Relational organizing is one of the most impactful tools an organization can use to increase supporter outreach and engagement. Studies have shown that relational organizing makes someone 6x more likely to sign a petition and 8x more likely to opt-in to an organizing event than contact through peer-to-peer texting.
However, encouraging action within a personal network can be challenging or even intimidating to a new volunteer. For organizers who want to give volunteers a little encouragement, here are some ways to enhance a volunteer’s relational organizing experience:
Throw a texting event
Texting friends and family doesn’t have to be a solo act. In the past, organizations have thrown texting parties through Zoom, even inviting a DJ to host the event. While having a DJ is a nice touch, the event can be as simple as encouraging a few volunteers to join a texting session and playing music in the background (even better if you create themed sessions and coordinate music matching the theme). During this texting session, volunteers can share tips on how they’ve effectively engaged with friends and family in the past and encourage each other to text their contacts.
A tool like Impactive’s Friends and Family Messaging can be helpful for organizations setting up texting events for relational organizing. Friends and Family Messaging allows administrators to create initial text scripts for volunteers to send to their personal contacts and response scripts that volunteers can use when a contact responds.
Additionally, Impactive’s Teams and Leaderboard feature can gamify the organizing experience and provide volunteers with a clear objective as they engage in relational organizing. Administrators can even offer incentives, like entries to a raffle, for each text that a volunteer sends to further encourage volunteers to take action.
Ask volunteers to post on their social media
Relational organizing isn’t based solely on text messaging: volunteers can integrate social media into their communication channels. Social media may be more effective for those who feel more comfortable using social media platforms to communicate with contacts. In fact, over 80% of adults aged 18-49 are active social media users, making social media platforms important places for communication.
Impactive’s Social Media Sharing feature helps organizations set up content for volunteers to distribute on their own social media platforms. Whether an infographic, a video, or key information, content shared on social media can be a compelling conversation starter for those in a volunteer’s personal network. Volunteers can post the organization's content with a caption prompting interested individuals to leave a comment or interact with the post. Then, volunteers can reach out to these individuals and encourage them to get more involved with the organization.
Send regular reminders & encouragements
Keep relational organizing at the top of volunteers’ minds by sending reminders and encouragements via text. Text messages are an effective way of reaching volunteers, as studies show texting is the most frequently used data service in the world, with nearly 100% of American adults having access to text messaging services.
A tool like Impactive’s Broadcast Texting makes scheduling reminders easier and more impactful. Administrators can test which day of the week or what time of day volunteers respond the best. For example, administrators may find that sending a reminder on a weekday may encourage more action than a weekend when volunteers could have social plans. Plus, organizers can capture the attention of volunteers by sending a fun graphic, like a meme or video, to help customize texts and get volunteers excited about relational organizing.
Most importantly, relational organizing should be framed as a moment of joy: it’s the act of collectively advancing an important cause and empowering the very communities that volunteers are in. Thank volunteers for the work that they put in during their free time with a heartfelt note sent by text, email, phone calls, or even a broadcast text. When volunteers recognize relational organizing as a positive experience, they can feel encouraged to attend the next texting session or event while benefitting from a meaningful connection between themselves and organizers.
