e.politics: online advocacy tools & tactics

DNC Using Email to Encourage Real-World Action

October 10th, 2007

Cross-posted on techPresident

The Democratic National Committee continued their consistently excellent use of an email list today with a message keyed to local political organizing:

Our organizing plan for 2008 has one critical component: you.

Next month, we’re asking you — and we’re relying on you — to stand up and take ownership of your own neighborhood. It’s a key part of our 50-State Strategy, and the cornerstone of our plan for Democratic victory in 2008.

On Saturday, November 3rd we need you to host your friends and neighbors for the first national organizing event of the Presidential race — months ahead of the Republicans, and a year before we elect a Democratic president.

I love these guys — they actually get it. An activist list is more than an ATM; it’s made up of real live people who want to DO something. Previous DNC emails have asked readers to send a thank-you note to volunteers, to participate in advocacy-style email-your-congressmember campaigns and to use the committee’s Party Builder online organizing application. Each message has a fundraising link, of course, but raising money is usually secondary to building a connection with list members and encouraging them to act — either nationally or locally.

By comparison, the Republican party emails over the past few months have largely been scare messages about Hillary Clinton (actual sample subject line, verbatim: “Waiting for Hillary’s Judicial Nominees????”) or MoveOn.org, tied to an explicit ask for cash. No offline organizing, no opportunity to actually participate in the campaign — all they seem to want is your money. As a lefty, let me be the first to say, keep it up RNC!

Update: A proud DNC staffer has pointed out the success of one of those advocacy actions, with last week’s request for messages to Congress supporting Children’s Health Insurance Program expansion yielding almost 200,000 responses. Impressive, particularly since they made people write their own note rather than just click to send a pre-written one.

– cpd

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