- David Taylor, Radical Designs – web support for small orgs, social justice groups
- Allen Gunn, Aspiration – better software developed for non-profits
- Link to Presentation
eAdvocacy - New tools for extending reach
- project message
- connect with new allies
eOrganizing – tools for mobilizing
- grow relationships
- build trust
show of hands: most have websites frequency of updates – mostly less than once a month Most have email lists Few have multiple lists
eAdvocacy today
- good options for email messaging
- still the killer app – on your list are the people who care
- still more important than websites, social networking tools
- for large quantities, need hosted solution – spam filters block outlook/yahoo mass mailing
- deliverability issues a threat
web
- web publishing is easier but still not simple
- range of platforms in confusing
- integration of tools is unsolved problem – content management system, hosted email providers, letters to congress, online video
- setup still requires a lot of work, maintenance less so
3rd party services that you can drop into your website
- Rich media – odeo (podcasting), blip.tv not youtube (video), flickr (pictures)
- Don’t build technology onto your website – use 3rd party
- Meetup, evite - meetings; upcoming.com - calendar
- Volunteer for change – volunteer and event management – feedback/rating – with phone support
- All of these are corporate services – corporations want your data – esp the free ones; if you’re controversial using yahoo, evite, they will cancel you without asking – yahoo killed 100+ antiwar groups
- Things still go out of business
- They offer value if you can incorporate them in your terms
Emerging tech
- Blogging – accessible to non-techies; rss changes information flow
- Cellphones becoming more critical; text messaging
- Social networking (myspace, livejournal get huge traffic) – myspace gets 80% of income through advertisers – rupert murdoch’s
eAdvocacy Themes - changes & challenges
- traditional web actions tools aren’t really reaching decision makers – none of the capitol reps get the "write your congressman" email anymore – they don’t believe they’re real - don’t get your hopes up about web action centers – but still a way to engage your base
- online petitions – the ultimate way to build your mailing lists, but ends up in the dumpster
- reps care about visits, phone calls, fax & email last
- email is getting harder to deliver – spam filters; it’s easier to get blacklisted as a spammer if you email out to 100 people
- 3rd-party services have some essential delivery conduit – pay your $19/month to npo groups – eg groundspring.com for blasts, but metrics not that strong
- It’s all about the data, not your software – primary goal of eadvocacy is to build a mobilizable database of supporters
- The value of data dwarfs cost of technology
Rules of thumb
- Know where your data lives and back it up
- Know how you can migrate your data
- Privacy and security of your data is so critical
Unsolved problems
- Online and offline data integration
- Platform interoperability barely exists (e.g try making your email tool talk to your supporter database)
- Skilled practitioners and trainers – capacity-building us more important than new tech
Community technology foundation of California helps
People we love
- Democracy in action – email blasting and web action tools – email blasting and web action tools – but not a full crm (constituency relationship mgmt) – also a nonptofit $100-200
- NPOgroups / Electric Embers – discussion groups and email listservs
- Volunteer for change – volunteer and event management
- Goodstorm.com – Café Press done well, and progressive – sellng products on line – "you make more than we do"
Summary
- Nothing’s turnkey
- Critical challenges remain
- It’s about data, not the tools
Other resources
- CiviCRM, SugarCRM, vtiger – all run on my.sql
- Salesforce.com – license requires renewal every 12 months
- ONE/Northwest.org – picked salesforce after yearlong research