What Nonprofits Can Learn from Presidential Campaigns

by Reid Carr, President,
Red Door Interactive

How social networks can be more effective at building brand loyalty, converting interest to action

It would have been hard to imagine 10 years ago that we would already be talking about candidates actively campaigning for a presidential election that is still two years away.  It would have been harder still to imagine that some of the well-financed, prominent, mainstream candidates would announce their candidacy online or, stranger yet, promote it on sites like YouTube.

Social networks are now officially mainstream, and bring lucrative opportunities for politicos and organizations alike to target, endear and convert prospects to their brand and services.  Nonprofits and individual activists can learn good lessons from the trials and initiatives the current presidential campaigns are or will conduct between now and November 2008.  While there will be several tactics and trends evolving over the next two years, here are some tidbits organizations should consider enacting now:

On your mark...get set...post online...GO!

Former senator and vice presidential candidate John Edwards actually made his recent 2008 candidacy declaration on his website one day before his scheduled prepared speech. While perhaps not intentional, Edwards' use of the Internet as the first medium to launch his campaign delivered him twice the amount of PR -- extending the shelf life of the announcement with the major new outlets by one day. What's more, his online presentation enhanced his reputation as a more relevant candidate to younger voters, while also making him appear more savvy and creative to the general populace.

Not to be outdone, Senator Hillary Clinton launched her official campaign in a webcast on January 20, and has since aired weekly "Hillcasts" online to communicate with voters on various topics such as affordable children's health care, alternative energy funding, equal pay for women in business, and others. As a result, her campaign site drew 828,000 unique visitors in January and was the top presidential campaign site for the month.

Charitable organizations and activists can leverage the Web in the same manner -- as the first line of communications -- for a variety of goals, such as increased awareness of the group and its cause as well as to generated needed donation and volunteers.  A strategic Internet presence can provide a virtual focus group and valuable information that can help guide a nonprofit's strategic decisions.

Power to your people!

Tools offered free on Senator Barack Obama's website are helping supporters create their own social network sites and gather donations from people who otherwise would not contribute. One gentleman created his own "South Asians for Obama'' Web portal and gathered $1,600 in campaign contributions for the Illinois Democrat in a matter of days -- some coming from people he had never met.

Other candidates are also getting into the mix. Senator John McCain's official presidential campaign site invites visitors to sign up to create their own "McCainSpace" personal websites and join his online community of the same name.  His campaign staff created an NCAA basketball tournament bracket section on his official site for added "stickiness." New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson is hedging bets by asking backers to join one or more of his "grassroots" campaigns started on MySpace, Facebook, Flickr, and other sites. Icons on the lower right-hand side of his presidential campaign website lead directly to his profile on the various social networks so users can post blogs and link their own pages to his.

Activists and nonprofit organizations can realize the same positive cascading effect if they help folks develop their own communities based on the ideals and benefits their group champions.  By making it their own, these concerned citizens become more than participants, they become devout online evangelists.  Just provide them the tools and support, and watch them shine!

Psst -- People are Web 2.0-ing about you now!

It's at this point that someone usually asks the question "What about those who say bad things about you on a blog?"  It's true enough that the risks exist, but the fact is that folks who don't like what you are doing are blogging now anyway.  Your absence online only fuels those negative comments more, because they are the only ones heard.

Here's a real-life positive example of social networks in action in the political arena.  About 300 supporters of Senator Obama came together in Dallas in late February to boost the politician's campaign with full knowledge that the candidate was not scheduled to appear.  It turns out the group organized the unrehearsed event for themselves without the help of official campaign organizers, courtesy of Meetup.com. 

For nonprofits, social networks may in fact take on a life of its own, but that can be a good thing if understood and managed appropriately.  Look at the effect MoveOn.org has on its own community. 

But first, some ground rules!

Hopefully by now, nonprofit professionals and activists reading this have considered the value social networks can play in attracting, converting, and retaining volunteers, donors, and other stakeholders.  However, that doesn't mean an organization should start blogging furiously and posting pictures of their last event party on MySpace.  Here are some guidelines when venturing into any virtual community:

• Be strategic -- Think of social networking in the same light as any other initiative. Set organization goals first, target audiences appropriately, craft key messages, and know what the desired outcomes are before you create your first online profile.


• Be truthful -- Falsehoods are falsehoods -- period -- regardless if they are told to a top reporter at CNN or to "Bugsy" on Facebook.


• Be transparent -- If you are promoting the organization, say so! Nothing is worse than creating a fictitious persona that is later uncovered by your target audience.  You and your group's credibility will take a nose dive if you're not upfront about what you're doing.


• Be careful what you wish for -- Social networks are interactive, informative, and immediate. All of these traits are valuable to a nonprofit -- if you are inclined to deal with them.  If you don't want to hear what your stakeholders are saying about you, then don't do it. Just be prepared to have your organization suffer as a result.

Who knows? If you play your cards right, you can reach your organization's goals and successfully run for president at the same time!  I'll see you online!


Reid Carr is president of Red Door Interactive, a San Diego-based Internet presence management firm that manages clients' online presence by analyzing their unique challenges, advising them on Internet-based solutions, and implementing strategies to help them along their path toward online success. Nonprofit clients include the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Del Mar Fairgrounds.