A quick rundown of updates we've made recently
| grasstops | New reports & layout of Key Contacts homepage |
| organizations | New merge functionality |
| Add emoji to email subject line & contents | |
| advocacy | Even more merge fields available in messaging |
As quarantine wears on, associations need to be wary of advocate fatigue. Specifically “going back to the well” without providing context is an easy way to lose even the most ardent advocates. This week, AHD is lucky enough to be joined by Reshma Mehta, Director of Grassroots Advocacy with AARP. We’ll dive in to how one of the nation’s largest organizations is pivoting during this unprecedented time and putting everything on the table. Old is new and nothing should be off the table as you look to engage your stakeholders in the coming days and weeks.
View on YoutubeContinually updated from a post from Election 2014.
Election 2020 is in full-swing. Yes, as of writing, we’re all still living under quarantine. Yes, the election is still months off and it’s still unclear how campaigning, no less voting, will take shape.
That said, the question your organization should be asking itself isn’t “should we engage?” but “how do we engage effectively to motivate our stakeholders to participate?”
What if you could provide a hub for your community to make it easy for them find out the information they need to make their voices heard on election day? A branded site that had details like how to register to vote or how to vote by mail, who’s running for office in each district and key dates for primaries and the general election.
It’s easy to get started with SparkGOTV.
Read More →Another week in quarantine, another week joined by an expert in the PAC & Advocacy space. This week we’re joined by Amie Adams, President of Dunn Associates. A 20+ year veteran of working with associations, non-profits, PACs & more, Amie walks us through what organizations need to do right now to connect with their advocates / contributors. We’ve talked before about how now is not the time for the traditional. Instead, think about your organization’s purpose, promise and value. Can your advocates quickly pinpoint what you offer? If not, it’s time to get your message out.
View on YoutubeNow is NOT the time to do the traditional. In this week’s special episode of AHD, we sit down with Tommy Goodwin, Head of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs at the Project Management Institute (PMI) to discuss how associations can lead in this time of change. Leveraging his background in lobbying and the work that the PMI is doing in supporting logistics to the pandemic response, Tommy walks us through how advocacy professionals need to adjust workflows and mindsets TODAY to succeed both now and into the future.
Listen on Apple PodcastsView on YoutubeA quick rundown of updates we've made recently
| membership | Additional options for membership module |
| Improved end-to-end processing for even faster sends | |
| gotv | GOTV sites rollout – Candidates, Registration & More |
| widgets | Overhauled legislator cacheing to speed matching |
Fly-ins are cancelled. In their place, successful organizations are going virtual and that means VIDEO. Easy and just as effective, we break down, step-by-step, how you can leverage Zoom to connect your advocates on video calls with each other and with staffers – and why they can be MORE successful than face-to-face meetings! Everyone is sending letters, tweets and doing calls. If you want to stand out and have your voice heard – “Show your face! Use Video!”
Listen on Apple PodcastsView on YoutubeAs groups shuffle, reschedule, suspend and cancel their events in response to COVID-19, AHD is joined by Mary Kate Cunningham, VP of Public Policy @ ASAE to dive into how associations are helping to guide their membership. From being a central point of industry related information and setting up specific webpages, to advising on pushing fly-ins and dealing with potential financial impact, we touch on a variety of scenarios that can potentially help associations, coalitions, corporations and non-profits dealing with how to be a resource in a time of need.
Listen on Apple PodcastsView on YoutubeWouldn’t it be nice to have your welcome emails go out while you drink your morning coffee? What about call-to-action reminders while you’re at lunch? Or even better, a series of messages that follow-up with your advocates on a set schedule while you’re strategizing on your next move?
We all have those days where we have to keep moving the ball forward with our advocacy & community building goals but meetings, calls and everything else gets in the way. Luckily, there’s a simple way in SparkInfluence to keep those messages flowing while you’re spending time elsewhere. It’s a solution that we’ve seen improve retention and participation time and again, and once you’ve set it up, it runs on it’s own.
That solution, Automation for Advocacy.
Read More →“Well, you told me I have a plethora. And I just would like to know if you know what a plethora is.” – Three Amigos
While everyone is talking about data in advocacy these days, does anyone really know what that means? On this episode of the Help Desk, we’re joined by Henri Makembe, Partner at LPS Campaigns, who dives into what data your group should be looking to capitalize on, where you can find it, and what the best practices look like for getting started. It’s not Big Data, it’s better, smaller data points that really drive effective advocacy efforts.
Listen on Apple PodcastsView on Youtube