The Campaign Workshop Blog

Having a real marketing strategy and sticking to it is a hard thing, and key performance indicators, or KPIs, can really help. However, most folks have a very fractured view of KPIs for marketing. Because good KPIs use cross-team metrics, they usually are not developed and kept in one place, and they can be a real source of siloed and fractured information.

We go into the benefits of clear, combined marketing KPIs for nonprofits, how to choose and refine them, and the benefits of KPIs.

Julie Burkhart is the founder and president of Wellspring Health Access, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing essential abortion and healthcare services. A long-time advocate for reproductive rights, Julie has a deep understanding of the challenges and the importance of ensuring access to care in all communities. She is also the co-owner of Hope Clinic in Illinois, which has seen a 170% increase in out-of-state patients since abortion restrictions went into effect, specifically after the 6-week abortion ban was enacted in Florida. She answered 7 Questions.

Employee retention is hard. When an employee is leaving your business, as the proprietor, there is an instinct to feel rejected and think “I must have done something to make them leave."  When people leave my business, I have these thoughts as well. An employee moving on is never easy, but having good employees ultimately means opportunities will come knocking. With that said, here are a few tips I have used over the years when an employee is about to leave.

We’ve written a lot about political organizing and tools like canvassing and phone banking in the past. But what does the future of political organizing hold? As a political and advocacy organizer who has been working in this space for 30 years, I like to stay up to date on all the latest grassroots organizing trends and make sure I am not just relying on the old school tactics I grew up on, but am focusing on what is performing well and what will do well in the future. Here are my tips for stepping up your campaign tactics for 2026 and what to test going forward. 

GIFs for advocacy are one of the most effective ways to capture attention, communicate quickly, and make your message stick in a crowded digital environment. With countless messages competing for audiences’ focus, you need creative that is eye-catching, emotional, and easy to understand. That is where GIFs shine. These short looping visuals help your advocacy campaign break through the noise, move supporters, and keep your issue top of mind.

Dwayne Steward joined Equality Ohio as Executive Director in the fall of 2024. He previously served as director of inclusive excellence, accessibility, and belonging of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. He is also the founder and CEO of Make It Better Consulting. As executive director at Equality Ohio and Equality Ohio Education Fund, Dwayne leads a 25-person team and is focused on organizational development, fundraising, policy, and advocacy. 

Join us to learn more as he answers 7 Questions!

Here, we give immediate and ongoing strategic tips on how to build and sustain your board, including identifying the traits you want in a board member, defining board terms, focusing on growing recruitment, and developing a board culture as part of an organizational culture. 

When folks started creating targeted communication, sophisticated voter selects were the beginning of microtargeting. Voter modeling was soon to follow, and the age of advanced microtargeting began. These days, voter models are everywhere. No matter the campaign, you have access to voter modeling, but many folks don’t know what to use or how to use it. We’re here to help!

Digital programs are not a "set it and forget it" tactic. The organizations that get the best return on their digital investment are the ones actively monitoring performance, identifying opportunities, and making strategic adjustments in real time. If you’re working with a digital firm, that means learning to read a digital report with confidence and knowing which metrics actually matter for your specific goals.

Kyle Wagenschutz is a Partner at City Thread, a national nonprofit organization working to connect people and communities and change the way that local leaders think about infrastructure projects with an eye on mobility for all. Kyle was also recognized as a White House Champion of Change under President Obama for his work leading Memphis’s first active transportation master plan. The program secured funding to construct more than 200 miles of new and dedicated bike lanes.

He sat down with us to give his answers to 7 Questions.

Power mapping is a very useful advocacy tool, especially when you and your organization have limited time and resources. Power mapping can be used to target the key decision-makers or influencers needed most to achieve policy wins, allowing you to map those with voting and decision-making power over an issue you are advocating for.

It is critical to complete the power map BEFORE you plan out your strategy, including how resources are being spent. Using time, money, and people on the wrong targets often results in a failed campaign. Check out below to learn how!

Every year, advocacy and issue-based groups go to Washington, D.C., or their state capitol for lobby days to connect with legislators and impact legislation. Very often, there can be competition with dozens of other groups for attention, making it hard to stand out. Lobby days can be complicated, but we’re here to help.

Advocacy strategies can be time-consuming to create and difficult to execute. We have often written about the core elements of an advocacy plan, but taking the time to develop your advocacy strategy is an important step. But where do you begin? Try using strategy tools.

This week, we're sitting down with Chris Melody Field Figueredo and talking about cultural shifts within organizations, with an eye towards inclusivity and equity. Chris also talks about direct democracy and how the work that the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center (BISC) does is reshaping democracy!

The digital landscape has evolved dramatically since the early days of Facebook-only strategies. Today's advocacy campaigns need to meet supporters where they are—across multiple platforms, each with its own strengths, audiences, and engagement styles. From Instagram and TikTok to Facebook, LinkedIn, and Snapchat, understanding how to leverage unpaid digital advocacy effectively can save you thousands on large-scale digital advertising while building a more engaged community.

Self-care is a must after a grueling election cycle. Getting through Election Day is a huge accomplishment, but it can take a toll on your mental health. Late nights, too much pizza, a prolonged, laser-like focus on work—it can leave you feeling drained, foggy, and exhausted. Moral of the story, you deserve to kick back with a good book (or a great crossword, if you’re a nerd like me) and an even better drink in hand. Here are our top 10 tips for treating yourself. 

If you’re running for a local office, you probably won’t be giving speeches every day, but you will inevitably have a few moments where all eyes are on you. These may be your campaign kickoff, that first big "meet the candidate" night, or the party on election night.

So, what do you say? How do you connect with the audience, lay out your vision, and engage them without sounding robotic?

Well, it’s easier than you think. You don't need to reinvent the wheel. There’s a classic, five-step framework speechwriters have used for decades to build strong, powerful, and authentic speeches.

The process for finding good political candidates doesn’t involve filling out a job application. When a candidate decides to run for office, they may not realize that the time commitment requires hours of work and many more hours in the day. Sadly, the time commitment it takes to be a political candidate is not changing anytime soon.

When planning for an independent expenditure, it’s critical to avoid common mistakes that can drain your budget or even backfire. A strong independent expenditure program should be strategic, compliant with the law, and designed to complement–not harm–your favored candidate. 

Here are three areas to look out for to set yourself and your independent expenditure up for success. 

We had the opportunity to speak with Amanda Litman, co-founder and president at Run For Something, an organization that recruits and supports young, diverse progressives to run for down-ballot races and build long-term political power in communities across the country. Here are her answers to 7 questions about her work.