New Media TrackDecember 16 & 17, 2011
Nicole Cairns & Allie CarterReform Immigration FOR America online team
What We’ve Learned So Far…
- Best practices and tools for successful online organizing
- How we can use online tools to lift up narratives of racial injustice and issues that impact our communities
- How to plan a short-term issue-based online campaign calendar
What We’ll Cover In This Session
- Best practices for online organizing for the three main phases of electoral work:1. Registration2. GOTV3. Day of/post-election analysis
- Case study of online organizing efforts behind Wisconsin recalls
- Breakout: planning an electoral communications calendar
Why do we organize around elections?Getting out the vote and electing pro-immigrant candidates supports our broader campaign goals: advancing CIR and DREAM.
How can online organizing support this mission?
Phase 1: Voter Registration and Defining Your Electoral Narrative
Registration / Narrative Building
Key tactics during this phase:• Recruit volunteers to help build momentum
and power, push existing members up the engagement ladder
• Build a narrative and share stories to help set the stage for what’s to come, define what victory/success will look like
• Register voters and educate them on the issues that impact our communities
2011 Immigrant National Convention
Recruit Volunteers
• Convert online community on Facebook/Twitter to your email list
• Target regular action takers, push them and ask for more
• Use email and SMS to solicit more information from people, sign up to help volunteer
2011 Immigrant National Convention
Narrative Building
MessagingExample:In 2012, we want to show the stories and the power of our immigrant voters will turn out for those candidates that show us they care about our families and our issues.
Content• Branding / recurring
phrases and mission statements
• Facebook and Twitter updates
• Photos and Video• Include social media icons,
hashtags, URL on every piece of printed material
Register Voters
• Remind people across all channels about important election dates (early voting, registration deadlines) and where they can register
• Drive to online voter registration forms• Use email and SMS to drive turnout to voter
registration events
Phase 2: Get Out the Vote
Get Out The Vote
Key Tactics for this phase:• Ensure data is as complete as possible – help people find
polling place, their state and federal representatives, and ballot initiatives in their counties– Data collection campaign
• Show distinction between candidates through candidate forums*– Livestream events, document on Facebook and Twitter
• Continue to recruit volunteers– Push community up engagement ladder
• Raise the ante in promoting the narrative
Why Data Completion is Important
• To target state and federal representatives
• To help people get to their polling places, coordinate rides to polling locations
• To analyze demographic and geographic strengths and weaknesses and asses where power is
Phase 3: Election Day and Post-Election Analysis
Election Day
Key Tactics for this phase:• Turnout, turnout, turnout– Reminder emails and SMSs with polling places and
hours, carpooling to polls• Prime the pump for a victory, show confidence,
and “spin” story to make it about our narrative– Document online, share info about early returns
• Continue recruitment and build momentum for new legislative session
Post-Election Day Analysis… elections may be over, but the work
certainly isn’t …
Analysis
• Complete your narrative arc across all channels
• Celebrate victories and acknowledge defeats, we’ll move forward even stronger
• What’s next? Elections are part of our broader goals, examine how we move online community forward for legislative session
2011 Immigrant National Convention
Connecting Online/OfflineTelling the story of our voters, our communities
Recruiting volunteers
Voter registration campaigns
Candidates’ forums and electoral-themed events
Early voting, finding polling places, and turning out the vote
Develop content that reinforces narrative, photos and video, continually promote on blog/social
Target frequent action takers, responders and move them up the engagement ladder
Educate community about importance of showing our strength at the polls
Document through photos and video; draw comparisons* in emails, blogs; livestream
Data completion/collection, targeted emails and SMSs to help find polling places, reminders to vote
CASE STUDY: PCCC, ONLINE ORGANIZING, AND THE WI RECALLS
All images in this section from PCCC Wisconsin television ads, or CallOutTheVote.com
BREAKOUT!
ANY QUESTIONS?
NEXT STEPS
2011 Immigrant National Convention
What’s Next?(just some suggestions)
• One-on-ones tomorrow during breakfast
• Nerd Herd at the action
• Online working group
• Monthly calls
• One-on-one trainings on new media tools or RI4A tools
• Webinars
• Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate.
2011 Immigrant National Convention
Nicole Cairns, Online Director, RI4A – [email protected] Carter, New Media Associate, RI4A – [email protected] Gilchrist, II, National Campaign Director, MoveOn.org – [email protected] Ryan, Online Advocacy Manager, ICIRR – [email protected]
Thanks for coming to the session!Have questions? Contact us!
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