Advocacy Guide: How To Generate Calls from Your Supporters to Elected Officials
Whether your organization advocates for policy change on the national, state, or local level, directing your supporters to call their legislators is one of the most powerful tools at your disposal. With EveryAction’s Click-to-Call tool, it is also one of the most convenient. Here’s how to set up a campaign and start connecting your biggest advocates to the decision-makers who need to hear from them!
1. Decide who you want to call
You might already have a good idea of who you want to target with these calls, but if you’re still trying to narrow down your options, asking a few questions can be helpful in clarifying and prioritizing your targets. Who are the decision-makers closest to the issue right now? If your bill is in committee, start with the committee members and leadership. If it is up for a vote, which legislators need an extra push to be persuaded? And you’re not limited to elected officials – your target could be someone with a different type of power, such as a local police chief, or a business owner.
2. Choose who should make the calls
Once you’ve chosen your targets, it’s time to build your universe. For state-level work, you’ll want to focus on voters within a target’s district. If you work on multiple issues and have tagged your supporters by their interests it will be easy to identify your most likely action takers, but you have several other options as well. Pulling a list of members who have interacted with similar content, taken an action before, or simply show high levels of engagement can also be a good place to start.
3. Write the script
Your supporters are much more likely to make a call if they feel adequately prepared – they’ll want to know who they are calling, what they should say, important background information, and logistical instructions about how the calling process will work. Our Advocacy Call Script Templates are a great place to start when building your script – just fill in the blanks with your instructions and talking points, customize any of the language, and you’re all set.
4. Set up a Click-to-Call email
Of course, it’s possible to do this manually: put all of your instructions, along with contact information for the call targets into an email to your supporters and ask them to report back to you if they make a call, but this isn’t ideal for anyone involved. Extra barriers like dialing switchboards can make it less likely that supporters will make the call, and you’re stuck relying on word-of-mouth and counting emails for reporting. With EveryAction’s Click-to-Call tool, all they’ll need to do is enter their own phone number and they will receive an automated call which will connect them directly to their target. If they’ll be calling multiple targets, they’ll be automatically connected with the next phone number after their first call. And best of all, you’ll be able to instantly and accurately track how many calls have been placed.
5. Send and track!
The rest is easy! Schedule your send and let your supporters advocate for your cause. If you’re building a full-fledged advocacy program, take note of those who made calls. Whether you put them into an email series offering them more opportunities to volunteer and engage, or prompt them to take the next step and make a donation, one phone call can serve as the beginning of a dedicated relationship.
Building an advocacy campaign? Download our Advocacy Call Script Templates to get started, and watch our Advocacy Workflow webinar for step by step instructions on developing leaders, rapid response, and more.
