I came to work for Advomatic because we “fight the good fight,” giving progressive organizations the tools and strategies they need to succeed online. Almost everyone on the Advoteam contributes back to the community outside of work too, whether it be closing the technology gap in Minneapolis or writing a book on Drupal.
What is one of the ways I give back when not at my desk? I’m part of the local YDA chapter, Manhattan Young Democrats (MYD), where I’ve been donating my time to manage their online outreach, largely through Facebook and Twitter.
Last week, we launched a major online campaign, New Yorkers for Marriage Equality, to fill the gap in online organizing for same-sex marriage in New York. The tons of local LGBT organizations have been doing a great job, but no straight allies had stepped up to the plate to help them out, especially using social media on a large organized scale.
My fellow team members at MYD recently succeeded in the field for Scott Murphy (D, NY-20), but we had yet to try this organizing thing online. Our first attempt, so far, is working. In the first four days alone, we helped New Yorkers send over 2000 letters to State Senators, many of which Speaker Quinn delivered on Tuesday. Our efforts were mentioned by some major press outlets, and even supported by Perez Hilton.
There was one big thing missing from New Yorkers for Marriage Equality: phone calls. Any successful advocacy campaign targets legislators by mail, e-mail AND phone. Advomatic has too many friends, family and co-workers who live without equal rights, and we want to do something to change that. That’s why Advomatic is sponsoring the Click-to-Call Tool for this campaign. We’re hoping that the 2000+ supporters who’ve sent letters, and all of their friends, will call their State Senators.
To date, Advomatic has helped progressive organizations like Health Care for America NOW!, SEIU and JStreet place nearly 30,000 calls to Congress, President Obama, Governors and State Legislatures. We at MYD are hoping our friends, family and neighbors step up to the plate to place all the calls we can. In the latest count, 17 of New York’s 62 State Senators are undecided on marriage equality. We won’t rest until all 17 of them vote for S. 4401 (Duane).
So that’s all well and good, but how can you help?
1. Write your letter at NewYorkEquality.com.
2. Make the Call (for free!) using Advomatic’s Click-to-Call tool right here.
3. Become a fan of New Yorkers for Marriage Equality on Facebook. Then suggest the page to at least 5 friends.
4. Join the conversation on Twitter: Tell your followers how to send letters, make calls and join the fight using the hashtag #nyequality in your tweets.
Not in New York? That’s okay, we could still use your help on Facebook and Twitter.
Want to get the movement going in your own state? Find out what others are doing here (scroll to the bottom of the post for a full list of state initiatives).