(image via Virginia Nurses Association)

With the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, we think it is incredibly important to cover the astounding work our clients are putting forth. One such being the Virginia Nurses Association (VNA).

We are in unprecedented times. In the face of COVID-19, much of the world has come to a standstill. To maintain the health of our colleagues, friends, families, and loved ones we are forced to practice social distancing. It is, in fact, our duty. For many organizations, this has brought incredible disruption to operations not just for you but for your members as well.

(Updated 2/17/2020)

For nonprofits, fundraising is an essential action and another form of advocacy for your supporters to take part in. That's why we felt compelled to put together this list of tools that can truly power your donations.

There are plenty of software options that can simplify and enhance your nonprofit's fundraising operations. The amount of choices can be overwhelming — so we’ve compiled a small list of top fundraising software options, providing an overview, key features, and pricing.

Having well built, updated advocacy content on your nonprofit's website is essential to ensuring your members are knowledgeable and equipped to engage in grassroots advocacy for your organization. It not only reinforces your value to members but also positions you as a leader in your space.

“Stories constitute the single most powerful weapon in a leader’s arsenal.”

In 2019 it seems as though there are endless ways for constituents to engage with elected officials — some representatives going as far as having live Facebook and Instagram streams where they can chat, take questions, and learn more from their constituents. For nonprofit professionals or organizations, who have to engage supporters in grassroots advocacy the de facto choice is often emailing legislators. Which makes sense, it’s an easy ask from supporters and with advocacy software you can have a form message locked and ready to go while capturing great analytics. I ask you this though, when was the last time you ran a patch-through call campaign? Find out below why using more patch-through call advocacy campaigns may improve your efforts and yield better results for your organization. 

It’s no secret how pivotal social media, especially Facebook, is to a successful grassroots advocacy campaign and more often than not it's going to be how someone who isn't a member of your organization finds your advocacy campaign. And while tracking pixels, targeted audiences, ads, and boosted content are important — there are fundamental practices that get overlooked that can up engagement rates and the efficacy of your advocacy.

There are many best practices to guide the creation of advocacy campaigns. Most of these cover high-level concepts that grassroots professionals understand. So what happens when best practices are followed, yet engagement rates, supporter growth, and policy goals aren't being reached? It may not be time to go back to the drawing board just yet, but it may be time to dig a little deeper into your campaigns and start asking questions that might lead to better insight. Here are 22 questions to ask before you launch your next advocacy campaign:

A Chamber of Commerce offers many substantial benefits to its membership. Scroll down to learn about four value propositions offered by Chambers of Commerce to its members, and how these member-focused opportunities often result in positive outcomes for the organization as well. 

It's undeniable that digital tools are more and more having an incredible impact on influencing public policy and on the government relations profession. From nonprofit staffs to lobbyists and everyone in between, the adoption of digital tools and strategies has proved valuable in shaping legislation and regulations. They have also applied data and analytics to a field once left up to hoping a meeting went well. Now nonprofits, associations, and government relations professionals can understand where their supporters lie, how many messages are going to legislators, and use that as proof of efficacy.

Chambers of Commerce represent the many business owning voices of a community (or state), and with such economic responsibility, it is important that chambers have the ability to advocate on behalf of their members. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce designates an entire section of their website to advocacy, including examples of regional chambers and their experience with public policy initiatives- take a look here. Digital advocacy tools give a Chamber of Commerce the ability to do just that. Below are just a few of the key reasons why a Chamber’s should design and implement a digital advocacy strategy:   

How do grassroots advocacy software and community advocacy intersect? As a leader or member of an organization you know that, more important than anything, are the community members that care about your cause. They’re the ones who help put in the footwork to make a positive change happen, especially in grassroots advocacy. It can be difficult to get your community engaged especially when you need them the most. That’s where the wonders of grassroots advocacy software come in:

Broadly defined as any organized effort to influence public perception/the policymaking process/particular legislators, political advocacy is evolving. New media platforms, social media channels, and smart mobile devices have together transformed the way that citizens connect with their representatives, reinventing how constituents can participate meaningfully in the legislative process. 

For more resources on advocacy and outreach strategy, visit our Political Advocacy Resources Center. 

There is a growing trend among advocacy organizations and Government Relations Professionals to incorporate social media as part of their digital strategy. In fact, a strong digital advocacy strategy often includes social media as a cornerstone of engagement. Social media can support
your advocacy campaign by extending the reach and influence of your mission-critical
agenda. Pushing your messaging out efficiently online will work to amplify public exposure
around your grassroots campaign. Take a look at these social media advocacy trends the Muster team has curated.