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 – ncairns@communitychange.orgAllie Carter, New Media Associate, RI4A – acarter@communitychange.orgGarlin Gilchrist, II, National Campaign Director, MoveOn.org – garlin@garlin.orgNathan Ryan, Online Advocacy Manager, ICIRR – nryan@icirr.org

Thanks for coming to the session!Have questions? Contact us!