STRATEGY GUIDE #2

USING MOBILE PHONES IN

ADVOCACY CAMPAIGNS
6y Michoel Srein
Edired 6y Korrin verclos
.PCJMF"DUJWFPSH
.PCJMF"DUJWF
ls a pro|ecf ol Green Medla Toolshed and NTEN: The Nonprolf Technology Nefwork.
About tbe MobiIeActive.org 5trategy Guide 5eries
MoblleAcflve ls a global communlfy ol sfrafeglsfs, acflvlsfs, and fechnologlsfs who are uslng
moblle phones ln fhelr soclal change work. Thls serles ol Sfrafegy Guldes examlnes fhe ellecflveness
ol nonprollfs uslng moblle phones fo bulld fhelr consflfuenf llsfs, lnlluence pollflcal causes, and ralse
money. Cur goal ls fo aggregafe sfrafegles, case sfudles and lessons learned as a means fo
encourage fhe adopflon ol moblle phones use by nonprollfs.
About tbe autbor
Mlchael Sfeln ls a wrlfer and lnfernef sfrafeglsf based ln Berkeley, Calllornla, who empowers
nonprollfs fo use fhe onllne medlum lor communlcaflons, lundralslng and advocacy.
He's fhe aufhor ol fhree books and numerous arflcles abouf fhe lnfernef. Flnd hlm onllne af
hffp://www.mlchaelsfeln.nef
About tbe editor
Kafrln verclas ls fhe Execuflve Dlrecfor ol NTEN: The Nonprollf Technology Communlfy, fhe
prolesslonal assoclaflon ol nonprollf fechnology sfall and provlders, and a lounder ol MoblleAcflve.
MoblleAcflve ls dlrecfed by Marfln Kearns ol Green Medla Toolshed who ls fhe cafalysf and
lnsplraflon behlnd MoblleAcflve, and by Kafrln verclas.
Des|gned by <`TW_POZ]R
Thls serles ol .PCJMF"DUJWFSfrafegy Guldes ls
supporfed wlfh a granf lrom fhe Surdna Foundaflon.
MobiIe Active
c/o 441 Wesf Sfreef Sulfe F-2
Amhersf, MA 01002
(413) 884 004
lnlo@moblleacflve.org Affrlbuflon-NonCommerclal-NoDerlvs 2.5
hffp://creaflvecommons.org/llcenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/
.PCJMF"DUJWFPSH
Mobile Fhones in Advocacy Campaigns 3
Mobile Advocacy Case Studies 5
Lessons Learned 13
Contents
.PCJMF"DUJWFPSH
ln one ol fhe world's largesf clfles. Greenpeace
Argenflna also demonsfrafed a lufure lor fhe use
ol moblle phones as a vlfal moblllzaflon fool ln
whlch moblle acflvlsm ls used as fhe prlmary fool
fo achleve a goal.
1

ln many counfrles around fhe world parflcularly
ln developlng counfrles moblle phones are fhe
easlesf and leasf expenslve way fo gef a phone
1: The campa|gn won a coveted 160Oharacter Award g|ven
to |nnovat|ve uses of mob||e techno|ogy for |ndustry and c|v|c
soc|ety.
160character s.org/news.php?act| on=v| ew&n| d=2035
Srroregy Cuide #2: Using Mo6ile Fhones in Advococy Compoigns
MOILE PHONE5
IN ADVOCACY
CAMPAIGN5
lf was a busy summer lor Greenpeace Argen-
flna ln Buenos Alres ln 2005 as campalgners
lanned around fhe clfy ol fhree mllllon lnhablf-
anfs fo bulld supporf lor fhelr "Zero Wasfe" cam-
palgn. The law alms fo dramaflcally reduce urban
wasfe over fhe nexf 25 years. Thelr fargef was
fhe Buenos Alres clfy councll whlch has leglsla-
flve power fo shape wasfe managemenf pollcles.
Greenpeace's greafesf campalgn assef ls local
concerned clflzens, buf now fhey have added a
new weapon ln fhelr arsenal ol moblllzaflon fools
fhe moblle phone. More fhan 4,500 "movlle ac-
flvlsfas" ln Buenos Alres enrolled fhelr moblles
fo recelve fexf alerfs lrom Greenpeace af crlfl-
cal phases ln fhe "Zero Wasfe" campalgn, ask-
lng fhem fo phone or vlslf local leglslafors and
elecfed pollflclans fo advocafe on behall ol fhe
wasfe reducflon campalgn.

Moblle acflvlsfs senf SMS fexf messages fo
leglslafors and key players lnvolved ln fhe blll's
varlous hearlngs, and SMS fexf messages were
used fo arrange sponfaneous meeflngs and dem-
onsfraflons. Alfer 15 monfhs ol campalgnlng,
local resldenfs won fhelr "Zero Wasfe" campalgn
ln lafe 2005, heraldlng a lufure wlfh less landlll
use, more recycllng, and no wasfe lnclnerafors
3
WHY APE MOILE PHONE5 U5EFUL FOP
ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN5?
Speed |s a cr|t|ca| aspect of advocacy campa|gns, and
mob||e phones a||ow the rap|d d|ssem|nat|on of messages
to a network of supporters w|th spec|fc ca||s to act|on.
Mob||e phone act|v|sts can qu|ck|y s|gn on to pet|t|ons and
get |nvo|ved |n other act|v|t|es, cutt|ng the response t|me
down to a few hours. Ema|| response t|me can take severa|
days.
For broad-based advocacy and outreach capa|gns, |n
many countr|es part|cu|ar|y |n the deve|op|ng wor|d} mob||e
phones are |n w|despread use and more common|y used
than the lnternet, so they offer a means to reach a broad
const|tuency of c|t|zens.
Young peop|e attracted to advocacy campa|gns are very
comfortab|e us|ng mob||e phones and text messag|ng, |n
part|cu|ar.
Read case stud|es from other organ|zat|ons,
part|c|pate |n ||ve mob||e campa|gns to see how |t works,
connect w|th mob||e vendors to |earn about too|s and
costs, and d|scuss strategy w|th other mob||e phone
campa|gners at.PCJMF"DUJWFPSH
ARE MOBILE PHONES
RIGHT FOR YOU ?
.PCJMF"DUJWFPSH
pro-democracy lnlormaflon fo rural areas ol Zlm-
babwe, or coordlnaflng sfreef profesfs ln New
York Clfy af fhe Republlcan Naflonal Convenflon
ln 2004, each one ol fhese has lound a way fo
make moblle phone an lnfegral parf ol fhe cam-
palgn.
A lof has been learned abouf fhe characferlsflcs
ol successlul advocacy campalgns fhaf lnfegrafe
moblle phones, and we share fhose lndlngs ln
fhls .PCJMF"DUJWF Sfrafegy Gulde, one ol a serles
ol guldes devofed fo fhe use ol moblle phones ln
clvll soclefy campalgns.
Srroregy Cuide #2: Using Mo6ile Fhones in Advococy Compoigns
4
llne, and are lar more pervaslve fhan fhe lnfernef
as a means ol communlcaflon. Wlfh an esflmafed
3.5 bllllon moblle phones ln use around fhe world
af fhe flme ol fhls wrlflng, fhey are ublqulfous.
There ls a relaflvely low learnlng curve fo uslng a
moblle phone, maklng lf lar more accesslble fhan
compufers fo a wlder range ol consflfuenfs. As
a hlghly personal means ol communlcaflon, mo-
blles reach fargef consflfuencles dlrecfly and lm-
medlafely and are fherelore conduclve fo lnsfanf
parflclpaflon and response hallmarks ol advo-
cacy campalgns. Furfhermore, moblles are small
and hlghly porfable, and are hence accesslble
when on fhe move and ln less secure envlron-
menfs. Flnally, moblles are lexlble and rapldly
evolvlng communlcaflons fools wlfh varled con-
fenf and convergence wlfh ofher medla such as
emall, webslfes, vldeo, sound, and lnsfanf mes-
saglng, and oller a wlde range ol opflons lor de-
llverlng advocacy messages fo lnferesfed parflcl-
panfs.
We've observed fhe use ol moblle phones ln a
wlde varlefy ol advocacy campalgns around fhe
world, and have been lmpressed by fhe creaflvlfy
fhaf non-governmenfal organlzaflons have shown
when lnfegraflng fexf messaglng and rlngfones
lnfo fhelr organlzlng ellorfs. Whefher lf's a pefl-
flon gafherlng campalgn ln fhe .K. fo ban seal
hunflng, or ellorfs by Greenpeace ln Buenos Al-
res fo adopf changes ln solld wasfe managemenf
lor fhe clfy, ellorfs by acflvlsfs fo dlssemlnafe
Mob||e phones can be used |n h|gh|y targeted ways
to recru|t supporters by us|ng spec|fc venues such as
concerts, ra|||es and events w|th the he|p of on-stage an-
nouncements, fyers, and handb|||s.
Mob||e phone text messag|ng a||ows an organ|zat|on to
de||ver a summary of a 'ca|| to act|on` on the sma|| mob||e
phone screen, and then |nv|te further contact v|a the Web
or ema||.
Mob||e phone fo||ow-up commun|cat|on a||ows an ad-
vocacy organ|zat|on to recru|t part|c|pants as permanent
supporters.
Advocacy campa|gns conducted by non governmen-
ta| organ|zat|ons are one arena where mob||e phones
have made an |mpact. We defne advocacy campa|gns
as an organ|zed effort to |nfuence pub||c op|n|on, ad-
vocate for or aga|nst a government or |ndustry po||cy or
pos|t|on, and mob|||ze stakeho|ders to take some k|nd of
spec|fc act|on that a|ds the outcome of a campa|gn such
as s|gn|ng a pet|t|on, mak|ng a phone ca||, send|ng a |et-
ter, or attend|ng an event".
ADVOCACY CAMPAIGNS
.PCJMF"DUJWFPSH
MOILE ADVOCACY
CA5E 5TUDIE5
Advocacy campalgns organlzed by non-govern-
menfal organlzaflons are a unlque soclal and cul-
fural arfllacf ol clvll soclefy. They represenf an
ellorf by a delned group ol lndlvlduals and ln-
sflfuflons fo elfher sfand ln opposlflon fo or ln
supporf ol some klnd ol governmenf, leglslaflve,
or corporafe pollcy. Fresenf-day advocacy cam-
palgns have soughf fo harness every communlca-
flons channel af fhelr dlsposal, lncludlng newspa-
pers, felevlslon, radlo, adverflslng, publlc servlce
announcemenfs, dlrecf mall, and fhe lnfernef, ln
an ellorf fo reach ouf fo supporfers and ofher ln-
feresfed lndlvlduals. Many advocacy campalgns
hope fo use specllc moblllzaflon evenfs as a
means fo reach ouf fo new supporfers. Moblle
phones are a new fool lor advocacy campalgn-
ers, as fhey seek fo reach new and exlsflng sup-
porfers, provlde new avenues lor engagemenfs,
decrease response flme, and provlde novelfy ln
how advocacy campalgns are conducfed.
ln fhe nlfed Klngdom, ma|or naflonal campalgns
fo profesf seal hunflng and confrol nuclear weap-
ons have have sfrafeglcally used moblle phones.
Tbe InternationaI Fund for AnimaI WeIfare
(lFAW) launched a campalgn ln Sprlng 200 across
fhe .K. fo creafe a popular groundswell agalnsf
fhe Canadlan pracflce ol seal hunflng. The cam-
palgn used a varlefy ol oufreach channels, lnclud-
lng fradlflonal adverflslng ln magazlnes, news-
papers and publlc franslf rall sfaflons ln London,
onllne (hffp://www.sfopfhesealhunf.com), and vla
moblle phones. The campalgn sfrafegy locused
on moblllzlng as many people as posslble ln one
monfh fo peflflon fhe Canadlan governmenf on
a blll fo sfop fhe pracflce ol seal hunflng. The
campalgn messaglng lncluded a lve-dlglf moblle
shorf code fhaf allowed lndlvlduals fo opf-ln fo
fhe peflflon. Cver 50,000 people parflclpafed ln
fhe moblle peflflon gafherlng campalgn. Alfer
an lndlvldual had fexfed ln fo fhe shorf code, 3%
responded fo a lollow-up requesf lor fhelr name,
8% provlded fhelr emall, and 13% vlslfed fhe
campalgn webslfe, provldlng uselul lnlflal bench-
marks lor campalgns ol fhls fype.
Agaln ln fhe nlfed Klngdom, Oxfam spearhead-
ed an ellorf ln June 2005 fo moblllze rallles af fhe
G8 Summlf ln Edlnburgh, Scofland, whlch made
exfenslve use ol moblle phone fexf messaglng
fo keep campalgners lnlormed abouf fhe lafesf
news lrom rallles. Af fhe Summlf, over 100,000
supporfers lormed a human whlfe band around
Edlnburgh fo demand frade |usflce, debf can-
cellaflon and more ald lor fhe world's pooresf
counfrles, klcklng oll a week ol acflvlfles lor fhe
Make Foverfy Hlsfory campalgn dlrecfed af fhe
G8 world leaders.
Cxlam used fexf messaglng fo alerf supporfers
ol Summlf news, lndlcaflng when and where fo
congregafe. Karlna Brlsby, Cxlam's lnferacflve
Medla Campalgner says: "Cllerlng fexf alerfs
Srroregy Cuide #2: Using Mo6ile Fhones in Advococy Compoigns
5
SOME IDEAS FOR
MOBILE CAMPAIGNS
SMS: Send up to 160 character text messages to
the mob||e phones of supporters.
R|ngtones: Offer po||t|ca||y-themed r|ngtone
sounds for you or your ca||ers to hear.
Short codes: se a s|x-d|g|t mob||e short code"
to recru|t supporters at concerts and events.
Fundra|s|ng: Ra|se money from supporters at
concerts and events w|th your short code by charg|ng
|nstant donat|ons to the|r phone b|||.
Forward-to-a-Fr|end: Encourage supporters to
forward text messages, r|ngtones and short codes to
fr|ends and fam||y.
.PCJMF"DUJWFPSH
Srroregy Cuide #2: Using Mo6ile Fhones in Advococy Compoigns

allowed Cxlam fo keep supporfers up-fo-dafe

ln real flme. Wlfh so many people expecfed
fhroughouf fhe week, lf ollered anofher way fo
organlze people. The G8 evenf ln 2005 helped
us bulld up our dafabase ol supporfers fhaf were
lnferesfed ln fexf messaglng. Two percenf ol our
K members have now opfed ln fo recelve SMS
fexf messages lrom us. lf's nof a huge number,
buf lf's a sfarf, and we're learnlng fhlngs each
flme we do lf."
Anofher SMS campalgn by Oxfam UK ln Aprll
200 provlded addlflonal dafa. The organlzaflon
confacfed 2,000 supporfers vla SMS fexf message
fo recrulf volunfeers fo help wrlfe confenf abouf
local evenfs lor fhelr webslfe. 10% responded
back, provldlng fhelr emall address lor lollow-up.
"l was expecflng abouf hall fhaf many people fo
respond," relecfs Karlna Brlsby. "Feople's re-
sponses can be preffy lmpulslve. ln fhls case, we
made a very personal appeal lor asslsfance fhaf
dldn'f lnvolve money or maklng a phone call."
Summarlzlng her lessons learned over fhe pasf
lew years, Brlsby nofed:
Send a fexf message lollow-up af fhe end ol
each moblllzaflon campalgn, lnvlflng supporfers
fo recelve lufure emall and moblle updafes on
Cxlam campalgn acflvlfles.
Remlnd people fo lorward your fexf message fo
a lew lrlends.
Texf messaglng copy musf be very brlel, and
musf engage, lnlorm, and moflvafe all af fhe
same flme.
Cnly send ouf fexf messages when you have a
speclllc, acflonable lfem fo communlcafe.
Conslder carelully how you'll publlclze your fexf
messaglng campalgn, because people parflclpafe
very lmpulslvely. For example, publlclfy should
reach people when fhey're llkely fo have fhelr
moblle phone ln easy reach, and where fhere's
adequafe recepflon fo send a fexf message.
"Ccring SMS tcxt alcrts allows Cxam
to kcc suortcrs u-to-datc in rcal timc.
Wc'vc uscd it during cvcnts and rallics to
dircct colc and crowds to sccic loca-
tions. Wc'vc also sccn our suortcrs or-
ward our tcxt alcrts to tlcir ricnds. 1lc
trickicst tling witl tcxt mcssaging is tlc
coywriting, sincc it's so bric. 1lc coy
must cngagc, inorm, and motivatc all at
tlc samc timc. Wc only scnd out tcxt mcs-
sagcs wlcn wc lavc a sccic, actionablc
itcm to communicatc."
Karina Brisby,
Intcractivc Mcdia Camaigncr, Cxam UK
Dur|ng the Internationa| Fund for Anima| We|-
fare's Spr|ng 2006 pet|t|on campa|gn to ban sea| hunt-
|ng |n Oanada, over 50,000 peop|e s|gned up v|a mob||e
phone. After an |nd|v|dua| has texted |n to the short code,
93% responded to a fo||ow-up request for the|r name,
68% prov|ded the|r ema||, and 13% v|s|ted the campa|gn
webs|te.
Oxfam |s a deve|opment, advocacy and re||ef agency
work|ng to put an end to poverty wor|d-w|de. Oxfam
be||eves that poverty |s not |nev|tab|e: |t can be tack|ed,
and must be ended. www.oxfam.org.uk
OXFAM
DATA AT
A GLANCE
.PCJMF"DUJWFPSH
Srroregy Cuide #2: Using Mo6ile Fhones in Advococy Compoigns
7

Licensing a mobi|e phone p|atform: Ga|n|ng
access to the techno|ogy too|s to operate a mob||e
advocacy campa|gn |s usua||y done through a
contract w|th a spec|a||zed vendor. vendors usua||y
charge setup and month|y fees to consu|t w|th the or-
gan|zat|on to craft the campa|gn strategy, set up the
p|atform to ft the spec|fc needs of the organ|zat|on,
and manage the outbound and |nbound mob||e mes-
sag|ng campa|gns. lnc|uded |n th|s ||cens|ng |s usu-
a||y a shared or non-shared mob||e shortcode" wh|ch
the organ|zat|on w||| use to promote the campa|gn.
Message transaction fees: Once the mob||e
advocacy campa|gn |s up and runn|ng, the organ|-
zat|on w||| |ncur per-message fees for send|ng and
rece|v|ng mob||e SMS messages. The per-mes-
sage cost w||| be vary depend|ng on vo|ume, and
carr|er pr|c|ng po||c|es |n the country of operat|on.
Fundraising transaction fees: lf the organ|za-
t|on p|ans to use |ts mob||e campa|gn to fundra|se
from supporters, add|t|ona| fees w||| app|y based on
the type of transact|ons and the country of opera-
t|on. Ourrent|y, |n most countr|es, carr|er costs to op-
erate mob||e payment process|ng charged d|rect|y to a
customer`s mob||e phone b||| are very h|gh, on the
order of 30-50% of each transact|on. Paypa| Mob||e
operates an |ndependent mob||e payment process-
|ng system that bypasses the customer`s mob||e
phone b|||, but wh|ch requ|res the customer to have a
Paypa| Mob||e account, wh|ch |s a sma||er popu|at|on of
users.
v|sa recent|y struck a dea| w|th the |argest manufacturer
of handsets, Nok|a, |aunch|ng a g|oba| system to use
mob||e phones as a payment system. Oonsumers are
ab|e to pay for purchases - and donat|ons - by sw|p|ng
a phone over a reader that e|ectron|ca||y commun|cates
w|th a m|croch|p on the phone. Phone owners confrm
MOBILE ADVOCACY
CAMPAIGN COSTS
the purchase w|th the push of a button and the dea| |s
comp|ete. Th|s deve|opment w||| open up fundra|s|ng v|a
mob||e phones s|gn|fcant|y, once th|s system |s perva-
s|ve|y used, and ho|ds s|gn|fcant prom|se for fundra|sers
to reach peop|e 'just |n t|me` when they are precept|ve
to a donat|on when hear|ng an ad on the rad|o, see|ng a
mov|ng pr|nt ad, etc} away from the|r computers.
Staff time for training, content deve|opment, and
campaign management: Do not underest|mate the
amount of staff t|me that needs to be ded|cated for the
effect|ve dep|oyment of a mob||e advocacy campa|gn.
The two key staff ro|es are campa|gn management wh|ch
|nc|udes |nteract|ng w|th the vendor and deve|op|ng con-
tent, and the var|ous techno|ogy management tasks
such as ||st management, |ntegrat|ng data w|th |n-house
databases, and rev|ew|ng mob||e metr|cs w|th the ven-
dor.
Bui|ding a custom mobi|e phone p|atform: Recent
software deve|opments prov|de new opt|ons for NGOs
non-governmenta| organ|zat|ons}, espec|a||y sma||er
grassroots organ|zat|ons.
One examp|e |s 'SPOUMJOF4.4 www.front||nesms.k|-
wanja.net}, a software package deve|oped by K|wanja, a
techno|ogy NGO based |n the n|ted K|ngdom www.k|-
wanja.net}, wh|ch |s des|gned to be an affordab|e, stand-
a|one out-of-the-box" so|ut|on for sma|| organ|zat|ons,
NGOs, and char|t|es.
Deve|oped |n|t|a||y for NGOs |n Afr|ca and frst re|eased |n
September 2005, the software |s current|y be|ng tested
|n fe|d tr|a|s by a number of nat|ona| and |nternat|ona|
NGOs. Front||neSMS and other s|m||ar open source"
mob||e software app||cat|ons offer the prospect of re-
duced vendor ||cens|ng and transact|ons costs, and are
espec|a||y usefu| for sma||er, more |oca||zed campa|gns.
Oosts to dep|oy and operate mob||e advocacy campa|gns can vary cons|derab|y from country to country depend|ng on fac-
tors such as fees charged by mob||e phone carr|ers, and the serv|ces offered by spec|a||zed vendors to set up a campa|gn
and support the organ|zat|on |n |ts efforts.
Here are the types of costs that an organ|zat|on can expect to |ncur:
.PCJMF"DUJWFPSH
Srroregy Cuide #2: Using Mo6ile Fhones in Advococy Compoigns
8
fhe use ol lnclnerafors, and glve employmenf fo
lnlormal workers fhaf currenfly search frash bags
on sfreefs. Greenpeace used a varlefy ol ouf-
reach channels fo reach local resldenfs, uslng fhe
Greenpeace Argentina prlnf magazlne, posfers,
a webslfe, llyers ln publlc places lncludlng re-
sfrooms and wlfh a sfrong word ol moufh cam-
palgn amongsf exlsflng supporfers.
A crlflcal lacfor ln fhe success ol fhe campalgn
was conslsfenfly adverflslng fhe moblle shorf
code, and acflvaflng fhelr "movllacflvlsfas" only
af crlflcal flmes wlfh an lmmedlafe and dlrecf ask
lor an acflon (ln fhls case, sulfably, a phone call)
lor maxlmum campalgn lmpacf. These ellorfs
fook place ln dense urban sefflngs and benellfed
lrom medla coverage and access fo a crlflcal mass
ol pofenflal acflvlsfs. Advocacy campalgns can
also make unlque use ol moblle phones ln rural
and more remofe sefflngs. Greenpeace Argen-
flna worked wlfh local lndlgenous Wlchl people
fo frack developer acflvlfy ln fhe Flzarro Reserve
ralnloresf ln Argenflna. Greenpeace provlded
moblle phones and fralnlng fo allow Wlchl par-
flclpanfs fo send fexf messages when developers
prepared fo clear land wlfh bulldozers and ofher
heavy equlpmenf. "There are no felephone land-
llnes ln fhls parf ol Argenflna fo sfay ln confacf ll
landowners are frylng fo desfroy homes and lor-
esf," sald Cscar Sorla, Communlcaflons Dlrecfor
ol Greenpeace Argenflna.
Greenpeace |s the wor|d`s most effect|ve env|ron-
menta| act|v|st group ded|cated to the |ssues of c||mate
change, sav|ng our anc|ent forests, stopp|ng po||ut|on,
end|ng the nuc|ear threat, abo||sh|ng nuc|ear weapons,
stopp|ng genet|c eng|neer|ng, sav|ng our oceans, and
advocat|ng susta|nab|e trade.
www.greenpeace.org
GREENPEACE
Acflvlsfs ln New York Clfy lnfegrafed moblle
phone fexf messaglng as parf ol fhelr sfreef dem-
onsfraflons colncldlng wlfh fhe PepubIican Na-
tionaI Convention fhaf fook place ln Sepfember
2004. Thoughf fo be fhe llrsf ol lfs klnd ln fhe .S.,
fhls experlmenf lnvolved sendlng SMS messages
lrom a cenfral hub fo alerf local acflvlsfs ol roufes
fhaf remalned open fo fravel fo profesfs oufslde
Madlson Square Garden, as fhe pollce blocked oll
large secflons ol fhe clfy. lf also alerfed lndepen-
denf |ournallsfs fo where cameras were needed
fo documenf profesfs, legal ald lawyers fo where
legal ald was requlred lor suspecfed rlghfs vlola-
flons, and llnally where medlcal ald was requlred.
Whlle fhere were loglsflcal and fechnlcal llmlfa-
flons fo fhe sysfem deployed durlng fhls evenf, lf
provlded a valuable blueprlnf lor communlfy ac-
flvlsfs and organlzers fo undersfand whaf's pos-
slble fo accompllsh wlfh moblle phones, and fhe
requlremenfs ol lufure sysfems.
ln Argenflna, Greenpeace made use ol moblle
phones as parf ol fhelr successlul 2005 "Zero
Wasfe" advocacy campalgn ln Buenos Alres fo
adopf changes ln solld wasfe managemenf lor
fhe clfy. Cver 4,500 people slgned up vla mo-
blle phone fo parflclpafe ln fhe campalgn, whlch
requlres Buenos Alres fo adopf a mandafory cal-
endar fo reduce fhe use ol landlllls, decrease
wasfe by lmplemenflng recycllng pollcles, ban
.PCJMF"DUJWFPSH
Srroregy Cuide #2: Using Mo6ile Fhones in Advococy Compoigns

"We gave moblle phones fo dlllerenf leaders ln

fhe communlfles and used fhem fo gef messages
lrom people." Cnce alerfed fo developer acflv-
lfy vla SMS, acflvlsfs could qulckly fravel fo fhe
deslgnafed areas fo provlde supporf.
NGOs in AIrica have used SMS text messaging
tools to span this vast continent to collect petition
signatures in support oI pan-AIrican campaigns
Ior human rights and social justice. ln 2004,
the U.K. and South AIrica-based NGO Fabamu
joined a coalition oI human rights groups sup-
porting ratiIication oI the Frotocol to the AIrican
Charter on Human and Feoples' Rights on the
Rights oI Women in AIrica. Adopted by the AIri-
can Union in 2003, this protocol protects a wide
array oI women's human rights, in some ways
breaking new ground in international lawbut
needed to be ratiIied by 15 countries in the AIri-
can Union to come into Iorce. The campaign pro-
vided an opportunity to test whether SMS text
messaging could be mobilized Ior a social justice
campaign. While there were between 5-8 million
AIricans using email in January 2004, there were
approximately 52 million mobile phone subscrib-
ers in AIrica at the time. Growth in AIrica has
been particularly exponential, mobiles have not
only leapIrogged the development oI Iixed-line
telecommunications inIrastructure in AIrica, but
also surged well beyond the lnternet as a prima-
ry communications tool.
ln coordination with coalition partners, Fahamu
launched the signature campaign in July 2004,
asking supporters to sign the Web-based peti-
tion, get Iriends and colleagues to sign, and Ior
women's rights organizations to request related
pamphlets to hand out in AIrican Union countries.
Mobile phone users could text in their signa-
tures, and have them reIlected on the online pe-
tition page. Fahamu staII developed soItware to
handle incoming SMS text messages via a phone
number based in South AIrica. Callers were in-
structed to text in messages in a standard Ior-
mat: the word 'petition,' Iollowed by their name.
The SMS messages were received as emails and
then processed to extract the name and country
Irom which they were sent.
The petition collected 4,000 signatures, with
500 text messages a relatively small number
Irom 2 AIrican countries. The public relations
campaign in conjunction with the petition con-
tributed to the Frotocol ratiIication in November
2005.
2
Mobile phones can play an important role in
helping organizers recruit supporters, particu-
larly during mass mobilization events. We noted
this point while discussing OxIam's eIIorts during
the G8 protests in Scotland. Campaigners in the
Oxfam UK contacted 2,000 supporters v|a SMS
text message |n Apr|| 2006 to recru|t vo|unteers to he|p
wr|te content about |oca| events for the|r webs|te. 10%
responded back, prov|d|ng the|r ema|| address for fo|-
|ow-up. l was expect|ng about ha|f that many peop|e to
respond," refects Kar|na Br|sby, lnteract|ve Med|a Oam-
pa|gner w|th Oxfam K. Peop|e`s responses can be
pretty |mpu|s|ve. ln th|s case, we made a very persona|
appea| for ass|stance that d|dn`t |nvo|ve money or mak-
|ng a phone ca||."
DATA AT
A GLANCE
Fahamu has a v|s|on of the wor|d where peop|e orga-
n|se to emanc|pate themse|ves from a|| forms of oppres-
s|on, recogn|se the|r soc|a| respons|b|||t|es, respect each
other`s d|fferences, and rea||se the|r fu|| potent|a|.
www.fahamu.org
FAHAMU
.PCJMF"DUJWFPSH
Srroregy Cuide #2: Using Mo6ile Fhones in Advococy Compoigns
10
United States who mobilized people Ior massive
immigrant support rallies across the country dur-
ing Spring 200 attempted to take advantage oI
this as well.
The 5EIU lnternational Justice Campaign, Io-
cused on labor rights Ior immigrant workers,
experimented with supporter recruitment via
mobile phones. The strategy included handing
out cards in both English and Spanish with a mo-
bile short code to text to, and to get speakers
to make announcements Irom the podium. "We
had limited success," reIlects Melissa Roy who
helped organize this eIIort Ior the SElU. "Our
key lesson was that we needed to be crystal
clear with what you're asking people to do, and
Iind ways to repeat the appeal over and over."
lt is noteworthy, however, that while advocacy
organizations where not happy with their list
building strategies using mobiles, the mass dem-
onstrations were in Iact, Iueled by text messages
spread among young people and activists. A re-
cent report, .PCJMF.FEJBJOTU$FOUVSZ1PMJUJDT
by the Media 50 Group, notes:
"Though the larger protests were organized in
traditional Iashion with unions, churches, Hispanic
organizations, and Spanish language radio, there
was a secondary theme to the protests that mer-
its attention. Along with the massive protests,
there were hundreds oI smaller protest actions
happening without the input oI any centralized
organization. They happened almost simultane-
ously across the nation and involved hundreds oI
cities and tens oI thousands oI mostly high school
students, driven by lnternet social networks and
mobile text messaging.
Two quofes sum lf up well:
From Chino, CaliIornia -- "Cell phones were also
lnsfrumenfal, helplng groups locafe one anofher
fo lorm a larger presence. ... l fhlnk MySpace and
cell phones played 5 percenf ln profesf organlz-
lng all over Calllornla."
Amos J. Young Jr., a lormer youfh commlsslon-
er lor Fomona Counfy

From Fhoenix, Arizona -- "The school profesfs]
llkely marked fhe llrsf appearance ol a new gen-
eraflon ol acflvlsfs savvy abouf uslng elecfronlc
gadgefs, fexf messaglng and fhe lnfernef."
Jay Fugao, Teacher af Easf Cakland Commu-
nlfy Hlgh School
2: Fahamu: Pan-Afr|can Text Messag|ng for Soc|a| Just|ce," by
Em||y Gertz, October 31, 2005.
http://wor|dchang|ng.com/arch|ves/003694.htm|
SEl |s the fastest-grow|ng un|on |n North Amer|ca,
w|th 1.8 m||||on members |n the n|ted States, Oanada,
and Puerto R|co. www.se|u.org
SEIU
.PCJMF"DUJWFPSH
Srroregy Cuide #2: Using Mo6ile Fhones in Advococy Compoigns
11
Whlle young acflvlsfs moblllze, sparked by evenfs
af a momenf ln flme, advocacy groups are sflll
sfruggllng wlfh fhe moblle medlum. A planned
ellorf by SEl Local 11 nlf ed Healfhcare
Workers Easf whlch represenfs 275,000 mem-
bers and reflrees ln New York, Maryland, fhe Dls-
frlcf ol Columbla and Massachuseffs, have puf a
planned fexflng campalgn on hold pendlng an
approprlafe and urgenf campalgn fheme. Com-
menfs Jed Alperf, who asslsfs organlzaflons wlfh
moblle campalgn developmenf fhrough hls com-
pany PoIiTxt: "lf's besf nof fo launch a fexflng
campalgn wlfhouf a serlous, locused call fo ac-
flon on a parflcular lssue."
Communlfy organlzers ln fhe .S. have shown
creaflvlfy and medla savvy ln fhelr use ol moblle
phones fo promofe campalgns. Bulldlng oll fhe
example ol fhe grassroofs rlngfone campalgn
ln fhe Fhlllpplnes fhaf helped expose elecforal
lraud durlng fhe 2004 presldenflal elecflon, Erlc
Gundersen wlfh Developmenf Seed creafed sev-
eral pollflcal rlngfones fo help expose govern-
menf mlsmanagemenf durlng fhe Kafrlna hurrl-
cane. These llrsf rlngfones ol lfs klnd were wldely
covered ln fhe medla af MSN.com, Radlo Free Eu-
rope, Washlngfon Fosf, CNET, and ofhers. Slml-
larly, fhe popular muslc group They Mlghf Be Gl-
anfs released a rlngfone ln fhe .S. ln May 200
fo profesf fhe nlfed Sfafes Naflonal Securlfy
Agency's pollcles ol domesflc phone monlforlng.
R|ghts Group bu||ds and manages Mob||e Act|on Net-
works: a powerfu| too| to reach your ex|st|ng const|tuents
and en||st new supporters-a|| on the|r most persona|
dev|ce. www.r|ghts-group.com
POLITXT / RIGHTS GROUP
.PCJMF"DUJWFPSH
Srroregy Cuide #2: Using Mo6ile Fhones in Advococy Compoigns
12
Step 1: Set goa|s and p|an your mob||e ad-
vocacy campa|gn. P|ann|ng |s your frst step as
you connect your mob||e advocacy campa|gn to your
ex|st|ng rea|-wor|d advocacy efforts. Br|ng together
your team, commun|cat|ons, and techno|ogy to p|an
your effort, fgure out your t|m|ng, craft a pre||m|nary
budget, and dec|de on who does what.
Step 2: Ident|fy a vendor to run your mo-
b||e advocacy campa|gn. Ga|n|ng access to the
techno|ogy too|s to operate a mob||e advocacy
campa|gn |s usua||y done through a contract w|th a
spec|a||zed vendor. vendors usua||y charge setup
and month|y fees to consu|t w|th the organ|zat|on to
craft the campa|gn strategy, set up the p|atform to
ft the spec|fc needs of the organ|zat|on, and man-
age the outbound and |nbound mob||e messag|ng
campa|gns. Oons|der purchas|ng a shared or non-
shared mob||e shortcode" wh|ch the organ|zat|on
w||| use to promote the campa|gn. For sma|| grass-
roots campa|gns cons|der us|ng one of the open
source" mob||e software packages.
Step 3: Deve|op a market|ng p|an to reach
your mob||e const|tuency. W|th your |n-house
staffng and vendor |n p|ace, you can beg|n work on
a market|ng p|an to reach out to your supporters,
a|||es, and partners, who |n turn w||| he|p you make
the most of opportun|t|es to spread your mob||e ad-
vocacy campa|gn far and w|de. Ask: What are the
goa|s of the mob||e campa|gn? Who do you want to
reach? W|th what messages and w|th what ask"?
How does your mob||e campa|gn ft |nto your other
market|ng and outreach efforts?
SIX STEPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL MOBILE ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN
Step 4: Craft the mechan|cs of your cam-
pa|gn and your mob||e messag|ng steps. Turn
your market|ng p|an |nto rea||ty by fgur|ng out your
messag|ng steps and the prec|se |anguage for your
campa|gn. Not on|y w||| you embed your mob||e
short code |n your mater|a|s on b|||boards, on your
webs|te, |n ema||s, rad|o, Tv, etc}, but you`|| dec|de
what confrmat|on message to send back to peop|e
text|ng |n, how to ask for ema|| addresses, ma|||ng
address or phone numbers, and what frequency
you`|| use to send mob||e campa|gn updates.
Step 5: Set up your system to get your mo-
b||e data |nto your |n-house database. Work
w|th a vendor or tech support consu|tants or staff to
defne how you`|| move mob||e data such as mob||e
phone numbers, names, ema|| addresses, and ma||-
|ng addresses, |nto your database. Get your tech|es
|nvo|ved |n th|s process so you`re gather|ng the r|ght
|nformat|on and stor|ng |t correct|y for future use.
Step 6: Dec|de on your campa|gn c|osure
and eva|uat|on act|v|t|es. At some po|nt your
campa|gn w||| end and you`|| want to create some
c|osure messag|ng to thank peop|e for the|r part|c|-
pat|on, report on campa|gn success, encourage on-
go|ng engagement, and ask for add|t|ona| persona|
|nformat|on so you can keep them |n your database.
Oonduct a metr|cs ana|ys|s sess|on and campa|gn
postmortem to assess the effect|veness of your
mob||e advocacy campa|gns.
.PCJMF"DUJWFPSH
Moblle phones are uselul and creaflve fools fhaf oller a broad varlefy ol uses lor naflonal campalgns,
sfreef demonsfraflons, fargefed pollflcal campalgns, and ofher lorms ol soclal acflon.
Here ls a llsf ol lessons learned abouf how besf fo use moblle phones ln advocacy campalgns:
1 Understand your audience.
ndersfand fhe consflfuency (or audlence) lor
your moblle campalgn so fhaf you can properly
deslgn your campalgn and shape your messag-
lng around fhem. ndersfand fhelr use ol moblle
phones currenfly so you can sef fhe rlghf expec-
faflons abouf usage. ls your audlence ready lor
a moblle phone campalgn? ll you're nof sure,
conducf a survey fo learn more lrom fhem. Whaf
language should your moblle appeal go ouf ln?
Whaf age group ls your audlence? How does
your audlence use moblle phones - fexf, call, web
browslng?
2 Work witb a MobiIe Vendor.
To conducf an ellecflve large-scale moblle advo-
cacy campalgn, you'll need fo work wlfh a moblle
vendor who can help you wlfh sefup, lmplemen-
faflon, llsf managemenf, and undersfandlng mef-
rlcs. A vendor wlll help you sef up a shorf code,
cusfomlze fhe moblle solfware so you can ask lol-
low-up quesflons fo your opf-ln parflclpanfs, and
wlll help you anflclpafe your cosfs. Furfhermore,
slnce you'll llkely ask people fhaf fexf ln fo your
moblle shorf code fo provlde an emall address so
you can do emall lollow-up, fhe moblle vendor
wlll help you exporf fhe llsf ol emall addresses
so you can add fhem fo your general dafabase ol
supporfers.
3 PIan your mobiIe strategy earIy.
Moblle phones are mosf ellecflve ln advocacy
campalgns when fhey connecf flghfly wlfh exlsf-
lng campalgn sfrafegles, fhus ollerlng new fech-
nlques lor moblllzaflon, educaflon, and engage-
menf. To enable fhls connecflon, dlscuss moblle
sfrafegles as early as posslble durlng campalgn
plannlng, along wlfh ways fo use fhe lnfernef and
ofher medla.
4 Have a cIear caII to action.
Your moblle campalgn musf have a clear call fo
acflon. When uslng moblle messaglng, make
your campalgn have a very specllc and lmmedl-
afe "ask" so fhaf your appeal wlll be compelllng
enough fo gef people fo acf lmmedlafely. Thls
ls probably fhe slmple mosf lmporfanf lacfor ln
gefflng a hlgh moblle parflclpaflon rafe. Encour-
age parflclpanfs fo lorward fhe fexf message fo a
lew lrlends. Make sure your language ls very clear
and compelllng. Tesf your messaglng!
5 Identify your needs.
Moblle phone campalgns requlre coordlnafed
medla and publlc relaflons fle-ln, whlch can ln-
cur addlflonal cosfs, ellorf and plannlng fo be
successlul. Add your moblle campalgn fo your
checkllsf when falklng FSA, adverflslng, and prlnf
deslgners lor your campalgn.
Srroregy Cuide #2: Using Mo6ile Fhones in Advococy Compoigns
13
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.PCJMF"DUJWFPSH
Get creative.
Gef creaflve buf remember fhaf moblle acflvlsm
ls sflll a new medlum fhaf ls fhlrsfy lor lnnovaflon.
To engage your supporfers, be open fo experl-
menfaflon and frlals fo undersfand whaf works
besf, buf be respecflul ol fhe lacf fhaf many ol
your moblle slgnups may be new fo fexf messag-
lng or recelvlng aufomafed fexf messages. Be
open wlfh your consflfuency fhaf you're ln a frlal
phase and need fhelr supporf.
7 Gatber as mucb data as possibIe.
When uslng moblle phones ln advocacy cam-
palgns, lf's lmporfanf fo gafher as much dafa as
posslble fo undersfand whaf works and also fo
frack your progress over flme. A vendor can help
you exfracf uselul mefrlcs and lnferpref whaf lf
means. Whaf oufreach acflvlfy generafed fhe
mosf opf-ln fexf messages fo your shorf code?
How many people lorwarded your message,
vlslfed your webslfe, or provlded fhelr emall?
8 5bare your Data.
We are lnferesfed ln esfabllshlng benchmarks
lor advocacy campalgns uslng fhe new moblle
medlum. Benchmarks may be hard fo defermlne
durlng fhe lrsf frlals ol your moblle campalgn,
buf wlll be uselul golng lorward lor budgeflng
and sefflng expecfaflons. Benchmarks we are
lnferesfed ln are fhe number ol people who wlll
fexf your moblle shorf code, and fhe number ol
people who wlll provlde lollow-up lnlormaflon
such as an emall address. There ls clearly a need
lor more sharlng ol benchmarks and moblle par-
flclpaflon rafes among early adopfers ol moblle
acflvlsm fools and .PCJMF"DUJWF wlll conflnue fo
gafher dafa and resulfs lrom moblle campalgns
fo esfabllsh benchmarks lor advocacy campalgns
uslng fhe moblle medlum.
Srroregy Cuide #2: Using Mo6ile Fhones in Advococy Compoigns
14
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