For organizers focused on leveraging people-powered change, grassroots software is especially important to raise awareness for a movement and mobilize new supporters to take action. Communication is an essential component of a successful grassroots movement, so organizers should use software tools that streamline the process of reaching out to and engaging with supporters.
Here’s our guide to the top picks for grassroots software that can support the growth of a movement:
1. For powerful communication between administrators and supporters, use Impactive.
The biggest asset that grassroots organizers have is their people: volunteers and supporters who campaign and canvass to advance a movement. Impactive is the grassroots organizing software that strengthens connections within a community. With tools like Friends and Family Messaging, Peer-to-Peer Texting, and more, Impactive empowers volunteers to connect with contacts via text, email, call, or social media DM to encourage them to join the movement. Impactive has supported trailblazing small-scale campaigns like Mauree Turner’s election to the Oklahoma Legislature.
2. For grassroots software that enables quick outreach to elected officials, use Resistbot.
Contacting elected officials is one of the most effective ways to strengthen a movement’s path towards change. Resistbot is a tool that simplifies grassroots outreach to elected officials from local levels of government all the way to members of Congress. Once an organizer or supporter texts a message to Resistbot’s shortcode, the tool converts the message into a letter that goes out to the elected official that represents the sender’s district. Grassroots organizers can either use Resistbot as their main communication tool for contacting government officials or combine it with traditional forms of contacting elected officials.
3. For easy grassroots fundraising, use ActBlue.
As important as support and awareness are, grassroots organizing rely on financial contributions from individual supporters. ActBlue is one of the most well-known and effective grassroots software tools for fundraising. Donors can save their credit card information on ActBlue to make multiple small-dollar contributions to a variety of campaigns and causes. Small donations have a major impact: over two days, small-dollar contributions amounted to over $100 million for progressive candidates and organizations in the wake of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death.
4. For people-powered mobilization with petitions, use MoveOn.
Petitions help to public signal widespread support for a cause. MoveOn is a grassroots software platform that enables people-powered petitions and connects supporters across the nation. Supporters can sign petitions, leave comments about why they’re demanding action, and get updates on any important updates or changes to a cause. As the number of signatures on a petition increases, supporters can celebrate their progress and urge others to recognize the sustained endorsement of a movement by other individuals.
Grassroots organizing requires a large amount of time and energy but has the power to create a monumental impact. Numerous grassroots organizations around the world are transforming their communities every day, with each change paving the way for greater structural improvements.
While systemic change might seem like an immense undertaking, movements need the support of as little as 3.5% of the population to see systemic change. On a national scale, that may mean mobilizing millions of people. But with the right message and the best grassroots software to help supporters take action, organizers can celebrate their collective power, mobilize effectively, and advance progressive causes.
