Featured Module: Software Automates Advocacy

This looks to be a busy year politically, with a federal election now underway and a provincial election date set for the fall in Ontario.

Associations exist to work on behalf of their members, and in many cases this means ensuring that politicians hear the voice of their membership.

During the past provincial election in Ontario, Biz-Zone developed an advocacy module designed to rally members and get key messages in front of politicians campaigning for election. We created a specialized advocacy module to help our clients with this goal.

One of our clients created campaigns in their members' only section, which encouraged members to send a message to their MPPs. Members simply had to click on a campaign link, start with a pre-written message that each member could also customize, and then click submit. The resulting email was then sent to the member's MPP and it was also cc'd to a list of other politicians and industry leaders selected by the association.

Radio and print ads already show that large associations are starting to push their messages in Ontario in anticipation of the fall election. The nice thing about this advocacy module is that the entire program is a fraction of the cost of a radio or print campaign. What's more, it has the potential to be more personal. Hearing or seeing an ad smacks of self-interested advertising. A carefully crafted advocacy campaign has the ability to personalize the story, a key to any successful use of social media.

If your association has a message you would like to get out in one of the upcoming elections, please feel free to contact us for more information on our advocacy module. (The advocacy module is designed to integrate with Biz-Zone's content management software and members only module.)