Inspiration: The dog in the park and advocacy at its best
- Thu, August 25 2011
- Filed under: Mobile
It’s early days for good causes on mobile, so there aren’t many examples of small causes doing big things with phones.
Here’s a promising program to watch: The Susie’s Law Movement. The Susie’s Law Movement was instrumental in helping pass Susie’s Law in North Carolina last year to improve the welfare of animals in NC. They’ve created an app for the iTunes or Android stores:
Susie’s Law App from Smart Online on Vimeo.
I like the compelling storytelling, the clear calls to action and the ease of use. So how’s the app doing? I asked Anusha Sethuraman from the firm that developed the app (Smart Online).
Q: How does it work?
A: Supporters register themselves once they download the app. Their local representatives are located and stored inside the app, and accessed when the supporter takes action (sends an email to their representatives). ‘Action Alerts’ and ‘Push Messages’ are used to alert supporters of important animal welfare legislation. These Action Alerts quickly tell them what they need to take action on like ‘We need YOUR help in unchaining this county – email now’. Push Messages can be sent informing supporters that a new Action Alert is available. Push Messages are visible even if the supporter is outside of the app, they are similar to text messages, but do not require that the nonprofit collect mobile phone numbers in order to communicate directly with the supporter. When supporters view the Push Message they will be taken to the Action Alert screen of the app, and can take action in just 2 steps. The email is pre-populated and can be edited if the supporter so desires.
Q: Have you had any early wins with mobile?
A: The app was launched only 10 days ago but we have seen a considerable amount of downloads (close to 700), are maintaining a high retention rate on both platforms (over 85%) and over 70% of the users are active. We are hoping that with time more people can be recruited for the cause and support the organization’s efforts. We are in the process of building a case study and once we have more results, will be publishing a report.
Q: What’s your advice to other organizations that might be interested in using tools like this for advocacy?
A: You have the ability to reach a large number of advocates through the mobile space. A simple app like this that will allow you to reach your supporters anytime, anywhere they are, can have a significant impact. Push messages make sure that no matter what, your supporters will see your call to action and take action in just a couple of steps. Leveraging social media is a great way to build adoption of an app, so organizations that have already invested in their social media channel are well prepared to launch a mobile advocacy app.
My take? If you have large following eager to take action for your cause, mobile may be worth the investment. If you don’t, the return on investment may not justify the thousands of dollars in costs. It’s all about the size and engagement level of your audience.
Comments
You never fail to persuade me Kat. That’s why I really love visiting your blogs. And this one really is a good example of article for business. Mobile? I’d be thinking about it.