Afterschool Alliance: Election Kit

Home base: Your campaign website

As soon as you start talking publicly about the campaign and creating new resources for the field, you are going to need a website to host information. The website also serves as a means of gathering additional contacts for your database. Your website should be live as soon as you are organized and should provide background information about the campaign, a place for visitors to show their support and sign up to receive more information, and links to your social media pages.

Strategies by platform

Social media is a good place to interact with policymakers—surveys of Capitol Hill staffers have found that even a handful of social media comments can draw attention. To reach out to your senator or member of Congress on X, using a find their handle in a searchable database.

Because social media is an ever-evolving medium, the rules governing social media's use in politics are not always clear. Be careful with your online communications to avoid electioneering. As an organization, it is not recommended to like, friend, or follow candidates on social media, as this could be perceived as an endorsement. However, your organization can follow the official government accounts of sitting elected officials.

Facebook

A Facebook page is a powerful tool for building awareness, mobilizing supporters in your state, and painting a picture of your issue. Set up a Facebook page (not a personal profile) so that people can "like" your campaign and stay connectioned to your organization. Include information about your campaign and a link to your official site in case people want to get involved.

Update your status regularly with recent developments or compelling information. Consistency and engagement are key; the more people who like, comment on, or share your posts or page, the more your reach will grow in your community and state. Photos and short-form video tend to reach more people than text-only posts or links.

X

X is another useful social network to bring attention to your issue because it's where elected officials, journalists and media, and larger organizations are most active. Use X to share consises, timely updates about any profesion you make, meetings you attend, or relevant data or links to articles to which you want to draw attention—so long as it's not perceived as an endorsement. Live-posting during events, hearings or advocacy days can be especially effective for visibiliyt with elected officials.

Follow other organizations, public figures, and people that are connected to your campaign. Check to see if the candidates have X profiles; if they do, keep an eye out for afterschool-related posts or other general updates and look for opportunities to joint he conversation or respond with your perspective.

Other platforms

While we recommend focusing your social media efforts on Facebook and X, it’s also worth expanding to other platforms if you have the time and capacity. Instagram and TikTok are useful for reaching younger audiences, families, and providers with compelling videos and quick information. Instagram Live and Facebook Live allow you to share events in real-time by livestreaming to your followers, but posting several key moments as short-form content can help extend the reach of your event beyond the moment!

LinkedIn can help you connect with professionals, partners, and even congressional office staff who may be relevant to your campaign. Your LinkedIn account is tied to your professional role—be mindful of sharing posts that could be considered endorsing.

Get your messages on the radar

Increased attention on social media in election season presents an opportunity to get your messages out to the widest audience possible.

Step up your general participation in social media; regular updates will help your follower base grow, and the more eyes on your updates, the farther your information can spread.
Keep up with political news and tie your posts into issues that are gaining attention in the media or on the campaign trail.
Write blog posts, stories on Medium, and op-eds on your issue.
Share graphics and facts about your issue on social media.
Share results of any candidate questionnaires—without judgment! When the field is narrowed to two candidates, make individual graphics for each question to show how both candidates responded—thus representing the entire questionnaire (and both candidates equally and in an unbiased way). With any candidate questionnaire, your organization should also publish the complete, unedited response of each candidate.

Capitalize on multi-candidate events

While using social media during single candidate events can either look like endorsing—or opposing—a specific candidate, multi-candidate events can be a great opportunity to get visibility for your issue.

Organize to get your question asked and then share the responses on social media. If your issue is not discussed, point that out and highlight how many people think this issue is important by using the event hashtag(s).
Cover the events online by live-posting, sharing photos and images with text-overlay, or sharing simple charts that show the data behind the problem you are trying to solve.
Organize attendance of the live event or watch parties—wear matching shirts or something identifying, check-in on social media at the event, post photos from the event, and provide individual supporters with suggestions for what content to share on social media (and what isn't appropriate.)

Using social media for research

During election season, social media is a great tool for research. You can use it to answer these basic questions:

Who are the candidates?
Are they active on social media? Where? What are their handles?
Who are their advisors? What are their handles? (Campaign advisors often move on to become the staff of elected officials.)
What are the candidates’ platforms?
What are the key dates during the election season? For example: debates, policy speeches or announcements, town halls, or other speaking events.

Back to the toolkit The Small Nonprofit's Guide to Advocating for Afterschool

Engage with candidates and the field

Interact with candidates Mobilize afterschool supporters Maintain momentum after the election

Communicating your campaign

Contact the media Reach out online

Making the case for afterschool

Address common misconceptions Advocate for afterschool STEM Advance Whole Child development