When you want to have a bunch of letters arrive at someone’s office at the same time, do a mail surge
What is a mail surge
A mail surge is a coordinated way to make every activists voice heard at once. It is far more effective than having everyone write a trickle of letters whenever they feel like it. Mail surges yield maximum impact to any letter writing campaign
It’s a good idea to review the following, before starting a mail surge.
PHASE ONE
Identify the issue
First, make sure that you have clearly identified the issue. Then, ask yourself:
What do you hope to achieve with this mail surge?
What is the anticipated outcome?
PHASE 2
Strategize
What specific steps can my group take right now, and what would be the best course of action?
Who is the best person to contact?
Tips for churches. If you are a Pastor, you can start a mail surge by providing your congregants with three main things.
a) Presentation. It doesn’t have to be a power point or even a whole sermon on the issue, but it is important to address the congregation about the matter at hand. Detail what the issue is, how it will affect the congregation, and why it is important to act.
b) Give the call to action. Dircetly and clearly ask the members to write letters, and make it easy for them to do it. Ask them to write the letters before they leave the building, and have a box that they can drop them in. You can even supply stamps, or you can have them drop their unstamped letters in a box, and mail them later with non-profit postage. Don’t forget to put up a donation box by the envelopes to comver the cost of postage and supplies
b) Contact info. Have the contact information ready for your church to copy down on their mailing envelopes, or ask your assistant to print the addresses on the envelopes ahead of time.
c)Sample letters. Have some sample letters available that you can pass out to your congregation, along with some envelopes. Let them construct their letters right there in the pew. The sample letters provide them with a general guideline of ponts to cover, but encourage them to put it in their own words.
Developing Your Call to Action
What should be my Call to Action? Is a mail surge the best call to action? Or does the issue demand immediate attention–is a bill going to senate floor tomorrow? Make sure that there is time for the letters to reach the proper office before the issue expires
Once you are confident that a mail surge is the best course of action, here are the steps to follow.
Step One:
If your issue is not already listed here, fill out a simple form detailing what the issue is, and how urgent it is. We will review it ASAP and set up a webpage that you can direct your readers to.
Step Two
You can give this link to your readers so that they can find the proper representative in their district to contact. We can also help you craft some sample letters for your people to use as a reference, as well as providing them with letter writing tips.
Step Three
You can track the progress of your letter writing campaign online by asking readers to check the box when they have written their elected official (or other person on interest).
If you need help planning your campaign, we are only an email away. Let us equip you with the tools you need and help you chart the best course of action for a successful campaign
Link to: How to Start a campaign