Organizing via Text and Voice on Mobile Phones

• Looking for the best ways to activate members and supporters and reach new people without having to rely on face-to-face contact or door-to-door canvassing when that’s not possible?
• Need to significantly expand your outreach with limited staff time and resources?
• Putting together your mass texting and calling “tech stack” (combination of tools) and want guidance on tool combinations, cost and best practices for your particular use case?
• Got this underway, but want to be sure you’re using the right tool combination and best practices including for data integration?
• Looking for the latest test results about what works including how to evaluate your own texting/calling program?

This training is for you. There’s been a ton of experimenting underway in the last 4 years especially, with tools evolving quickly. Some of these now make it affordable to reach thousands of people in your target demographic within a few hours on their cell phones.

Recordings captioned in English and Spanish.

Session 1 – Why text, types of texting, tools comparison, popular use cases

Warm and cold broadcast texting, warm and cold P2P texting, combining texting with ads, affinity texting, tool comparisons (Spoke, ThruText, Hustle, Strive, CallHub, native CRM options, customization and integrations with VAN/PDI, relational texting outreach tools such as Empower, Outreach Circle, OutVote, Team and Reach). How to compare tools and recommendations for particular use cases. A detailed tool comparison spreadsheets will be provided.

Session 2 – How to run powerful peer-to-peer text banks

Strategic considerations in planning a text program and a text bank. Getting the right infrastructure in place. Buying cell phone lists and using VAN/PDI for numbers. Planning your texting wave and “lukewarm” vs. “hot” examples of opening scripts, followup protocol and tagging, weekly cadence, escalation path. Options for structuring training and actual texting (e.g. remote, coordinated “zaps”), building a strong, fun volunteer/staff culture. What to do post text bank. We’ll also discuss data integration issues and best practices.

Session 3 – Evidence-Based Strategies for Program Creation and Evaluation

The Analyst Institute (AI) will present its latest research on phonebanking and SMS as it relates to volunteer recruitment as well as turnout. AI will also provide general recommendations for the testing of phone and SMS program timing and messaging.

Session 4 – All about opt-in texting (broadcast and chatbots) and why organizing groups should use a separate tool made for it

Many groups are texting opt-in lists using the same tool they use for cold P2P texts (or not texting at all). Why that’s a mistake for strong organizing. How to build up your opt-in list and cultivate long-term supporter relationships. How to use automated conversation flows (chatbots) to help you reach scale and drive actions.

Session 5 – Action Network v. Strive opted-in feature comparison

Many groups and unions will want to use either Action Network or Strive Digital’s opted-in texting tool. This will be an in-depth comparison of cost and features to help you decide if one of these tools is right for you, and to enable you to more accurately assess other tools you may be considering.

Session 6 – Phonebanking with a predictive dialer vs. manual dialer

When to phonebank instead of text. Layering channels. Manual dials via software vs. predictive dialers. ThruTalk, CallHub, Callfire comparison, including cost, ease of admin/user use, VAN/PDI integration etc. Advantages and disadvantages of predictive dialers. Recommendations for specific use cases. Strategic considerations, infrastructure setup, turnout program, cadence, other things to do before, during and after the phonebank.

Session 7 - Relational texting apps

A discussion of when to use these apps, how to integrate them into your organizing, and feature comparisons among five main apps.