You’ve seen them: the nonprofit advocacy organizations who turn out 2,000 people to a rally, generate hundreds of calls to legislators in a few hours, cram a Board of Education meeting, mobilize members to send thousands of emails to decision-makers, and organize scores of volunteers for a community action.
How do these highly effective organizations create such political power? In my state of Connecticut, the organizations who are doing it well use savvy technology and media outreach.
How can you enjoy similar successes?
1. Build your e-list. This is no less than the First Commandment of Community Organizing. Unless you are consistently growing a list of supporters with their contact information AND using reliable a e-mail system to allow you to reach your supporters quickly, you are wasting your time.
Building a solid list is a combination of old-fashioned grassroots organizing (signing up new supporters in crowds everywhere from county fairs to church functions) and e-organizing. The latter includes numerous strategies such as enabling the “Tell-A-Friend” function on all e-mail blasts, promoting your e-list sign-up on your social networking sites and e-newsletters, asking your coalition partners to promote your list, and creating website/email campaigns such as the ones that encourage folks to sign up (name, email) to “take a pledge.” Examples include the National Wildlife Federation and the Good Egg Project. Creating a document of value and making it downloadable from your website –in exchange for contact information–is also effective.
2. Use software that allows for online actions: Software that allows you to create action alerts to enable your supporters to easily contact their legislators is essential. The best systems are “turnkey”—you provide a pre-formatted email and one simply has to click “send” to contact their legislator. Democracy in Action, Convio, and Blackbaud’s Sphere (formerly Kintera) are some of the leading products in this arena.
3. Patch-through calls are effective paid media tools. Don’t forget the power of lots of phone calls–lighting up switchboards at the Capitol still gets the attention of decision-makers, and advocacy groups can generate hundreds or thousands of calls to legislators by contracting with a company that will generate “patch-through calls” from supporters.
Typically, a live person (from a communications firm such as Spoken Hub ) calls your list of supporters, briefly explains a piece of legislation to each person, and asks you if they would like to be “patched through” to a legislator’s office to express opposition or support of the legislation. Of course, you would not patch through the folks who were not agreeable. 
The services are less expensive than you’d think (typically between $1.50 and $3.50 per patched-through call), but costs depend on the size and quality of your list, and the length of campaign.
4. Use social networking sites for sharing information, volunteer recruitment and to turn out supporters quickly: So much has been written about the power of Facebook and Twitter for recruiting supporters and volunteers that I won’t repeat it here. In sum: yes, your organization should have a Facebook fan page, and Twitter is an excellent way to connect with supporters with very frequent updates as events are happening.
Two case examples: Join the Impact organized 300 international protests of Proposition 8 on November 15th, 2008, largely through social networking (over 1,000 people signed up through Twitter within the first 24 hours of their online campaign). And another: the California State Parks Foundation‘s hugely successful Facebook Campaign helped keep spare some state parks from being closed due to budget cuts.
5. Mobile text messages are a powerful way to turn your supporters into advocates: In a previous post, I highlighted several nonprofits (NARAL Pro-Choice America, Reform for Immigration in America) who are early adopters of using mobile text messages to their supporters as an advocacy tool. Mobile is the future, and the future is here. As you are building your lists of supporters, ensure that you are collecting mobile phone numbers, and asking folks to opt-in for future mobile text messages from your organization. (It’s a good idea to start building those mobile lists now, even if you don’t plan on a mobile texting campaign for awhile.)
You think this sounds too expensive? Think again: check out Nonprofit Tech 2.0′s terrific post: How to Launch a Group Text Messaging Campaign for Your Nonprofit for Free
6. Consistent outreach to local media outlets enhances coverage of your advocacy activities: Maintain current lists of local media contacts, and send well-written press advisories and press releases regularly. Cultivate relationships with local reporters and follow them on Twitter. Organize small groups of volunteers and board members to write letters to the editor to the local press on your issues. Keep a steady drumbeat of media outreach, and the press will recognize you as the “go-to” expert on issues important to you and provide free media for your advocacy efforts.
7. Be mindful of the legitimate lobbying activities that charitable organizations can engage in—contact the Alliance for Justice. Tape their phone number (866-NPLOBBY) on your hand, your computer, your forehead, and call them anytime you need advice on the activities you can legally engage in as a 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), or political action committee. The Alliance has a fabulous team of lawyers, and one will usually call you back within 24 hours, and advise you on all the ins and outs of the legal limits of advocacy work.
In my view, most nonprofit organization are not nearly taking advantage of the kinds of perfectly legal advocacy actions at their disposal. Alliance for Justice has fantastic fact sheets guiding nonprofits through lobbying, advocacy, and election activities and remind charitable organizations that lobbying activities are “legitimate, encouraged, and protected.” Don’t miss the opportunities.
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Photo Credits
1. Citizen Action of New York, 20091020- New York City, President Obama Visit Health Care Rally via Flikr, October 21, 2009, Creative Commons license Share Alike 2.0 Generic
2. AFL-CIO, Ohio: OAEPSE Members Phone Bank via Flikr, August 13, 2008, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license
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Carol Buckheit is among the most intelligent, creative thinking, and classy women I know. No matter what the situation, Carol offers sound and informed input from all angles. I have found that there is no substitute for having that kind of reliable judgement and input behind you, when trying to get others to understand and support your cause. Thank you Carol!