Resource Type: Experiments

For clean energy engagement with (English speaking) Latino parents on Facebook, testing suggests, cities (rather than school districts) make for campaign targets that garner more support. Additionally, use low-production value videos (text cards & stock footage) rather than high-production value videos (with custom footage and interviews): they produced similar action rates, and in addition to being more cost effective, the low production value videos had higher viewership rates, and can be quicker to make. This research was conducted as part of a field research grant to Climate Parents from the Climate Advocacy Lab.

This is the first part of a two-part training for organizers on approaches to better integrate digital tools into their work. This training looks at two integral aspects of organizing: recruiting new supporters (Recruiting – Part 1) and then keeping them coming back for the long-haul (Retention – Part 2).
This session, Recruiting, explores the intersection of recruiting new supporters, the use of digital tools, and evidence-based insights to help organizers think through possible uses of digital tools for rinding new supporters in their daily workflows. This is for people with some organizing experience who are thinking about how to better use digital. The focus is on strategy and systems thinking around getting new members and then setting them up to become long-term members of your organization. It is not a tactical how-to for specific platforms or online-to-offline models.

Motivational messaging can encourage people’s willingness to make trade-offs in favor of the environment. In this study, researchers find that giving people information about how longer air travel times reduce carbon emissions make people more willing to have longer travel times. This willingness was even higher for those who were told the travel time would be much longer, rather than just a little longer. Finally, the authors also find that the effects of messaging are strongest among those with higher levels of environmental concern. Members interested in encouraging trade-offs in favor of the environment should consider motivational information framing.             

We try hard to influence policymakers like elected leaders and other government decision-makers. But do our tactics work? Turns out, our assumptions (such as more = better) can be wrong. Here are evidence-based tips for getting through to policymakers, through your supporters and via direct contact.