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Marketing / Outreach / Advocacy
Online outreach is more than just putting up a Web site; its about
planning and acting strategically, finding and posting to appropriate
Internet discussion groups, sending emails directly and APPROPRIATELY
to current and potential customers, perhaps even starting an online
community of volunteers, supporters and others. The most important thing
to keep in mind is that online outreach should be MISSION-BASED; it
should be tied directly to the primary mission of the NGO. Online outreach
and online service delivery should accurately reflect an agency's mission
and culture. It's not only what you say, but how you say it. The Internet
is about connecting humans, not machines! Treat it as such.
There are lots of web sites that can help online volunteers help NGOs
in marketing, outreach and advocacy activities. We suggest:
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A Web-based campaign to combat mass unsolicited e-mail advertisements
and to promote responsible Net Commerce.
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Before engaging in ANY online advocacy, read this! It provides links
to help you know what activities staff and volunteers can engage in
legally regarding lobbying, advocacy, and other public policy activities,
as well as links to web sites that outline what works -- and what
doesn't -- in online advocacy activities.
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by Steve Glikbarg, a co-founder of Impact Online.
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NetAction's tips for email outreach, featured in Mother Jones Magazine.
is a not-for-profit organization with lots of great advice for organizations
looking into mobilizing activism via the Internet, including accounts
of what's worked and what hasn't for various agencies.
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Though these pages were created for not-for-profit and public sector
agencies. Includes information on how to identify and post to appropriate
online discussion groups.
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Web sites are great -- but they are passive. E-mail is pro-active.
It's a GREAT way to drive people to your web site, as well as provide
information that a person can easily forward to others, reaching new
readers and, potentially, new supporters.
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Tips for online volunteers charged with researching contact information
for outreach activities by organizations in developing countries.
Requesting Links to a Web Site
- Before you contact any webmaster to ask for a link to an NGO web
site, make sure you have WRITTEN permission from the NGO to do so!
It's a good idea to submit a draft request to the agency, so that
staff can approve of the requests you will be submitting on their
behalf.
- Identify web sites that already provide a list of links to organizations
similar to yours. If the web site isn't already linking to other sites,
its probably not going to link to yours.
- When requesting a link from a web site to an NGO, make your request
about why it's appropriate for the webmaster to create this link.
Define how this link will add value to his or her web site.
- Name the exact URL(s) and title(s) of page(s) you would like a
link from.
- Do NOT ask for a link exchange; you should only add links to other
web sites that add value to your web site.
- A sample request for a mythical organization:
I would like to request a link from your web site to the Organization
to Save All Rain Forests Everywhere [URL HERE]. You have a page that
links to international nonprofit organizations that promote the preservation
of rain forests at [URL HERE], and OSARE has a similar focus to the
sites you have listed. In fact, we collaborate with many of these
organizations ourselves. We mobilize more than 1,000 volunteers each
year to help preserve rain forests throughout the world. We also have
a guide on our web site on how to train for eco-tourism activities.
Thank you for your consideration, and I hope to hear from you soon.
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