Best Practice: "Unshackle Upstate" Social Media Lobbying Portal

One of the best uses of social media for grassroots lobbying is the effort known as "Unshackle Upstate."  A group of Chambers of Commerce in upstate New York joined together around a legislative agenda for state government reform.  They decided to use their limited financial resources to launch a sophisticated social media campaign in support of their position and are holding New York public officials accountable for their spending decisions.

From their website:

About Unshackle Upstate



Unshackle Upstate is a bi-partisan coalition of over 70 business and trade organizations representing upwards of 45,000 companies and employing more than 1 million people. We hail from across Upstate New York with one goal: To achieve reforms in Albany that make Upstate a stronger place to do business.

Thousands of Upstate residents have already been heard by sending an email through our website to the decision makers in Albany. Progress has been made and the coalition continues to work for more.

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Make sure your voice is heard and send an email by clicking on the "Contact Albany" button. You will find a template email of support for Unshackle Upstate's reform agenda already done for you. Sending an email will only take a minute or two, and is sure to make an impact.

They area also using this as an effective method to engage interested parties in fundraising for their Political Action Committee - UPAC.  Funds raised via UPAC are used to support candidates that align with the Unshackle Upstate agenda.

This is a great model for future social media lobbying campaigns that fully integrate the webs most popular free tools including Facebook, Twitter, You Tube and blogging.

How Do Politicians Raise All That Money Online?

Take a look at Slatecard a "utility to support and enhance Republican activism."

Congressman Joe Wilson has turned to Slatecard in the wake of his "You lie" outburst during President Obama's speech to Congress last week.

Slatecard has created a simple, convenient interface for online fundraising.

From Slatecard.com:

ABOUT THE UTILITY


Slatecard is a utility to support and enhance Republican activism.

"Slatecard" is Slatecard.com PAC. Slatecard.com PAC is an independent, federally registered political action committee (PAC) which acts as a "conduit" to raise money online to help Republican candidates for federal office in compliance with the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA).

It is no secret that Democrats are far ahead of Republicans in converting their online presence to offline support. One website which the Left has used effectively since 2004, is ActBlue.com (ActBlue PAC), a site which provides a tool for activists and committees to raise funds for the candidates and causes they support. In fact, millions of dollars have been raised through the site since 2004.

It is our hope that Slatecard will level the playing field for Republican candidates and causes by providing an innovative platform for use by the Right kind of activists.

Our utility is available for use by all candidates running for a Republican federal office and we hope to make this service available to state and local candidates where possible in the near future.

Using a commercial vendor to handle our transactions, we are leveraging some of the lowest available rates on the market, which means that by contributing to candidates through Slatecard.com PAC, a larger percentage of the donation will actually end up going to the candidate. Soon, we will work to integrate with PayPal to offer more options to our users.

In addition to supporting candidates via this site, Slatecard has created an opportunity to fund their own commpany through the mechanism below.  Basically the donor can offer to "tip" the site providers by adding a percentage or designated amount to the contribution.

Slatecard is a platform that leverages the power of the Internet to better connect Republican candidates with grassroots activists. Slatecard is a volunteer effort, and we need your financial support to pay for bandwidth, continue our work, and improve our services for the community. Please consider supporting Slatecard with a donation today. We will continue to make you proud.

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You can use the power of the Internet to support a candidate supporting your issue.  I'll profile other portals in a later post.

Get Business in the E-Advocacy Game

The Business Industry Political Action Committee (BIPAC) is a Washington, D.C. based organization whose stated mission is:

"The nation’s premier source of business political strategy since 1963, BIPAC provides the political strategy, and tools, to help our members reach their election and public policy goals."

BIPAC created a program known as the Prosperity Project to help businesses engage with public officials across the U.S.

"The Prosperity Project® is your organization’s grassroots toolkit. Your employees and shareholders will use your Prosperity Project® Web site to educate themselves about candidates, workplace issues and elections; register to vote; find their polling place; and communicate with their elected officials about issues that matter to them, and your industry. Your employees will thank you. "

Basically, you work with BIPAC and they help you set up a grassroots e-advocacy website so your employees or members will have easy acess to online tools for issue engagement. The BIPAC system is in use in 30 states across the U.S. currently.

Check out a few of their partners:

The State Chamber of Oklahoma

Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce

The Pennsylvania Prosperity Project

If you're leading a pro-business policy effort, BIPAC is worth a look.

International Social Media Advocacy - Do You Speak the Language?

The U.S. isn't the only place citizens are using social media to move public opinion.

United Kingdom based Advocacy Online provides multiple e-advocacy functions including direct email contact with policy makers in 14 countries around the world.


From their site:

Advocacy Online is a leading provider of Internet software that enables organisations to run effective e-campaigns, raise funds, and grow online communities. In any language. In any country.

e-activist 3.0 - industry leading e-campaigning technology

netdonor - online donation processing

jamii - content management and social networking applications

political exchange - communities for one-to-one dialogue with political decision-makers

All of these products include our integrated email client and access to our data API for simple database integration.

With offices in London, Washington, and Toronto, it's worth considering this vendor if you're needs go beyond U. S. boundaries.

President Elect Obama Set a New Standard

If you're new to grassroots lobbying, then start by studying the best to date. President Elect Obama used social networking to the extreme and appears to be carrying his many innovative tactics forward through the transition to President.

From fundraising to announcing his VP pick via text message, Obama will be copied by most who follow.

www.change.gov (transition to President) - many opportunities to submit comments and "join the dicussion"
www.obama.com (campaign site)
www.barackobama.com (fundraising)