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Think Online Petitions Create Social Change? It's So Much More

Digital strategist Karl Hardin shares his secrets to success in Tyee Master Class, May 7.

Jeanette Ageson 2 May 2016TheTyee.ca

Jeanette Ageson is director of community development at The Tyee.

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Karl Hardin, digital secret weapon for many orgs, shares his philosophy and process for creating effective digital campaigns in Vancouver May 7.

Online petitions have received a bad rap over the years. While some websites, like change.org, boast victories such as getting the Bank of Canada to commit to adding Canadian women to new bank notes, the sheer number of such initiatives has led change-makers to wonder: do online petitions change anything anymore?

That question misses the point, argues digital strategist Karl Hardin. ''If people think that all they have to do to change the world is set up an online petition, or sign one, then we're in a lot of trouble.” Rather, Hardin encourages his clients to think of an online petition as a rallying point, a way for like-minded people to find each other to begin the hard work of achieving significant change.

Petitions can still be an important part of an overall campaign, but people shouldn't kid themselves that they'll achieve victory on their own. ''If you're doing it well, you're connecting to people with a story that touches on shared values, keeping track of the relationship, and offering ways for people to deepen that relationship and become more involved in organizing. This is what a good digital campaign and strategy can help you do.''

Hardin has earned his insight through years of trial and error in addition to a personal interest in storytelling, psychology, and community organizing. As former digital strategist for the Dogwood Initiative, he helped develop the organization's online engagement work into an email list of over 220,000 subscribers and a volunteer army into a force to be reckoned with.

On May 7 in Vancouver, he will be sharing his philosophy and process for creating effective digital campaigns in a Tyee Master Class. For more information and to register, go here.

The Tyee caught up with Hardin to gain more insight into his class.

The Tyee: Who runs digital campaigns? Or who might be able to benefit from running an online campaign?

Karl Hardin: Any person or group that wants to bring people together to make a change in the world. That could be a political party, a non-profit group, a union, or a group of activists. There's a lot of potential, especially for groups working on a local issue, to use digital campaigns to identify people in the community who share values and are ready to take action, and use that campaign as a starting point for all the work that needs to be done. A great example of this is the situation in Shawnigan Lake [wherein residents are fighting the dumping of contaminated soil near their source of drinking water]. There's a great opportunity to create a campaign that will build that movement and get people working together.

What's an example of a digital campaign that has totally rocked it? What did they do or are doing really well?

The campaign being run by Bernie Sanders is employing probably the best digital strategy the world has ever seen. It might be on its last legs right now, but considering where they started, I would call the campaign a success. They've done an amazing job of communicating a story based on strong shared values and providing tools for people to get involved and make it their own story, too. It's similar to the strategy that the Obama campaign used, but super-charged. The Sanders campaign has been much more grassroots with distributed power than the Obama campaign was, which relied more on official field organizers.

And how about poorly executed digital campaigns -- are there any common stumbling blocks that people run into?

I would say that people in general focus too much on tactics, not on outcomes. Or that they confuse the two. Getting thousands of signatures on a petition is great, but that's a tactic not an outcome. Your tactics should always be geared towards a final goal.

What will you be teaching in your class on May 7?

First, we'll go over the role of digital strategy as part of an overall campaign. We'll touch a bit on framing and storytelling, and how to connect with people in a way that will make them click through on your campaign materials. We'll spend a little time on some tools that are available out there for you to run these campaigns, and we'll also go through an exercise where participants will put together their own campaign strategy.

Who is this class perfect for?

Online campaigners, advocacy organizations, unions and union locals, political campaign staff, candidates for nomination, or community organizers. Anyone who wants to change the world for the better and wants to up their game a bit in finding their people through digital means.

Don't miss this great opportunity to learn how to create winning online campaigns with Karl Hardin.

Registration includes coffee from Salt Spring Coffee, a catered lunch from Terra Breads, a glass of Howe Sound Brewing beer to share with classmates, plus $50 free drive time from our promotional partner Modo (new Modo customers only).

Register for one Tyee Master Class and get 25 per cent off the registration price for any other class in the spring series. For the whole class lineup, go here.

For information about How to Break Through Online and Win Campaigns on May 7, go here.  [Tyee]

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