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Social Media for Lobbying and Advocacy
- 1. Social Media for
Lobbying and Advocacy
Giulia McPherson
CARE USA
August 14, 2012
© 2005, CARE USA. All rights reserved.
- 2. CARE Overview
CARE is a leading humanitarian organization dedicated to fighting poverty and
social injustice, placing a special emphasis on investing in women and girls.
In 2011, CARE worked in 84 countries to reach more than 122 million people with life saving
poverty-fighting programs, including maternal and child health, education, food and clean
water and more. We also responded to humanitarian emergencies like the food crisis in the
Horn of Africa, and advocated for policy change to help improve the lives of the world's
poorest people.
CARE’s Advocacy Agenda includes:
Securing effective funding for foreign assistance
Tackling global hunger and food insecurity
Increasing access to maternal and reproductive health
Assisting in emergencies and conflict situations
Promoting gender empowerment
© 2005, CARE USA. All rights reserved.
- 3. CARE’s U.S. Advocacy Structure
Although CARE’s programs improve the lives of millions of people each year,
lasting change requires effective economic, political and social policies.
Government Relations
Facilitates U.S.-based relationships with Congress and the Administration
Supports district-level targets with key policymakers
Learning Tours
Comprehensive, multi-day trip for policymakers and those who can influence
policy to gain firsthand knowledge of the core issues poor communities face.
Citizen Advocacy
Facilitate communication between constituents and their members of Congress
about the importance of investing in efforts to promote global development.
Targets key policymakers at state/district level
© 2005, CARE USA. All rights reserved.
- 4. Citizen Advocacy @ CARE
The History of CARE’s Citizen Advocacy Work:
CARE launched its Reproductive Health Education Program in 1998, which engaged
donors to form a nationwide network of advocates interested in improving women’s
health and the lives of families around the world.
Formally established the CARE Action Network in 2002, a nationwide network of
advocates supporting CARE’s advocacy agenda now totaling over 170,000 people.
CARE’s Citizen Advocacy team recruits, educates and mobilizes individuals and
works through partnerships to advance CARE’s policy agenda
Recruit -Tiered advocate structure; State/District Chairs
Educate – Advocacy trainings; conference calls and webinars; local/regional events
Mobilize - In-District Meetings; Action Alerts; National Day of Action; CARE
National Conference
© 2005, CARE USA. All rights reserved.
- 5. CARE’s Social Media Presence
Facebook (63,993 likes)
Post advocacy articles, event information, advocacy successes
Leverage web-based outreach including action alerts and e-newsletter
Group for State/District Chairs
Twitter (490,100 followers; @CARE)
Interact with advocates and policymakers
YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/careusa)
Videos from policymaker trips, advocacy-related events
Blogs & Action Center (www.care.org)
Provides space for in-depth explanation of policy issues
Share links through social media outlets
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© 2005, CARE USA. All rights reserved.
- 6. Spread Advocacy Messages
Social media is an effective way to raise awareness about poverty-focused
issues in a manner that is timely and interactive.
Post policy-related resources including articles, event information and policy
papers
Promote events including geographically targeted invitations to advocacy-specific
events
Integrate with long-term awareness-raising and fundraising campaigns on
specific issues to create compelling narrative and context for future action
Grow list of advocates through easy sign-up method and by promoting social
media outlets as often as possible
Take advantage of interactive opportunities including questions and surveys
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© 2005, CARE USA. All rights reserved.
- 8. Mobilize Advocates
Citizen advocacy plays a critical role in policy change and can be executed
through a variety of outlets
The most effective means of communication remains in-person meetings with
constituents, followed by personal phone calls and e-mails
Social media offers an opportunity to engage a large number of advocates at a
given time and generate momentum on behalf of a specific policy ask.
Share advocacy actions that are timely and strategic:
Humanitarian emergencies; critical times during the Congressional session
Partner with like-minded groups to generate momentum at a specific time
Use innovative tools including Twitter petitions
Combination of action alerts and petitions
Leverage high-profile opportunities including globally recognized days and stand-
alone events – CARE’s annual National Conference
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© 2005, CARE USA. All rights reserved.
- 11. Policymakers & Social Media
Policymakers are increasingly using social media as a tool to communicate with
their constituents by both sharing and receiving information.
Congressional offices are integrating social media tools into their operations, both to gain an
understanding of constituents' opinions and to communicate information about the Member's
views.
64% of congressional staff surveyed think Facebook is an important way to understand
constituents' views
74% think it is important for communicating their Member's views.
Congressional offices are using social media to help gauge public opinion, augmenting
traditional tools used for that purpose.
64% of the senior managers and social media managers surveyed think Facebook is a
somewhat or very important tool for understanding constituents' views and opinions
42% say Twitter is somewhat or very important
34% say YouTube is somewhat or very important tool for understanding constituents'
views and opinions.
Source: Congressional Management Foundation (2010)
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© 2005, CARE USA. All rights reserved.
- 13. Questions?
Giulia McPherson
gmcpherson@care.org
@giuliamcpherson
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© 2005, CARE USA. All rights reserved.
