• Taking a Long-Term Approach to Nonprofit Storytelling

    May 18, 2020 by Sophie Thurber

    Stack of books opened

    Build Better Advocacy with a Plan for Nonprofit Storytelling

    Nonprofit storytelling is a powerful tool, but it often falls off the radar when push comes to shove, probably because it takes significant time and people resources to do well. This post will walk you through why it should always be part of your planning and priorities, how to weave it into things you’re already doing (it doesn’t have to be a heavy lift if you do it a little at a time) and some of the elements of compelling storytelling. 

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  • 7 Steps to Creating a Community Advocacy Campaign

    Feb 14, 2019 by Claire Regan

    LGBTQ pride parade. Picture of a hand holding a pride flag in front of a group of marchers holding hearts.

    Thinking of Starting a Community Advocacy Campaign But Don’t Know Where to Begin? Follow These Simple Steps.

    Launching a community advocacy campaign can seem intimidating – where would you begin? There are countless campaign tools available to you, but they don’t mean anything if you don’t know what to do with them.

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  • Grassroots Advocacy Basics: Coffee with Your Legislator

    Feb 11, 2019 by Ben Holse

    Two latte cups on blue plates sitting on a wooden table.

    How do you leverage grassroots advocacy? Start with a cup of coffee.

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  • Advocacy Mail: Getting the Most out of Letter Packages, Part II

    Feb 07, 2019 by Sophie Thurber

    Dog sitting at the front door with the door open and mail in his mouth.

    Advocacy Mail: List Building with Reply Devices

    Advocacy mail does not always get the credit it deserves. Part I of this post takes you through the basics of putting together a letter package for your advocacy mail campaign. Part II walks you through making the most of a letter package that includes a reply device (buckle up!).

    What is a reply device?

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  • Digital Advocacy Campaign Goal Setting

    Jan 24, 2019 by Shelley Rees

    Woman writing on a white board with sticky notes planning out strategy

    Can Your Digital Advocacy Campaign Have It All?

    We often find that a digital advocacy campaign is expected to meet multiple organizational goals at once. Unfortunately, you can’t really have it all. So how do you choose an objective and what digital strategy is likely to achieve it?

    Setting an Achievable Goal

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  • Getting the Most Out of Advocacy Mail: Letter Packages, Part I

    Jan 07, 2019 by Sophie Thurber

    Open white mail box with a lot of letters in it

    Advocacy Mail That Builds Capacity

    I have yet to encounter a client that doesn’t need to grow its advocate and/or donor bases, and letter packages are here to help! (Yep, I’m shouting about letter packages.) Letter packages are not the answer to every advocacy campaign’s needs, but in the world of direct mail, they can pack a pretty great one-two punch. They are statistically proven to be effective (people open them), and they can be formatted with a reply device, so you can actually list build with them.

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  • The Difference Between Advocacy Strategy and Advocacy Tactics

    Jan 03, 2019 by Sophie Thurber

    Dog with ball in its mouth on sofa

    Do you know the difference between advocacy strategy and advocacy tactics?

    You and your organization have worked hard to create a great policy book. Now, how do you get Congress or your state legislature to turn policy recommendations into policy reality? You need to advocate for it. Advocacy can come in many shapes and budget sizes. But whether it’s round or square, big or small, you need to have a plan; you need an advocacy strategy that outlines your overall goal and effective tactics that will help you cross the finish line.

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  • Create Positive Social Change with the Resist Podcast List

    Jul 30, 2018

    Create Positive Social Change with the Resist Podcast List

    Why the Most Positive Social Change is to Subscribe to the Resist Podcast List
    I love a good podcast. Amongst all the Fox News dog whistle rhetoric, it is good to hear positive social change.  This list is a compilation of favorites from the TCW staff and we know you will love them too. Listen, get inspired, and go instill positive social change throughout the world. Welcome to The Campaign Workshop’s Resist Podcast List.

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  • Build Up Your Resistance Political Tactics with the Resist Movie List

    Feb 01, 2018

    political tactics

    Why the Strongest Political Tactics Can Be Learned From Our Resist Movie List

    Welcome to The Campaign Workshop’s Resist Movie List!

    Movies are always a good idea. I always find it cathartic to immerse myself in scripted drama as a temporary escape from the real life political drama we are all living through because we all need a temporary escape. Watching movies can ignite the resistance by reminding of political tactics we’ve used in the past. 

    1. A Time To Kill

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  • Resistance Political Tactics with the Resist Book List (Part 1)

    Nov 06, 2017

    political tactics

    Why One of the Strongest Political Tactics is to Read the Resist Book List

    Sometimes, books are the best place to get inspired and learn political tactics.

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  • Emotion Makes a Difference in Advocacy Advertising

    Sep 21, 2017 by Elena Veatch

    advocacy advertising

    Why Emotion Beats Reason in Advocacy Advertising

    Here at The Campaign Workshop, we always stress the value of storytelling with strong visuals in political and advocacy advertising. In other words, using photos or footage of authentic people looking straight into a camera and speaking candidly about things they’ve experienced, makes communications materials more compelling. There’s far more potential to persuade folks through testimonials than there is through wonky policy white papers – the question is, why?

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  • How To Stay On Campaign Message

    Oct 07, 2015 by Joe Fuld

    campaign message

    How to stay on message

    With the first Democratic debate quickly approaching, let's discuss the importance of a strong campaign message. Presidential debates are a great way to learn what to do and what not to do. Staying on message is an art form, whether you are in politics, advocacy or in business. Below are a few best practices for staying on message.

    Pivot, pivot, pivot:

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