Relational organizing is a popular term in the organizing world, with good reason: it’s one of the most effective ways of getting people to take action.
Although the simplest form of relational organizing is having authentic conversations with personal contacts, certain features of relational organizing software can make outreach very easy. Organizing teams should consider these top features when seeking relational organizing software:
1. Contact Management
Without a way to manage contacts easily, robust relational organizing efforts can get challenging quickly. Relational organizing software helps users manage their contacts and keep track of outreach efforts within the platform, so they can navigate to one place for all of their organizing activities. The right relational organizing software also enables quick changes to contact lists like bulk imports, deletes, and edits.
2. Voter File Matching
Voter file matching is an essential feature for political campaigns and advocacy organizations looking to leverage relational organizing software for voter mobilization. This feature allows organizing teams to match personal contacts with the national voter file, so organizing teams know how to start conversations based on voting history, party affiliation, or the contacts’ home district.
Also, matching contacts to a voter file informs organizing teams of which contacts might need more support in the voting process. For example, a friend who votes infrequently may require a stronger outreach strategy than a friend who votes in their local and national elections whenever possible.
3. Messaging Scripts
It can be easy for some people to start conversations with friends about mobilizing for a cause or issue, but others may need more support. The best relational organizing software allows teams to set up a messaging script that volunteers and supporters can use to start conversations with relational contacts.
It’s even better if the software allows organizing teams to set up multi-layer scripts: one for an initial outbound message and a few for response scripts based on the predicted outcome of the conversation. Scripts ensure consistency in messaging outreach and make the outreach process much easier.
4. Reporting for Outreach Results
So, how do organizing teams know if their relational organizing efforts are working? The top relational organizing software will include reporting capabilities to monitor outcomes and insights from relational conversations back to the organizing team. This helps campaigns and organizations track the progress of their efforts and build information for future outreach efforts.
For instance, conversations between volunteers and their relational contacts may reveal that women's rights are a particular issue of concern. With this insight, organizing teams can strengthen support by creating messaging points highlighting their work surrounding this issue.
5. Bonus: Social Media Sharing
Some people may feel more comfortable starting conversations with their relational network via social media platforms. The option to post individually on social media accounts will always exist, but top relational organizing software includes the ability for teams to coordinate the digital content that users can distribute to their personal networks. Volunteers can then start conversations with any contacts that show interest in the message.
The Leading Relational Organizing Software: Impactive
These features can streamline the process of organizing for teams with robust relational organizing programs. Impactive is one such relational organizing platform that contains all five features mentioned above. Designed to support advocacy organizations, campaigns, organizations, and unions with their supporter outreach and engagement, Impactive offers Friends and Family Messaging, Voter File Matching, Social Media Sharing, and much more.
So whether it’s through text, a chat over coffee, or an email exchange, relational organizing will strengthen supporter mobilization for campaigns and organizations of any size. To help with those efforts, campaigns and organizations should leverage relational organizing software with these five must-have features.
