In the past few months we’ve heard from many campaigns and organizations that in addition to the relational work that they are doing, they would love a way to assign contacts to an individual.  They have given us numerous reasons including organizing, fundraising, and updates to key staff, members, or supporters. We’re excited to launch a distributed organizing solution for them – Affinity P2P Texting.  Read on to learn more! 

What is Affinity P2P Texting?

Affinity P2P Texting is a powerful feature that enables rapid personal texts from a user’s own phone number.  It takes an admin just minutes to set up and enables the ability to rapidly send hundreds of texts.  Affinity P2P Texting is significantly more personal than cold texts, mass email, and unanswered phone calls.  Here is how it works:

  1. Admin uploads a list of names with cell phone numbers and creates a sample message
  2. Staff/volunteer/host/candidate personalizes message
  3. Staff/volunteer/host/candidate texts the assigned list of contacts (messages would come from their own phone number)

How is Affinity P2P Texting Different than Traditional P2P and Relational Texting

With Traditional P2P texting, messages come from a shortcode or an anonymous third-party number.  With Affinity P2P texting, messages come from a user’s own phone number. With relational texting, users text numbers in their personal address book.  With affinity texting, users are assigned numbers to text that are uploaded by an admin.  

When would you use Affinity P2P Texting?

You should try Affinity P2P texting in the following scenarios:

  • You don’t have enough time to call everyone you need to reach 
  • Social pressure would increase your conversion rates (parents texting parents)
  • You want to initiate an ongoing personal relationship between the texter and the recipient (e.g., union organizer and union member)
  • Your emails are going unanswered
  • Texter is willing to use their personal cell phone number (candidate texting local voters)

What are the best use cases?

There are a wide array of potential use cases.  Some of the most compelling include the following:

  • Fundraising – Candidates, fundraising staff, and EDs can text donors updates on fundraisers or solicit donations ahead of deadlines.
  • Organizing – Assign volunteers, prospects, or delegates to an organizer or local leader.
  • Union member to member outreach – Members (e.g., site leaders) can text other members to show up at lobby days, rep councils or protests. 
  • Rapid response – Send real-time updates for volunteers to share on social media.   
  • VIP updates – Keep VIPs, donors, and key volunteers up to date on the latest developments.

Try OutreachCircle Today

To learn more or try out OutreachCircle, visit client.outreachcircle.com or email support@outreachcircle.com.

 

Sangeeth Peruri is the CEO and founder of OutreachCircle, a digital organizing platform that harnesses the power of personal relationships to inspire action and drive change.  Formerly president of the Los Altos School District Board of Trustees, he serves on the boards of Orenda Education, Think Together and the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula. In his spare time, he is a fitness fanatic and competed on American Ninja Warrior 6 (check out his video here).