Want to Know a Congressman? Know www.Congress.org

If you want to see what the hottest issues are for advocates looking for relief from Congress just check out Congress.org  As a part of the Roll Call family, Congress.org is a central location for action alerts published by their Capitol Advantage clients, relevant advertising by coalitions and corporations around major issues, and the ability to email your Member of Congress and whatever issue is on your mind.

Congress.org is really a one-stop-shop for those seeking information about Congress, specific issues, and legislators.

 Congress.org allows users to:

• Identify and contact elected leaders in Congress, the White House and state legislatures
• Post letters online and see what other Americans are saying to elected officials
• Create and post "Soapbox" action alerts to enlist others on your issue.
• Have letters printed and hand delivered to Congress.
• Find and contact local and national media by ZIP code or by state with the "Media Guide".
• Have your representatives votes sent to you by weekly email.
• Search alerts and take action in the "Issues and Calls to Action" area
• As a client, get your action alerts posted there and on Yahoo!, MSN, AOL and other sites.

If you're running a low cost advocacy campaign, take advantage of the free opportunities available to you on this site.

International Political Advocacy Made Easy

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.

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.

Grassroots e-Advocacy Systems

CapWiz vs. VoterVoice

According to the CapWiz website, 85 percent of Members of Congress and a growing portion of state legislators use Web forms instead of e-mail to receive constituent communications.

That means mass emails with only a link to the website of your Member of Congress are unlikely to be successful since targeted respondents won't want to deal with the hassle and won't always know what to say - therefore likely not to complete the messaging.

Both CapWiz and VoterVoice are designed to work seamlessly with Congressional offices to make sure your message gets to the intended recipient. If you're considering an e-advocacy system, make sure you check out both of them.

Social Media for Public Policy Advocacy - Case Study

I spoke to the annual conference of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives about my experience with social media and advocacy. Get a copy of my case study free.

The paper outlines strategies and tactics employed by the Detroit Regional Chamber as it lobbied behind funding for the ailing Detroit automotive industry. As a result of the Chamber's efforts, over 25,000 emails from all over the U.S. were sent to Washington D.C. to amplify the message.