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5. Measuring Outcomes and Adjusting

Measuring Outcomes

At some point, you'll wonder what progress you've made. Advocacy against antisemitism is hard work! Sometimes, you don't get the goals that you seek. It's better if you can set measurements for outcomes to understand whether you've reached your goals or not. This helps you know what's working and what needs to change. By tracking your progress, you can celebrate small wins and figure out where to focus your efforts next.

Here area few tips on measuring outcomes:

1

Develop clear metrics and goals to assess the impact of your advocacy efforts

  • I.e - Quality of administration's response, # of legislative responses, # of policy requests honored
2

Regularly evaluate and analyze the results to identify areas of success and areas that need improvement

  • I.e - Shift policy goals in response to feedback, change outreach strategy if it is not working
3

Use the insights gained to adjust your strategies and tactics accordingly for more effective advocacy in the future.

  • Recognize that advocacy is a fluid and dynamic balance between your goals and what is possible

Matrix Tool to Assess University Response

When our group received a formal response from the university, we used the following spreadsheet to track our progress against our policy requests. On Y axis cells, we put our policy requests. On the X axis cells we put the university's response. By coloring in the cells at the intersection with green (accepted), red (denied) or yellow (ambiguous), we were able to track our progress.

Adjusting

You are going to receive news that administrators aren't interested in certain of your proposals, or that they have different ideas. It's at this crossroads that you will have to learn to adjust or not. This is a critical exercise. Adjusting to unexpected outcomes and divergent ideas from administrators is crucial in effective advocacy against antisemitism. Take the time to understand their perspective and consider how your proposals can be modified or reframed to align with their priorities. Flexibility and adaptability are key in navigating these situations and finding common ground for continued collaboration and progress.

Advocacy Strategy Pivot Tool

After you've received a response from the university, use the following tool to contextualize your requests and consider how you might pivot.

Using Technology to Scale Your Efforts

Technology and Innovation

Our campaign leveraged cutting-edge technology and innovative tools to enhance our efficiency, reach, and impact. This approach allowed us to punch above our weight and compete with better-resourced adversaries. Here are the key technologies and innovations we employed:

1

Generative AI for Messaging and Report Writing

  • We extensively used generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude to rapidly develop and tailor our messaging for various audiences.
  • In a critical moment, we leveraged AI to write a report in Title VI style under significant time pressure.
  • AI was instrumental in all our writing tasks, from press releases to policy proposals, allowing us to produce high-quality content quickly and consistently.
2

Data Scraping for Contact Lists

  • We utilized AI and data-scraping tools to efficiently compile press lists and legislator email addresses.
  • This approach saved us countless hours of manual copy-and-paste work, allowing us to focus on strategy and outreach.
  • Note: The specific tool used for this task should be documented for future reference.
3

CRM for Targeted Outreach

  • We implemented Pipedrive, a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, to manage and execute our outreach efforts.
  • The CRM allowed us to import a spreadsheet containing legislator information (first name, last name, email, and title).
  • We created email templates with personalization tokens, such as "Dear Senator [lastname]" or "Dear Representative [lastname]".
  • This system enabled us to send mass emails that appeared personalized, increasing the likelihood of our messages being read and considered.
4

Email Blast Strategy

  • By using the CRM, we were able to send out customized emails to all legislators in under an hour.
  • The personalization (particularly the correct use of titles and last names) significantly increased the chances of our emails being opened and read.
  • This approach allowed us to reach a large number of decision-makers efficiently, amplifying our voice despite limited resources.
5

Streamlined Workflow

  • The integration of these technologies created a streamlined workflow that allowed our small team to operate with the efficiency of a much larger organization.
  • We could quickly pivot from content creation to outreach, maintaining momentum throughout the campaign.

Lessons Learned:

  • Technology can be a great equalizer in advocacy work, allowing small groups to compete with larger, established organizations.
  • Personalization at scale is possible and highly effective when leveraging the right tools.
  • Investing time in setting up and learning these systems pays off in increased efficiency and reach.
  • Staying up-to-date with the latest technological tools can provide a significant advantage in fast-moving advocacy campaigns.

Future Recommendations:

  • Maintain a living document of useful tech tools and their applications for quick reference in future campaigns.
  • Regularly explore new technologies that could further enhance advocacy efforts.
  • Train team members on these tools to ensure widespread adoption and utilization.