Lessons Learned from Recent Issue Campaigns
In our continued efforts to bring you the voices of some other great professionals with whom we often partner, this week’s 3 Things are brought to you by Lindsay Hanson of Grassroots Solutions:
Compelling personal stories put a human face on complex or abstract issues. The success of some recent issue advocacy campaigns, including an effort to pass a comprehensive clean indoor air law in Kansas and a campaign to protect a program that reimburses hospitals for the care provided to the poorest Minnesotans, spotlight the important role that grassroots participation can play in influencing public policy.
Upon closer inspection, these winning issue advocacy campaigns shared common characteristics and offer up an opportunity to review some important lessons for grassroots success:
1. Use “Old” Technology in Unexpected Ways (otherwise known as a story about phones!): We get excited about experimenting with new tools for grassroots advocacy and organizing, but let’s not forget about using tried and true methods in new ways! In recent issue advocacy campaigns in various states, phones have be used creatively (e.g., decentralized volunteer phone banks and capturing messages from constituents) to influence elected officials, increase public support and awareness, and generate earned media.
For example, an innovative phone program helped the Clean Air Kansas campaign to rapidly identify supporters in key legislative districts and capture recorded messages from constituents. Through the phone program, more than 11,000 supporters of a statewide clean indoor air policy were identified, and nearly 3,000 constituent messages were recorded via phone, burned onto CDs, and sent to elected officials. The CDs allowed elected officials to hear directly from smoke-free supporters living in their districts, and gave them an important perspective on the scope and depth of support for a comprehensive smoke-free policy in their state. In certain districts, messages from constituents were also shared with media outlets, which generated coverage of the Clean Air Kansas campaign and its unique phone program.
2. Integrate Online and Offline Calls to Action: Remember, even those who are very supportive of your issue still have a number of other causes competing for their attention. The more you can reach people through various means, the more likely they will be to take action. Recent success in Minnesota demonstrated the effectiveness of, for example, layered outreach through email alerts, social media, and calls from decentralized volunteer phone banks to increase supporters’ actions.
3. Cultivate Leadership: Identify rising stars among your issue campaign’s supporters and nurture their efforts. Be transparent and share expertise, knowledge, and strategic thinking. This requires time and a willingness to relinquish some control to your volunteers, but the trade-offs of empowering more people to assume more leadership within your issue campaign far outweigh the risks. Not to mention, the lack of opportunities to grow skills, connect with others, or provide input on the campaign’s direction are all surefire ways to diminish supporters’ interest in your effort.
Lindsay Hanson is a senior consultant at Grassroots Solutions, a national consulting firm that specializes in the areas of grassroots organizing, strategy, training, and evaluation.