Learning from the One Campaign

For class I am developing a strategic plan to re-elect Congressman Tom Davis to the Virginia 11th district. One of the major problems with the Internet campaign on TomDavis.org is synergy between the website and the rest of the campaign. Currently, when a user fills out the volunteer form or requests e-email updates and newsletters, the campaign dismisses the information. I have attempted to volunteer and request information many times from the campaign and each time I have not gotten a single response. It makes me think, what is the purpose of asking users for information if they are not going to use it to communicate with voters?

I recently went on the One.org to support the Live8 campaign. While on the website, I signed the online petition to urge the G8 Summit leaders to increase aid to Africa and I donated money to the campaign. Immediately after signing the petition and donating money I received a thank you message on the website.

The next day I received two more thank you emails from the campaign. The first email gave specific examples of how my donation would be used to help relieve poverty in Africa. The second email provided an update of how many signatures were on the online petition. Over the next few days I continued to receive updates about the Live8 concert, the G8 Summit, and how I could help in the future.

The One Campaign is a good example of how a cause can create synergy between the website and the rest of the campaign. As I kept receiving updates from the campaign, I felt empowered to continue to learn more about the cause and help more in the future. The campaign kept my attention.

Political campaigns like Tom Davis for Congress should learn from the One Campaign. They would be able to keep voters intrigued and active during the election. This type of synergy will definitely be a part of my strategic plan.

Everyone please visit One.org to learn more about the upcoming G8 Summit and how you can help relieve poverty in Africa.