Muster Now

When it comes down to it, engagement is all about attracting and retaining members with the goal of motivating them to stay active in the organization. Associations with multigenerational members need to be aware of the challenges associated with appealing to a diverse audience and how to reach millennials effectively (full disclosure: this article is written by a millennial). Here are a few tips to engaging the younger demographic:

Connect through social media. Last year, research showed that millennials checked their phones on average 43 times a day. Mobile phones are used to consume news and discover new content through social media and other applications. For an association, it’s paramount to reach a millennial audience through the right channels. Spreading relevant news and messages through Twitter and Facebook are absolutely key. Additionally, optimize all important web announcement for social sharing. Can someone easily share the news through a Facebook post? Seek to make social media an integral part of an association’s communications plan.   

Keep it concise- millennials multitask. Many 20-somethings are engaged in a wide variety of activities and involved in countless projects at the same time. Understanding that millennials often face time-constraints, an association should stray from asking a lot from its members or sending out lengthy, frequent newsletters. Keep communication brief and concise, highlighting important notes and eliminating superfluous fluff. Additionally, it is important to provide time-strapped millennial members with directions to participate in an event and an easy way to contribute to an associations initiative. While millennials like to be creative and enjoy thinking outside-of-the-box, providing a roadmap for involvement spurs higher levels of engagement. 

Show the value that their engagement brings. In a world where instant gratification has become the norm thanks to social media, millennials expect to see results of their efforts almost immediately. An association should be very transparent with their millennial supporters. For example, during a legislative advocacy push, an association should provide its membership with analytics and facts about actions taken, and the response of the legislators. Software products can often measure these important pieces of data, that when shared with the membership, promote a sense of contribution. At the end of the day, it’s often important to a millennial to have proof that putting their time into what an association asks of them is worth it.

Provide benefits that appeal to the younger demographic. It is important for an association to offer fun opportunities, educational tools and professional development resources to its members. Young professionals are especially interested in participating in opportunities that will benefit them career-wise, and provide them with a sense of belonging. The more a member (especially motivated millennials) can get out of an association, the more an association can get out of its members.

For other great tips on how to engage your millenial members, see these resources:

http://blog.memberclicks.com/how-to-engage-millennials-in-five-easy-steps

No matter the staff size, budget or interstate reach, every association seeks to keep its membership actively engaged in its mission. In terms of advocacy, an engaged membership means a strong network of advocates when the legislative sessions begin- and a much easier process for the association to activate its membership. Many members want to be actively engaged in their association and want to participate in advancing policy goals, they just don’t know how. It’s the duty of the association to keep close contact with its members and provide them with actionable ways, like Calls to Action and email updates, that let them participate in the legislative process. After working closing with CEOs and directors of membership-driven organizations, we’ve found that keeping members engaged is strongly dependent on the following action items:

Cultivating an Advocacy Mission Statement

Unlike many non-profit 501c(3) organizations, professional associations and other 501c(6) groups frequently struggle with crafting a compelling advocacy message that extends beyond the reach of their membership- and that is okay. The power of association advocacy lies in the unified voice of the membership, not always from grassroots support. Even if governmental advocacy is not an explicit component of the association’s daily agenda, reminding members of the association’s general policy mission is important on a year-round basis. This can be as simple as providing a small text box in the association’s monthly newsletter, adding a bullet point somewhere on the association’s website and occasionally posting to social media. In this way, advocacy communication is a form of strategic public relations- building the association’s brand and driving awareness about its mission.

Sharing Success Stories

During the legislative session, keeping track of the membership’s involvement in advocacy is crucial. Anytime that a bill is passed or killed in favor of your association’s policy stance, immediately let your members know that their role in contacting their legislators was part of real change. Members need to know that they are valuable, and in doing so, engagement will skyrocket. (Sidebar: at Muster, we’ve seen engagement rates so high, nearly every single member contacted their elected official and the association was successful in passing it’s bill!). Track analytics.

An association that successfully implements and executes on a membership-oriented advocacy strategy will find that the connection with their members is stronger and more powerful. Engagement benefits everyone involved: a thriving association and a satisfied member who feels a sense of belonging with a meaningful connection to the association.

Often, we’ll receive emails from staff at 501c (3) organizations stating that because of their IRS classification, they cannot and do not engage in any advocacy. This is a misperception. Be advoca-savvy (ok, so this word doesn’t quite work...but you get the idea! Be savvy about advocacy and you won’t run into IRS tax dilemmas).

Generally, lobbying includes any communications that express a clear view either in support of or in opposition to a specific piece of legislation. Lobbying is advocacy conducted by an organization reflecting its views on certain items of legislation.

There are two types of recognized lobbying: direct and grassroots lobbying.

Direct lobbying describes communications an organization issues to influence a piece of legislation by targeting a certain government official(s). Direct lobbying also includes all Calls to Action issued by an organization to its members, prompting them to engage and contact lawmakers. Other communications between an organization and its membership is not considered lobbying.

In comparison, grassroots lobbying generally encompasses communications to non-members (i.e., the public) about a specific piece of legislation, urging them to take action (and influence general sentiment on a piece of law). Federal tax law and the IRS limit grassroots expenditures more strictly than direct lobbying efforts.

Regardless of its classification as direct or grassroots, all lobbying activities exercised by an organization must be documented. All researching, mailing, expenses, etc. must be accounted for.

501c (3)

All 501c (3) organizations are legally allowed to lobbying at all levels of government, although several restrictions are in place and lobbying cannot be a significant part of the group’s agenda. 

For purposes of clarification, 501c (3) organizations are not permitted to engage in political campaign activity (no direct sponsorship or involvement in a candidate’s political aspirations). 

Financial Constraints

Rules and regulations state that annual lobbying cannot exceed the sum of:

20% of the first $500,000 of an organization's exempt purpose expenditures, plus

15% of the second $500,000 of such expenditures, plus

10% of the third $500,000 of such expenditures, plus

5% of the remainder of such expenditures, 

including a maximum budget of $1 million in annual lobbying expenses. Additionally, no more than 25% of total expenditures can be used for grassroots lobbying.

Violating the financial restrictions 501c (3) organizations face in lobbying efforts may result in the loss of their tax-exempt status.

501c (6)

Unlike the set of lobbying restrictions 501c (3)’s are bound by, 501c (6) organizations are allowed to lobby freely. Lobbying efforts must be related to the organization’s business priorities and in line with the professional interests of the membership.

As an emerging technology company working in the intersection of politics and technology, it’s both rewarding and exciting to be a part of this vibrant community. When we’re out and about, sharing Muster with nonprofit and association executives, we’re often asked “How are you different”? from similar software products in the marketplace?

Great question. At Muster, we’re passionate about building the newest and greatest technology to bridge the gap between policymakers and mission-oriented organizations and associations. Through research and experience, we discovered that powerful change can be achieved by harnessing the latent power of organizations: their membership/supporter base.

While a variety of advocacy software products are available, different solutions cater to different types of organizations with a range of budgets, staff sizes, and needs.

There are several online advocacy platforms that serve associations and organizations with their public policy goals, but the value of Muster lies in our powerful combination of our easy-to-use interface with our dynamic advocacy communications, complete with amazing constituent-matching functionality. Unlike other clunky and complicated platforms, Muster is as sophisticated as it is simple. We offer a robust suite of online advocacy services and email-marketing options, while making the advocacy workflow as easy can be.

At Muster, we’ve worked with both association and nonprofit professionals, learning about how they engage their members and supporters in their legislative and lobbying efforts.

 As we speak with more professionals and learn about the ups-and-downs they face with their advocacy work, the more we understand how significant the method is that they use to execute their advocacy strategy. Take a look at these four reasons why using an online advocacy service can improve your method to approaching advocacy:

Saves you time. If you are a member of an organization with a small staff size, then you’re experienced in juggling multiple projects at once and assuming many different responsibilities to best serve your association. You don’t have the time to dedicate hours and days to crafting and executing an advocacy strategy. An integrated advocacy platform will streamline and automate your advocacy needs, saving you time and allowing you to be more efficient in your day-to-day duties.

Increases your productivity. You don’t have time to waste copying-and-pasting email addresses from spreadsheets to send out an email blast. As mentioned above, advocacy programs do the legwork for you- saving you time and subsequently allowing you to be more productive and efficient in all other areas of your job.

Saves your organization money. Successfully engaging your membership in an important legislative push is priceless. Unfortunately, membership-driven advocacy campaigns do come at a price, and depending on the way you get there, the price tag can be hefty. Luckily, you have options regarding advocacy platforms and some, like Muster, have affordable pricing for any organization regardless of size and budget. Look into acquiring a powerful platform, and consider taking your advocacy strategy in-house. 

Saves your industry/cause money. Often, certain legislation can result in thousands, if not millions, of dollars lost in the industry your association or organization defends. Investing in a software solution to ramp up advocacy efforts is worth it when considering the potential costs to your organization should you have an unsuccessful advocacy season.

The internet, smart phones, and emerging social media channels are all influencing how citizens and organizations relate to their legislators and participate in politics. The government affairs space has been inundated with new technologies, both in the hands of voters and elected officials themselves. In terms of government relations and advocacy, these new tools are providing a meaningful way for associations and other advocacy groups to amplify their voices.  

This increased access to new technologies is changing the very landscape that lobbyists have dominated for decades. The continued adoption of online government relations tools and advocacy software is shifting the dynamics between cause-oriented organizations, associations and elected officials.

With advocacy technology, the unified voice of many members in an organization can be just as powerful as a lobbyist, acting on behalf of the organization. 

Emerging technology, and this type of digital advocacy, is redirecting the power back in the hands of constituents, allowing them to move the needle, digitally. In turn, an active membership not only boosts the organization’s voice and visibility in the political scene, but the organization can become a key player in politics. If your association is currently working with a lobbyist, consider supplementing lobbying efforts with a comprehensive member-driven outreach program with advocacy software. Connecting your membership to their legislators is a powerful way to spread your message, and a meaningful way to influence policy.

If your organization is looking to invest in advocacy efforts, consider the importance of engaging and including your membership in legislative initiatives. Policymakers are elected to construct policy and represent their voters through their work, and they rely on outside expertise and opinions of constituents. For professional associations specifically, effectively communicating to lawmakers about the concerns of your membership is powerful. Elected officials learn from communications and advocacy campaigns and only members know best about what is affecting their profession or industry personally. 

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”  

                   -Aristotle

You’re probably wondering why a blog dedicated to association and nonprofit advocacy is quoting Aristotle... 

Consider this post a reminder that an association’s grassroots advocacy efforts are only as strong as the efforts of its membership. That’s why making advocacy easy and empowering for your members is the key to successful government relations. 

So, how exactly does the above quote by the famed Greek philosopher relate to advocacy in today’s political climate?  

The functionality of the whole is great because of how each part works

The sum of the parts make up a whole

This whole is greater than the individual parts

The functionality of the parts together is what make up the functionality of the whole

If we replace “parts” with “membership” and “whole” with “association” in terms of advocacy, we are reminded that the power of an association is based on the individual power of each of its members. Or more precisely, the advocacy efforts of an association is dependent upon the individual advocacy of each of its members. So, in terms of Aristotle’s musings, powerful association advocacy is dependent on its members, and looks like this:

“The association’s voice is powerful as a result of each individual member’s voice, but the voices alone, without the association, are not as powerful.”

Selecting the right advocacy software for your organization is an investment that pays big dividends for your organization’s influence on public policy. Here are 5 important factors to consider before choosing the software platform that will help you accomplish your legislative goals.

Price Point

If you’re in the market for advocacy software, you’re looking for an affordable solution that meets your strategic needs while being cost effective. You may have stumbled upon companies that offer software with hefty price tags, or hidden public-facing pricing pages. Advocacy software shouldn’t break the bank, it should be an investment that makes sense for both your budget while executing your advocacy strategy. Pricing runs the gamut, so it’s important to know about all your options before you overpay for an expensive solution, when you can acquire the same tools that come at a cost that your organization can afford. Many advocacy programs are billed annually, making it easier for your organization to include the software expense into your annual budget. 

Communication Options

What communication channels does the software support? Advocacy software serves to easily connect your membership with their legislators, it’s up to you decide how you want your membership to communicate with them. Several platforms offer multiple types of communication options: phone, twitter, email, US mail, etc. Other platforms only offer one channel. It is also important to determine if the software has a responsive web design, meaning your outbound communications can be accessed by your membership on both desktops and mobile devices and work flawlessly on both. It’s proven that responsive design increases total clicks across desktop, tablet, and mobile.

Updated Technology

It is no secret that technology moves quickly. Is the company updating the software? Why choose an outdated software solution when new solutions exist in the same market that are easier to use, perform brilliantly and use cutting-edge technology? Newer isn’t always better...but in this case, newer is definitely better.  

Customer Support

Check out reviews online, or through the grapevine, about software companies you are considering partnering with, and learn more about how they handle customer support. 

Ease-of-Use

Many associations with a small staff don’t have time to dedicate one staff member’s duties to solely advocacy. Don’t choose an advocacy platform that is notoriously complicated, or that requires continuous training and demos and phone-calls and support and emails and hassle and stress and...you get the picture. Software platforms built on the newest technologies are easier to use because of their intuitive designs, making advocacy smart and easy for you and your membership. 

Ever been faced with the challenge of motivating your members to take an action on behalf of your association? Unlike the image above, some people just aren’t wildly enthusiastic when they consider going out of their way to take an action, especially if they feel like their opinions don’t matter to legislators. So, how do you overcome this disconnect and motivate someone to advocate? If you haven’t yet read our articles about increasing open rates for advocacy alerts and getting your analytics where you want them, click here and here. Maybe your members feel like their input won’t matter in polarized politics, they may be apathetic towards politics in general, or they may simply feel they don’t have the time to be an advocate. 

The key to powerful association advocacy is letting your membership know that their individual advocacy actions collectively contribute to their organizations’ legislative goals in a big way. Here are three tips for effective membership-driven advocacy:

Make It Easy

Keeping your advocates engaged can present a challenge if you are asking that they go out of their way on a regular basis to let their voice be heard. Making advocacy easy for your members will increase engagement and make your organization more powerful and effective on the legislative scene. Simplicity does not imply ‘slacktivism’-- check out this article on why we believe advocacy can be simple and powerful all at once. Equip Calls to Action with simple “Take Action” buttons and streamline your campaigns to maximize functionality and effectiveness. 

Make It Meaningful

Don’t demand action from your members. Encourage and inspire your members to take an action that will benefit your mission and your memberships’ livelihood. It can be hard to empower your members to take action if they aren’t directly affected by a legislative issue, so it’s important to let your members know that their individual voices matter and are important for their community.

Make It Personal

Happy Friday everyone! Let’s kick off the weekend with this list of ways to further engage your membership. Strengthening the bond with your membership is not only important for maximizing your relationship with them, but additionally members who are involved and passionate about your mission are more likely to take action for you when you release advocacy campaigns. So, let’s review some valuable (and easy!) ways to boost engagement:

Create a sense of community. Think about the common bond between your membership and/or supporter base. Are they all working in the same profession? Do they all live in the same state? Find connections between those who support your organization, and use those connections to create a sense of solidarity among your members/supporters. Strengthening your relationship with your supporters goes beyond the direct association-contact connection, but in a broader context, it’s helpful to create a sense of community among your members by helping them feel unified (think: “we” are in this together!). When the legislative sessions roll around, your membership will feel like they are acting as a part of a greater unit, acting on behalf of an issue that affects their own community.

Communicate often, but not too often. Everything in moderation, right? Take advantage of all that social media has to offer and communicate with your membership/supporters as frequently as you can through your various accounts. However, when it comes to e-newsletters and e-mails, think strategically about releasing communications. Be aware that frequent communications may cause some members to unsubscribe. Consider integrating offline and online membership correspondence for a more complete approach to getting your members to familiarize themselves with your organization. 

Be responsive, and be real. If your members tweet at you, e-mail you, call you, etc., respond as quickly as you can and let them know that you listen and react to any questions, concerns or comments they may have.

Encourage members to spread the word. Excited, engaged members and supporters are more likely to talk about how they have become involved in advocacy pushes, share the word on social media, and talk about the issues at hand with their own networks. Engaged members spreading your message may subsequently attract new supporters and members, organically growing your base and strengthening your organization.

What does engagement have to do with advocacy? 

Members who care about an issue and believe in the mission of your organization will be more than happy to step up to the plate and advocate when they need to. Engaging your membership will pay big dividends when it come to future advocacy campaigns you sponsor. Take a look at these great statistics provided by the Congressional Management Foundation: 

“Internet users who contacted Congress were motivated to do because they cared deeply about an issue (91%). Even a majority (88%) of those who contacted Congress as a result of a third party request indicated this was part of their reason for doing so.” : CMF

As the party prompting your members to take action, your role is important in driving political change through citizen advocacy, and active members are more likely to do participate on your behalf. High fives all around, and happy Friday! 

Association executives, directors and other stakeholders gather at national conferences every year to learn about available software products that fill a need for their organizations. Participating in an association conference as an exhibitor is a significant  and exhilarating opportunity to share our product with a diverse audience of interested attendees from different industries. Similarly, if you are an association professional attending a conference or trade show, these events offer great opportunities to advance your organization by checking out the newest technologies.

We’ve put together a few tips to guide you through your next event, so you maximize every conversation at a booth, and find your perfect software solution along the way (you might even be chatting with us at your next event!)

Attend a trade show with a specific goal in mind. If you’re interested in visiting a specific booth, go for it! Booth staffers are always approachable and appreciate it when an attendee expresses a direct interest in learning more about their product (in fact, we love it!), so never shy from walking right up to a booth that you would like to learn more about.

Cut to the chase. If you are looking for a software product for your association, and you know exactly what you want and need, just ask the staffer you are speaking with about the exact capability you are looking for. Avoid gray area, superfluous chatter and confusion by just asking the question that you need an answer to in order to make an informed purchasing decision later on.

Don’t hesitate to ask the booth staffer you spoke with for a business card. If you’re interested in our product and want to keep a running dialogue with us personally, business cards are a great. Additionally, make sure you carry your own business cards, as exhibitors often collect attendees cards in a bowl.

As a booth staffer, we are trying to provide you with as much information about how our product can help you, while also respecting your time. Just as we know you are in a hurry to hit up all the booths you have an eye on, respect the time of booth staffers as well.

If you are evaluating several different software programs that perform similar functions, ask booth staffers to distinguish their competitive advantages over other products in the marketplace.

Have an open mind. If you attend a trade show armed with a list of the 9 companies that you are interested in learning more about- great! But, keep your eyes open to new possibilities and new companies that can fill you association's needs just as well, if not better. Stop by the booths of companies that you haven’t heard of yet, they might be offering just what you are looking for.

Exhibitors design and develop materials to hand out and inform prospective clients, while also making sure that interested parties receive demos of the product. Ask for pamphlets and demos to learn more about a software solution you are interested in.

Analytics will always be instrumental to those of us involved in advocacy initiatives and government relations. Understanding and measuring the success of your Calls to Action is critical in learning how to best activate your grassroots base for future campaigns. Effective digital advocacy programs rely on compelling content, so let’s talk a bit about how to get analytics where you want them to be. 

an·a·lyt·ics ˌanəˈlidiks/ noun plural noun: analytics 1. information resulting from the systematic analysis of data or statistics. 2. the systematic computational analysis of data or statistics.

Open rates and click-through rates are two of the most important statistics that will help you gauge the success of your campaigns:

The open rate is a percentage that illustrates how many (successfully delivered) email campaigns were opened by your members/supporters.

The click-through rate illustrates the percentage of (successfully delivered) campaigns that registered a click (a link was clicked in the email).

The average open-rate for emails falls somewhere around 20 percent.  Email click-through rate is much lower, averaging between 3-5 percent and varying greatly by industry.

How To Increase Your Stats 

Subject Lines

Subject Lines should always be short, clear and concise

Less is more! Try to aim between 28-39 characters in your title. Mobile-viewers will be unable to see the entirety of long subject lines.

Straightforward subject lines are proven to generate higher open and click-through rates than complicated, wordy subjects.

Call to Action

Advocacy emails generate higher open and click-through rates

Prompting users to “act” or “make a difference” in subject lines will increase your stats significantly.

Creating a sense of urgency in subject lines will prompt viewers to open the email. Subjects like “Take Action Now: Act on ______” will usually generate a high open-rate.

Sending out the CTA mid-morning or midday, especially Tuesday through Thursday, will boost open-rates. Avoid weekend and evening emails.

Brevity and Direction

Like subject lines, the body of the email should be concise and to the point:

The first few words of your email should get right to the point, as they will appear in the preview.

Viewers should be able to easily scan the text through bulleted points or short sections with titles. Always use accessible language and avoid jargon (unless your speaking directly to members of a certain profession).

Stating the CTA’s intended goal and including a deadline will increase click-through rates and motivate supporter participation.

Ex: “We need 200 of our supporters to contact their representative” or “You must act by January 1.”

On this date in 1970, Earth Day was celebrated for the very first time. Since then, people all over the world take part in honoring the Earth on this annual holiday. Today, our office took some time to show our support for the environmental and ways we can protect it, and we hope you do too! Here are a few ways your office can celebrate Earth Day:

Switch up your commute for the day. If you are lucky enough to live fairly close to your office, bike to work! One less passenger off the road for 1 day can save over 32 pounds of CO2!

Share local groceries with your colleagues and simultaneously support local farms and producers. Perhaps plan a team luncheon or take a few minutes during an afternoon break where your team can gather and sample new foods and organic groceries. As an example, our team at Muster is signed up with a local farm where we all pick up homegrown, local groceries. Shopping local is a great way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Don’t forget to encourage your colleagues to bring lunch to work and use reusable mugs, cups and dishes.

E-cycle your electronic waste. If your office is tossing old computer or TVs to make room for new pieces, make sure you are doing it safely and in an environmentally-friendly way!

Buy eco-friendly cleaning products for your office. There is no easier way to create an eco-friendly office than by choosing “green” office products, which you will use on a daily and weekly basis.

Get some office plants. Plants help freshen the air quality and increase productivity.

Spread awareness and make sure everyone in your office knows it’s Earth Day! It’s an important day of celebration that brings all of humanity together. Share graphics and images on your social media outlets (such as the one below), and make sure your community is aware! The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and The Nature Conservancy are sponsoring a hashtag event, #NatureSelfie, so take a team photo and participate on Instagram!