online organizing 101
DESCRIPTION
A presentation given at Camp Wellstone! in Seattle, WA during Summer 2009. A brief introduction to using online tools for 21st century advocacy.TRANSCRIPT
A Brief Introduction
to Online Organizing
by
Garlin Gilchrist II
Organizing As We *Knew* It
Paper and pen
Phones and spreadsheets
Reliance on press to generate energy and attention
Lost files, MIA volunteers, drive-by data collection
“Internet team” was stuck in a basement fixing printers
Big Changes in 2004
Political campaigns (i.e. Dean and
Kerry) and large nonprofits (i.e.
MoveOn, Greenpeace, etc.) made
better use of the web
General public more aware of the
internet (online shopping, online
banking, etc.)
Even Bigger Changes in 2008
Millions of dollars from
small-dollar donors
Creativity in fundraising,
mobile outreach, and
communications
Integration of online
organizing into every
corner of a campaign
What Does it Cost to
Not Participate?
Who could you be
engaging?
Who are you
currently missing?
Online Organizing...Now
Integrated into all corners
Complements and improves:
☐ Fundraising
☐ Communications
☐ Voter contact
☐ Field plans
☐ Volunteer programs/capacity
Must still have an offline connection
Organizing Fundraising
Web Presence
Communications
Message or Video
Credit: Larry Huynh, Blackrock Associates
Old Media Ecosystem
Message or Video
• Email supporters
• Blog outreach
• Live-blogging
• Online Google ads
• Social networking
Credit: Larry Huynh, Blackrock Associates
New Media Ecosystem
Message or Video
• Email supporters
• Blog outreach
• Live-blogging
• Online Google ads
• Social networking
Viral
Allies email their own
supporters
Blogs build more buzz & deepen story
Media increases coverage
Credit: Larry Huynh, Blackrock Associates
Results of New Media Ecosystem
Why do people respond to the web?
Story
Timeliness
Sense of urgency
Connect with others
Meaningful action
Website Basics
Clean and clear design
Guide users
Up-to-date, dynamic content
Highlight stories on site
Emphasize user experience
Put organization’s emphasis front and center
Test, test, test
Your Campaign site MUST have:
Email signup form
Big red donate button
Contact form
Bio
News & Events
Issue/policy statements
Press page
Email Basics
Make sure you have something to say
Keep an email calendar
Invest in a blast email tool
Create an inviting landing page for email visitors
Peer-to-peer viral tools
Focus on organic email list growth
Test, test, test
Online Fundraising Basics
Same principles as offline fundraising
Be creative
Make it simple
Be consistent with messaging
Be ready
Be secure
Organizational Culture
New media ecosystem means a new
organizational ecosystem
New organizing needs collaboration
IT staff are not online organizing staff
Be ready to show results – quantitative and
qualitative
So Where Do You Start?
Map out your current online presence
Take stock of your goals
What can you do, vs. what should you do?
What tools do you need vs. what tools do
you want?
Think about existing connections – national arm
of your org or local networking opportunities
Train staff vs. hire consultant?
If you hired someone, where would that
person fit into your organization?
Scour job banks for “norms” in salary and
responsibilities
Next Steps
o You are not Barack Obama.
o Most campaigns stop before starting
o Campaigns “go viral”0.01% of the time
o Be OK with failing
o Find parallels betweentraditional organizing andnew organizing
o Success is a slow slog –there is no silver bullet
Keep in mind before
starting:
What are you going to do tomorrow?
Contact Garlin:
(425) 244-5423
twitter.com/garlin
New Organizing Institute
www.neworganizing.com