Using a combination of input, output, and outcome measurements can advocacy campaigns more effective.

1. Measuring
Advocacy
Is Hard

2. Measuring Fundraising
How much money did
we raise?

3. Mi
Co Pr ssi
mm ogr on
Le un ams
ad ica
er ti
sh on
AS ip s
K

4. Measuring Advocacy
How much change did
we make/prevent?

5. Mi
Co Pr ss
mm ogr ion
Le un am
ad ic s
er ati
Mo sh on
b ip s
iliz
ati
on
O
th
er
St
uf
f
Change?

6. “How can we ensure that our actions and
our campaigns are influencing the right
actors at the right time? I fear that the rapid-fire
pace of our new media world is increasingly short-circuiting
essential strategic targeting and planning work -- thereby
pressuring campaigners, bloggers, and even internet
directors to confuse quality for quantity,
activity for results. It's clear that we need to spend
more time ensuring that our shiny online tools line up with
strong political strategy.”
~Michael Silberman
After Copenhagen: Turning Activism Into Impact,
http://www.echoditto.com/blog/after-copenhagen-turning-activism-impact

7. Start with
BIG GOALS
If your email open rates are 100% and you’re retweeted
1,000,000 times every day and you win 35 Webby
awards and the policy you care about remains
unchanged...
did you win?

8. Articulate and Stay True
to a Theory of Change
Not just online - what’s the
political big picture?

9. Measure Against Your
Theory of Change
Did you activate the people you need, not just the
people who happened to be there?
Did you mobilize people to do the things it seems most
likely will alter the outcome?
Did you mobilize toward the right targets?

10. Measuring Advocacy =
INPUTS
OUTPUTS
OUTCOMES

11. MEASURE INPUTS
(we’re pretty good at this)
• Emails sent
• Online petitions launched
• Tweets, FB posts
• “Coordination”

12. MEASURE OUTPUTS
(we’re getting better at this)
• Lists built
• Contacts made
• Online  offline actions (rally, meetings,
canvassers)
• “Engagement”

13. MEASURE
OUTCOMES
(we’re really bad at this)
• Movement building (new, targeted)
• Attention
• Agenda
• Progress toward change