Last month's Net Tuesday San Francisco, "Creating Successful Web Campaigns for Your Nonprofit," featured David Taylor of Radical Designs and Jon Warnow of Step It Up .

We'll be posting a recording of the session later this month on the NetSquared Podcast, but in the meantime, here are a few notes from the session.

David spoke first (pictured left). He condensed several presentations into one 15-minute one for our Net Tuesday. You can find the original presentations, with tons of useful information, at: aspirationtech.org/training/eadvocacy

"Before you create an online campaign, you have to have a campaign."

When creating an online campaign you need to:

* Define your overall campaign goals and tactics.

* Define your online campaign goals, and define how they support your overall campaign
goals and tactics.

* Identify your online campaign target.

* Identify your online audience.
He divided the people who use online tools into two categories: online activists who spread messaging via email, online communities and online actions, and field organizers who use online tools for traditional organizing activities.

* Identify your online tactics/tools. Choose your tools based on your goals.
Online tools can be used to influence decision makers, mobilize people for events, build
community, educate, raise money and build your base.

* Pick the simplest solution.

* Engage supporters in real activities that have impact.

* Ideally, your tactic/tool is part of your strategy, and will get you exposure.

* Develop a campaign calendar that places your goals and tactics on a timeline.

He feels that email is still the strongest online organizing tool.

"It's about data, not technology"

* Be aware of data integration issues when choosing tools.
* The four things that need to integrate well are your content management system (CMS), your constituent relationship management system (CRM), your email delivery tool, and your donation processing tool.

Some of the tools and resources he recommended were:

Democracy in Action
Network for Good
Contant Contact
Vertical Response
Textmob
Idealware

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In January 2007, at the age of 22, Jon Warnow (pictured left) and his friends asked themselves, "What does the climate movement look like?"

They didn't want to organize a protest that people had to use oil to drive to.

They had:

-No experience with a national campaign
-6 college students
-1 professor (Bill McKibben)
-no money
-no members
-no email list
-1 boring slogan, "Cut Carbon 80% by 2050."

They decided to ask people to gather and take action on Saturday, April 14, 2007. Each group took a photo with some kind of banner that said, "Step it up Congress! Cut Carbon 80% by 2050."

The campaign was launched with an email invite by Bill McKibben to his mailing list. In 10 weeks they had 1400 actions in 50 states. People took photos of their signs all over the place: underwater, skiing down glaciers, in canoes, on the beach, and at the levees in New Orleans.

The night after the action, people were asked to upload their stories, photos and video. The Step It Up team matched the actions to Congressional districts and hand delivered stacks of Step It Up photos and stories to each Congressperson by the following Tuesday.

The campaign received tons of media coverage and spread internationally without their knowledge.

The team wrote a book with Bill McKibben that includes stories from 200 organizers, Fight Global Warming Now: The Handbook for Taking Action in Your Community. They wrote it in 3.5 weeks using Google Docs.

After a retreat with some of the main organizers, they decided that they needed to do another Step It Up before the primaries on November 3rd. People were able to invite their congressperson to an event. A mapping tool darkened each state as more invites were sent out.

His tips:

1. Use a flexible framework and crowdsource your campaign.
2. Encourage ownership and customization by supporters.
3. Embrace all kinds of people.
4. Create a resonant narrative.
5. Practice radical transparency and ridiculous responsiveness.
6. Limit your scope and stay focused.
7. Experiment and involve constituents.
8. Have a blast!

They are planning an international campaign to unite the world around the number 350 (we need to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million). You kind find more information about the campaign and how to get involved at 350.org.