Event Rapporteur- Comms for a Cause: #DigitalAdvocacyAU Panel

As a part of SOC Week at American University, Professor Scott Talan moderated a panel, Comms for a Cause: #DigitalAdvocacyAU, on February 26, 2015. The panel featured four American University graduates, all of who currently hold careers that deal with digital advocacy- Gaby LaVerghetta (SOC-MA ’13), the Global Communications Director for the World Affairs Council in Washington DC; Daniel Maree (SOC/CAS-BA ’08), founder of Million Hoodies for Justice and a former employees of The World Bank and Participant Media, Jason Rahlan (SPA-BS ’07), Communications Director of the Human Rights Campaign, and Keosha Varela (SOC-BA’07, MA ’08), a senior digital editor and producer at the Aspen Institute in Washington.

The panel mostly dealt with the best ways for students of communication to break into the field and included advice from the four panelists addressing how to do the best possible work to get a job in digital advocacy. After the panel, there was a chance to sit and talk with the panelists to learn more about their work and solicit more advice.  Though the panel was predominantly focused on the career-goal aspects, there were some moments that dealt with the uses of digital technology to create campaigns and foster advocacy.

The panelist briefly addressed the best ways to encourage real life advocacy through digital media. Maree stated that one of the most successful tactics he has found was to give people several different options for ways they can get involved that are more effective than just clicking “Like,” but less committal than donating money. For example, tweeting about a cause is something low effort that can increase participation. Another example was to offer them avenues so that they can continue to participate in the cause’s activities, such as an email list.

Other advice on the matter included paying special attention to the quality of the media you are producing. People are more likely to relate if what they’re reading is well written, but also sounds less like a press release and more like something a human being wrote. Finally, the panelists hit on the ever-important point of knowing who your publics are. The stakeholders and relevant audiences are going to be the ones most likely to take real action, so catering to them can not only allow a goal to be reached, but also expand who you’re talking to thanks to the networks of your stakeholders.

Another point that was made when it comes to campaign management was that it is important to always be plugged into to the media and digital environment surrounding your cause. Conversations and actions are always happening in the digital sphere, so it is crucial that advocates keep an eye on which way the discussions are heading so as not to miss an opportunity to promote their brand or further their cause.

So of the best advice imparted was not during the panel, but in the roundtable discussions after. At Maree’s table, he outlined his method for crafting a campaign strategy from scratch, including figuring out what your goal/problem is (solve for x), understanding the landscape you are operating in both in the digital and real worlds, and what the conversations should be on the community and individual levels.

Though the event was not totally relevant to the discussions we are having in class, the panelist clearly think about and deal with the same things we are learning about in their day to day lives. The advice and comments imparted could be applied to the field of digital advocacy in a multitude of ways, and their insight as to how to best operate a career in the field was certainly useful. I wish there had been more discussion about their strategies and past projects they had worked on, but overall I thought the event was well done and very informative.