Management Tip: 3 Elements Of Activist Relationship Management

Here is this week's Management Tip of the Week.  This one comes from the advocacy category:

Every cause needs its activists, but a nonprofit that hopes to get the best it can from concerned individuals needs to understand the potential they offer and to treat them as effectively as possible.


Speaking during the DMA 2011 Washington Nonprofit Conference, Yvonne Garrett of OMP, Inc., Vinay Bhagat of Convio and Randy Paynter of Care2.com said that there are three main areas of concentration, with the second and third combining for a fourth.


The main thrusts:


* Recruit. Be thoughtful about the form of ask. Think about a pledge vs. “contact your legislator.” Think of constituent relevance. Offer multiple venues in addition to your Website. Provide a strong user experience. Remember viral marketing, including social media.


* Engage. Acknowledge returning Web visitors. Send tailored/updated stories. Make related appeals. Use multi-channel appeals: email, text, social. Provide rewards and incentives.


* Convert. Provide campaign-specific donation forms. Have an email welcome/conversion series. Follow up in a timely fashion with mail or TM. Apply filters to prioritize investment. Select appeals based on advocacy actions.


Effective use of the second and third parts leads to a fourth: Deepen. Remember, major donors are frequently active. It is increasingly critical to track messaging intensity/congruency across programs and channels.

To read more like this, check out the advocacy management tips page on The NonProfit Times.