Since the November US election, there have been stacks of blog posts, news articles, tweets and videos about how the Obama campaign (and to a lesser extent the Romney camp) “changed the way we do politics”. Even in Canada, where political campaign budgets are a fraction of their US counterparts, talk of “big data” and “building new platforms” are the talk of digital strategists.
The disconnect I see between the Obama/Romney campaigns and, frankly, everyone else is that both campaigns had hundreds of millions of dollars to spend, countless staff and an army of committed volunteers. Engage’s Patrick Ruffini noted in his firm’s “Inside The Cave” report that Obama’s digital team numbered around 300. Most don’t have that many volunteers/staff across the entire organization.
Which is why I found a new report, Digital Tools For Nonprofits, a fascinating – and practical – read. Commissioned by environmental non-profit The Joyce Foundation, Engage’s Ruffini and Obama For America Director Michael Slaby explain what smaller organizations with a limited budget can achieve using technology.
The report lays out general approaches non-profits can take, such as testing your assumptions with analytics and engaging digital staff/volunteers early in the decision making process.
If your digital staff compliment is less than 300, this report is a must read. Click here to view or download it.