Building a Ladder of Engagement

There’s a lot more to successful advocacy than many might think!

Experienced teams are intentional in everything they do, making strategic decisions about their calls to action, the order in which they send them and the language they use.

“Successful grassroots advocacy is more than just sending email or texts, asking people to take action and hoping they respond,” according to Quorum, which makes professional advocacy software. “Sophisticated organizations have a plan to identify enthusiastic advocates and encourage them to increase their involvement over time.”

That strategy is often called the “ladder of engagement,” and it is an effective way to draw people into your program, engage them creatively and move them to take more effective action.  

Building a ladder requires monitoring how your audience responds to various calls to action and then developing a program that is designed to get them more active. Supporters receive progressively more engaging material that encourages them to move to new levels of support—to in effect “climb the ladder.”

Larger and more sophisticated programs segment their list, so that supporters at different levels receive different materials and different calls to action. Here is one way to segment the ladder of engagement, according to Quorum. 

• Supporters. The people at the bottom of the ladder are willing to take basic actions, such as signing a petition, writing a letter to a lawmaker or pledging to vote. But they might be convinced to do more with the right content and calls to action. When supporters at this level have taken several actions, they may be ready to move to the next level.
• Advocates. This second group is willing to perform more sophisticated tasks, such as making phone calls, attending an event, making a donation or contributing a personal story.
• Super Advocate. These are the people who do almost everything you ask, the true believers who are as enthusiastic as your staff. Many have a personal connection to your cause and are often interested in opportunities to do more. For example, they may be willing to participate in training, lobby days or peer-to-peer fundraising. 
• Ambassadors. This is the highest level on the ladder, the people who transition from volunteer advocates to leaders in your advocacy program. They might become coordinators, working with supporters in their area, or ambassadors who work directly with public officials. 

The ladder of engagement is a sophisticated strategy and may not be something that a young advocacy team can implement as it launches its program. But it is worth consideration as the team gains experience and begins to expand its activities.  

“An engagement ladder does not guarantee success, but it does provide structure to your advocacy efforts and ensure that you are harnessing the support you have available,” according to Quorum’s publication.  “Because you are identifying and activating people who are passionate about your cause, it can dramatically increase impact.”