Three Things Online Advocacy Can Learn from Dating

by Rosemari


The Scaled Ask

You meet a guy. He asks out you. You enjoy your date. Your curiosity is piqued. You go out again. And, little by little, through text messages, e-mails, calls, and face-to-face interaction, your relationship develops and grows.

Strangely enough, this is also often how good advocacy campaigns should start.  It’s not about getting a commitment from the first interaction, but instead about cultivating relationships a step at a time.

For instance, Colin Delaney outlines some best practices from the Obama campaign, noting that it implored “the ‘scaled ask,’ encouraging newbies to step deeper and deeper into the Obama waters – first they might show up to phone-bank, and a few weeks later they found themselves devoting 30 hours per week to managing a volunteer team.” 

Size Matters

Who are we kidding? Whether in dating or in advocacy, size totally matters. But, that doesn’t mean that you should disregard how you use it.

In terms of online advocacy, when it comes to e-mail lists it’s the bigger the better.  The more people you reach, the more action you are likely to inspire. However, it’s also true that how your list matters – regardless of size. As Delaney observes, every interaction matters. Maybe even more than size.

So, collect your e-mail addresses with vigor and gusto. But don’t leave it at that. You may have a bigger list than the other campaign, but unless you know how to work you’re your robust size will be a distant memory.

It’s About Trust

Things are getting more intense. You’re investing more into the relationship that ever before and that’s scary. We’ve all been at that stage in a relationship. What calms your nerves and helps you remember your priorities? Trust.

Great campaigns understand this.  They respect their supporters and trust them to do great, quality work.  Delany describes why and how this worked for Obama’s 2008 campaign, “Take your people seriously and they’ll return the favor…The Obama organization achieved both a scale and a level of effectiveness unlike any electoral campaign we’ve ever seen, and all because of one basic idea: that you can trust people to work on your behalf if you give them the tools and the training.”