K Street Cafe

Cross-posted from the Congressional Management Foundation blog

In 1998, the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) embarked on a ground-breaking research project: to study best practices in congressional websites with the goal of providing Congress with guidance on how to use this emerging technology to improve constituents’ communication with, and understanding of, the institution. Three years later the initiative was boosted by a two-year grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts to create the Congress Online Project, in association with The George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management.

The project had an ambitious goal: develop a methodology for evaluating more than 600 congressional personal office, committee and leadership websites. CMF spent a year conducting focus groups with citizens, examining private sector research, and even polling reporters on their expectations when interacting with congressional websites. We then engaged in a thorough assessment process, assigning grades to every website on Capitol Hill. The strategy was: by highlighting the best practices, and playing to politicians’ natural competitiveness with a grading system, Congress would better utilize online communications tools, thereby better serving citizens. (more…)

Come hear Adfero Group’s own Sue Zoldak and Purple Forge’s John Craig discuss how organizations are using Mobile apps to organize, mobilize and engage their target audiences in grassroots advocacy, lobbying and campaigning.

Are you currently using Mobile to reach your organization’s assets? Find out more and sign up here.

Date: Thursday, November 10, 2011, 6:00 p.m.

Location:
Adfero Group
1666 K Street NW, Suite 250
Washington, D.C.

Schedule:

6:00 – 6:30 Meet & Greet
6:30 – 6:40 Introductions
6:45 – 7:30 Sue Zoldak (Adfero Group) & John Craig (Purple Forge)
7:30 – 8:00 Q&A

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Cross-posted from Adfero

We’re living in a mobile age. You can’t walk down the street without bumping into someone on their smart phone. And now with the stunningly fast growth in sales for iPads, people are spending less and less time at their actual computers.

Wired magazine famously declared last year that “The Web is Dead.” In the article, Chris Anderson and Michael Wolff argue that we’re abandoning the web for sleeker, simpler services. They say that “these dedicated platforms often just work better or fit better into [people’s] lives (the screen comes to them, they don’t have to go to the screen).” People are no longer interested in seeking. They are interested in getting.

In today’s world, people are constantly on the go. And so naturally, staying connected and receiving information happens on the go as well. In fact, a recent study by Flurry found that people are now spending more time on mobile apps than they are on websites.  Consumers in June spent 74 minutes per day on websites compared with 81 minutes using applications. That’s a growth of 91 percent over the past year. The data speaks for itself: mobile apps are crucial in reaching audiences.

So what does this mean for advocacy? Web sites alone will no longer cut it. Sure, your online Grassroots Action Centers and the Web tools you employ for grassroots action (for example, providing the opportunity for your activists to send emails directly to Congress) should remain part of your overall advocacy strategy. But you have to look beyond the Web now. (more…)

Our headline would make a great name if the Institute of Makers of Explosives ever decides to rebrand. (Isn’t everyone these days?) Alas, it’s taken, by a very worthy non-profit. KaBOOM! is devoted to promoting play and giving kids access to great playgrounds. The name is just the beginning of CEO and founder Darell Hammond’screative organizational approach.

Darell published a book called KaBOOM! How One Man Built a Movement to Save Play last month, coinciding with the organization’s 15th anniversary. it has reached the #4 spot on The New York Times Best Sellers list. Darell says the book is a platform to excite the organization’s base, open itself up to new audiences, and convince them that play is not a luxury but a necessity. He hopes to turn people into advocates for play, so that if recess is being eliminated in their schools, they will show up at school board or city council meetings and write op-eds. KaBOOM! has also created an online tool that allows people to input and find information about local parks and playgrounds and organize events there. The tool will become available on a mobile app in three weeks. By mapping out parks, KaBOOM! can also overlay race, health, and crime statistics and get a better understanding of where the deficit really exists.

To read the entire article on BisNow, click here.

If The Situation from Jersey Shore can be successful on screen, surely non-profits can too. Video can be invaluable in advocacy, fundraising, and awareness. “It’s not really a choice from where I sit,” says Academy Award nominated documentary filmmaker Danny Alpert: “The expectation of seeing the story is only going to increase.”

Danny tells us there’s a trend in documentary making to build a community engagement campaign surrounding the film. Funders don’t just want to see their names in the credits, they want to see impact. That’s what first led him to working with non-profits and his current role as executive producer for See3 Communications, an interactive media and marketing firm for non-profits and social causes. Danny tells us he starts every project by asking three questions: What are you trying to say? Who are you trying to reach? What do you want them to do? Just because it’s a fundraising video doesn’t mean it has to be about the solicitation. Sometimes the solicitation needs to be more direct than video. A fundraising video may be most effective in the cultivation and stewardship of donors.

To read the entire article on BisNow, click here.

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Social Media Ad Spending to Hit $8.3B in 2015 (Mashable)
Organizations will look to harness the power of social media even more over the next few years, increasing ad sales from $2.1B last year to $8.3B by 2015.

Ownership of TV Sets Falls in U.S. (NY Times)
As more consumers go online to fulfill their entertainment needs, television ownership drops for the first time in twenty years.

Originally published on PMPU.org.

One year ago today the Congressional Management Foundation launched its new venture, the Partnership for a More Perfect Union. For those of you that have been following the Partnership, you know that this represents a broadening of CMF’s core mission, which has always been to support the Member, committee, and leadership offices of the U.S. Congress. Now, through the Partnership, CMF is seeking to improve the communication, understanding, and relationship between Members of Congress and the citizens they represent.

Here’s a little bit about what we’ve been up to in the last year:

• On April 21, 2010, CMF launched the Partnership for a More Perfect Union with the help of our Founding Partners: Fleishman-Hillard, AT&T, Convio, and the Hansan Family Foundation.
• CMF and the Partnership released the results of the 111th Congress Gold Mouse Project that seeks to improve the quality of congressional websites to meet constituents’ needs and expectations. We reviewed all 620 Member, committee, and leadership office websites of the House and Senate, presenting the best 135 websites in Congress with the coveted Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze Mouse awards.
• On January 26, 2011, we released the report, Communicating with Congress: Perceptions of Citizen Advocacy on Capitol Hill, the results of a survey of 260 congressional staff on both sides of the Hill and aisle about how they perceive and manage constituent “mail.” That same day, CMF’s President and CEO, Brad Fitch, delivered the key note address on the key findings from the report at the Public Affairs Council’s National Grassroots Conference in Key West, Florida. (more…)

Cross-posted from Adfero

Last week, event registration site Eventbrite released data indicating that an individual Facebook “Like” is capable of driving more sales than a single tweet.  The study used in-house social analytics tools to track ticket sales, finding that the average tweet drove $0.80 in sales as compared to the average Facebook Like, which drove $1.34.

It may very well be that Facebook is a better tool for direct marketing to the general population.  But Eventbrite’s findings – and the media coverage that followed – miss the point about Twitter’s value.

Because Eventbrite’s findings were focused on how often the general population signs up for event, it’s not surprising that Facebook would win the head-to-head battle with Twitter.  As I have written before, the Twitter-Facebook divide can be explained by an analogy to two important but very different Inside-the-Beltway publications.  Facebook is best compared to Politico: both appeal to the general population and have a high volume of users/readers.

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Today at noon when the U.S. House of Representatives convenes, you don’t need to be in front of a television to watch what’s happening. For the first time ever, Americans can see the proceedings on Facebook — and use the popular social network’s interactive features to discuss and debate.

It’s happening on the GOP’s Pledge to America Facebook page. The action begins at noon ET and includes the swearing-in ceremony and remarks by Speaker-designate John Boehner (R-Ohio).

With an increased emphasis on digital media, Boehner is setting the tone for the 112th Congress. New rules emphasize transparency and employ technology to make the House more open and accessible to the American people.

Among the other things you’ll see change today, according to Don Seymour, Boehner’s deputy communications director:

• On Twitter: @SpeakerBoehner – Of course Boehner isn’t the only Republican in Congress to have a new Twitter handle. Majority Leader-elect Eric Cantor (R-VA) will take over the @GOPLeader account and his press team will Tweet from @CantorPress. Majority Whip-elect Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) will use @GOPWhip. You can find and follow more Republicans on Twitter via TweetCongress.org.

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