Resource Type: Tips & How-Tos

Effective public engagement starts with “knowing your audience”. For advocacy organizations, this often means our members and supporters. As your activist lists continue to expand in response to the current political landscape, developing a better understanding of what motivates your members (especially new folks!) to speak out and take action will be critical to keeping them engaged over the long-term.

Excitement is growing around the upcoming March for Science (4/22) and People’s Climate March (4/29), with organizers working hard to boost turnout for DC and sister marches across the country. After the marchers have gone home, organizations will have the added challenge of sustaining the momentum of both movements and continuing to encourage people to take action. This week, we conclude our series of alerts focused on “Mobilizing the Masses” with a few suggestions for how to keep activists engaged after the marches. (And for a refresher on the first four segments, check out: Hope or fear? Turnout for what? Let’s get…digital, digital! and Your supporters want action!)

Want to find folks in your state inclined to write the Governor on the CPP? A model can find them for you. Micro-targeting models leverage the power of big data (the voting, purchase history, and other records collected on all of us). Analysts first look for patterns (correlations) between these data and outcomes of interest, such as saying you believe in climate change on a survey, or signing an online petition. They can then predict predict the likelihood that other people will sign the petition or believe in climate change, based on the data available about them.