Online Advertising

Online Advertising Doesn't Mean Instant

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

While it’s true that the world of online advertising is fast-paced- banking on instantaneous programs is a good way to fall short of your goals. Planning for a digital program will give you time to really define your goals and make sure your campaign has the right components, creative, and timeline to achieve them.

Rainbow slinky on a pink backdrop

Make Your Non-Profit Print Ad Pop

by Ben Holse (He/Him)

Whether it’s for Coca-Cola, AARP, or your local 4-H club, the goal of a print ad remains largely the same: get the reader to take an action. That action could be buying more pop, calling Congress, or raising a prize pig. To make that happen, you need to catch people’s attention and then clearly and concisely tell them what you want them to do. A print ad can be expensive, so make sure you’re getting your money’s worth. Below are a few of the best-practices we have used to create advocacy print ads for clients that make an impact.

Professional female photographer reading books in book store for inspiration

Print Ads for Advocacy Campaigns - Do They Still Work?

by Sophie Thurber (She/Her)

In all likelihood, when you’re hashing through communications tactics available to you for advocacy campaigns, someone will raise the idea of running a print ad (or three). With all of the options out there, it’s important to determine whether print is a smart use of your dollars. While I hesitate to say that print ads are never a useful complement to an overall advocacy program, I would urge careful consideration before deploying one. Here are a few questions you may want to walk through before signing an IO.

print ad
Member Public Affairs Strategy

Member Public Affairs Strategies to Remember

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

Member public affairs strategies can be an amazing way to move your issue forward. Membership organizations should have a head start when it comes to public affairs strategies, but that head start is often complicated. Membership organizations tend to have bureaucratic structures that make it difficult to work nimbly, especially when it comes to public affairs. Because of this, some member organizations have avoided using member-based public affairs strategies and they are missing out.

2016 Democratic Campaign

How Democrats Can Jumpstart Their Campaigns for 2016

by The Campaign Workshop

Races are heating up, but there are a number of exciting opportunities for Democrats up and down the ticket. Here are some tips to jumpstart your Democratic campaign:

How Does Candidate Recruitment Happen?

How Does Candidate Recruitment Happen?

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

Candidate recruitment in many places is a lost art form.  Contrary to the popular myth, someone from the DNC does not appear on your doorstep one day out of the blue and proclaim that you should be the next state rep. from Omaha. The majority of candidates who run for office are never formally recruited; they recruit themselves.

tropical island envelope

More Innovative Marketing Campaigns

by The Campaign Workshop

Our third installment of our picks for innovative nonprofit marketing campaigns is here to inspire  your creativity. This time, we have chosen four creative advertising campaigns that incorporate direct mail, video, and print advertising to convey important messages.

dog with newspaper

Political Advertising Mediums

by Ben Holse (He/Him)

Political campaigns have a number of options when it comes to political advertising. Which political advertising medium a campaign chooses depends largely on their strategic objectives, targets, and, of course, budget. Below is a very general overview of the most common modern candidate campaign communication mediums and their pros and cons.

programmatic buying

What Is Digital Programmatic Buying?

by The Campaign Workshop

There is a lot of talk these days about programmatic buying and how digital advertisers use it as the primary way to buy digital advertising.

Advocacy Strategies for 2015 and beyond

Winning Advocacy Strategies for 2015 and Beyond

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

Advocacy strategies have changed a lot over the last 20 years. When I was a chief of staff in the New York State Legislature, I don't remember there ever being a real advocacy campaign around public support of an issue that focused on legislators. The main way groups moved legislation was to hire a lobbyist and that was really it.

Working with a Campaign Toolbox

Campaign Toolbox Tips

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

We understand what it’s like to operate a campaign on a tight budget, so we’ve found some free tools to include in your campaign toolbox to help you along the way.  We hope you will find them useful as you launch your campaign or look for ways to better organize it. to ve clear no campaign tool will solve all of your campaigns problems.  Whether fundraising for a nonprofit, managing an independent expenditure campaign, or seeking office, a few of these tools will surely help you along your way.