Moving Beyond Email: Converting online energy and organizing into real-world action
In addition to the primary DemocracyInAction components, the DemocracyInAction Platform also contains a series of plug-and-play and standalone components. These can be inserted into pre-existing templates, or can stand on their own as separate pages.
Interactive Web Features
- Sign-up pages and forms: Create multiple sign-up pages that match the look and feel of your own website. Supporters can be sorted into specific groups upon sign up.
- Surveys and questionnaires: Gather supporter information through surveys and questionnaires which can be included in email blasts, advocacy campaigns or content pages.
- Multiple tell-a friend pages: Build your network by allowing constituents to send customized tell-a-friend emails.
- Volunteer sign-ups and manage volunteers: Easily create sign-up forms for volunteer positions and track volunteers based on fields such as interest, location and availability.
We have developed several tools for coordinating online and grassroots campaigns with your offline efforts.
- Offline events and Meet-ups
- Blogs
- Chapters
A sample sign-up page.
Chapters
The DemocracyInAction Chapter module is a means for groups to organize on a local level, around local issues and interests.
A DiA chapter allows individuals to sign up on an organization's website to become their own chapter leader. After providing some initial locality information, the chapter leader is tied. Chapter leaders have the ability to manage their own list of supporters, create their own customized websites, create local news reports, local blogs, manage local events, gain donation credits from the national organization, and add supporters to the national rolls. They also have the ability to organize their chapter members for local actions, house parties, donation drives, etc.
There are arbitrary levels of locality for chapters. For example, there could be an Illinois chapter that contains multiple city chapters, each of which could have many different township or regional chapters. Chapters can also be international.
The intent of chapters is to allow people to take action and be involved on a personal or local level, but also be part of a larger movement.
Local chapters have the ability to display news from the national organization, or create their own news and events based on the current local news. Events can be run, blogs written, chapter members contacted and organized, and money can be donated to the national organization that will be credited to that chapter. This allows for chapter incentive programs such as a percentage kickback to the chapter, national notes of excellent chapters, and competition between neighboring chapters to raise funds.
The national organization has the ability to monitor the news and websites of their local chapters, contact chapter leaders, retrieve donation reports, measure the effectiveness of local campaigns, and track which chapters are the most effective.
Chapters allow an individual to give their own unique twist, through blogs, news, and look and feel, while maintaining the branding and structure of a national organization. It also provides a grassroots distribution mechanism for information about an organization, without the large cost of a national ad campaign.
Event or "Meet Up" Tool
The DemocracyInAction event tool allows supporters and administrators the ability to create and manage events or house parties, and allows other supporters to then take part in those events. Supporters can enter information about where and when an event will occur, as well as how many people they wish to attend, and many other options. Website users can then search for events in their state, or events within a set number of miles of their Zip code, and sign up to attend.
The host of the event is able to look at who is attending their events, and email them directly. There are also features to track event attendance, donations at the event, associated information for the event such as talking points, and more.
The Event tool is tied in with the Email Blast, so that administrators can target emails based on who has (or who has not) attended an event. In addition, the Event tool has links with the Chapter module, so that a national organization with local chapters can have each chapter set up their own events, and track supporter attendance.
Blogging Tool
One or many blogs can be set up for daily updates. Multiple administrators can log in and make HTML blog entries, which will immediately be available on the website for view by visitors. Up to five separate blogs are supported, with unlimited blog entries for each blog.
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