LightBox Collaborative is currently helping San Francisco icon The Women’s Building run a campaign to fund the retrofit of their 108-year-old windows. They were among a handful of nonprofits selected to participate in the Partners in Preservation Vote Your Main Street Campaign which has put them in the running for $150,000.
Because the winner of the campaign is determined by the most total votes over the course of a month, and people can cast up to five votes each day, it got us thinking about practical ways to sustain campaigns of all lengths. We asked our collaborators to share a few ideas and would love to hear yours!
Go local
Collaborator Isobel White shares a great idea to sustain campaigns for longer wins from our friends at The Story of Stuff who recently celebrated their tenth anniversary. “The Story of Stuff is really clever, using animation, personalized quizzes, and tailored curriculum to highlight issues,” she says. “But beyond their cleverness, I think a big part of their success is they have clear local asks, like ‘click here to tell the City of Berkeley to curb the use of disposable foodware,” she said. “They have their larger issue of plastics, and they find very bite-sized ways to break it down into campaigns where you’re doing something slightly different each time.”
And personalize
Irene Schneeweis shares an idea that has worked really well at her child’s local public school’s fundraising campaign. “During our school’s spring fund drive, we do a weekly raffle for families, and the prizes are things
like a gift certificate to a local ice cream shop or yoga studio,” she said. “Then, when someone wins the raffle, we send out a celebratory email that includes the person’s name, along with stories about how the raffle funds support the art program for our kids.” Even though only one ‘winner’ is being lifted up, it’s a chance to celebrate the whole community, particularly because that person reflects the community.” While this campaign is hyper-local, the tactic — personalized appeals so that activists waiting in the wings can more easily imagine themselves joining — can work for campaigns of all scopes and sizes.
Set reminders (electronic or otherwise!)
There are people who know and love you already — and they are busy! Look for a steady but varied drumbeat that keeps people engaged. With campaigns like the Vote Your Main Street Campaign where they need the community to vote every day, we helped the Women’s Building come up with a few different ways to set reminders. Folks can receive daily reminders via text or email. Collaborator Anna Ghosh set a calendar reminder for her cohort of voters. And I offered to remind folks with an email everyday — and 5 people signed up! This not only helped them vote, it also gave us an opportunity to say hello (daily!) to friends.
It’s not too late to vote for the Women’s Building! Vote now through October 26th.
Post image courtesy of The Women’s Building.
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Amanda Cooper wants to know your favorite simple ways to sustain a campaign.