible

• Be transparent (explain where the money will go)

• Make it as easy as possible for supporters to donate

Donation Page Example

The form is on one page. It’s not a multiple step process.

4. Blogs

• Articles that contain news and commentary and that might include video and pictures

• Don’t just recite/re-post a press release

• Be engaging and exciting; give readers a reason to return

• Utilize free blog software

• Connect with other bloggers – don’t blog in a silo

Blog Examples

5. Social Networking Sites

• Emphasize two-way communication and collaboration

• Take advantage of the networks of your supporters – exponential expansion

• Let people know how they can get involved

• Be super-responsive to questions that are posted

• Select which social network(s) make the most sense

Facebook Example

Twitter Example

Social Networking Examples

There are a lot social networking sites out there!

6. Using Video

• Has emotional bandwidth and immense capacity for storytelling

• “Going viral” is like becoming famous – no one has control over it and it’s usually the result of really hard work

• Focus on content and message

• Understand the process of making a quality video and plan accordingly (pre-production, production, post-production)

• Utilize free video hosting sites

Video Example: Fidelity

• Created by Courage Campaign

• Inexpensive production cost. Photos of supporters holding similar sign (built a campaign asking for photos). Set to music of Regina Spektor (used with her permission).

http://www.youtube.com/v/b-awVQkTeVE

7. Metrics

• Monitor your initiatives and track the progress against your goals

• Learn from your successes and failures

• Listen to feedback

• Try new things

TubeMogul

Google Analytics

7. Metrics

Some metrics to follow:

• Website: visits, unique visitors, page views, search words

• Email: open rate, click-thru rate• Fundraising: avg. donation, number of

donations• Blog: trackbacks• Social network sites: number of members/new

names, video/photo views, wall comments• Video: views, comments

Example: 350.org Day of Action

350.org: Action Resources for Offline Ask

350.org: Video

Watch the video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5kg1oOq9tY

350.org: Social Networks

350.org: Email

Contact Info

New Organizing Institute(202) 558-5585info@neworganizing.comwww.neworganizing.comwww.twitter.com/neworganizing