Notes on SXSW, Day 3: Change.org Gives Me an Epiphany

***Please note, this is a draft. I haven’t proofed it or included the appropriate links, but I wanted to get it up before I started my day. ***

When you come to a conference like SXSW Interactive, you expect to be exposed to an idea that’s going to not only change the way your think about your work, but directly impact a project you are working on right now, or are about to start. Yesterday, during a sparsely populated session in the Radisson of all places, Change.org CEO Ben Rattray delivered that session — or at least he did for me.

As a quick back story, The Nature Conservancy is currently working on a plan to raise awareness of what amounts to one of the biggest hits to Conservation in the history of the country. This hit comes courtesy of House-proposed budget cuts that would essentially zero-out funding for the conservation of Federal lands and waters. (You can read more about this issue here and find out how you can help here.)

These cuts have put the Conservancy, a consensus-driven, non-partisan, non-advocacy organization in the petition of needing to take a public stance on a high-profile issue and forced us to try to mobilize our member base. We literally have to go from 0–60 in a matter of weeks.

Our (or should I say my) knee-jerk reaction was, “Stand-up a Convio email your representative system and get it rolling as soon as possible.” After a few meetings with more informed colleagues, I quickly realized that this strategy is now a non-starter. National, email your representative campaigns simply don’t work anymore.

So where do we go from here?

That’s the issue I’ve been struggling with — that is until Rattray provided a way forward.

Change.org has come upon a brilliant concept that breaks down national issues (immigration reform, gay rights, human rights, fracking, etc.) into localized issues that can create the baseline for success moving forward on the national level. Here’s how it works:

The current national political climate makes it very difficult to pass legislation providing increased protecting for gays and lesbians right now. However, on a local level there are several stories — and several wins that can be had that will not only make a difference for people on the ground, but will also provide a framework for national change and national discussion now and down the road. As an example, Rattray notes that thee are currently 29 states that prohibit LGBT teachers in public schools. Teachers have been fired for their sexual orientation. Change.org has helped set up personal campaigns in these cases to help draw attention to the issue and pressure school boards and universities to overturn these firings. And they’ve met with a good deal of success.

These victories are easier to achieve than national campaigns, Rattray says, because they rely on a personal story that a majority of Americans can relate to. No one thinks that a record-setting soccer coach should be fired simply because she’s a lesbian, least of all her players who started a petition to have her job reinstated — and won. They also succeed because a school administrator who gets 250 emails responds with a personal phone call. A legislator who gets 250 emails thinks of it as a joke.

Now, back to my thinking on the Federal Lands funding fight. The results of cuts to funding for Federal lands are inherently a local issue. When these cuts occur it is going to effect the forests and rivers that we all use for hunting, fishing and hiking — the effects are felt locally. However, the decision makers are working at a national level. So, Rattray’s model isn’t a perfect fit here. However, if we can find some local champions to be our campaigners, actions and petitions can be localized and personal. The question remains: How will that scale up to national action?

The details need to be worked out, but I’m pretty sure we’re onto something here — and I’m really sure this is a better call-to-action than an anonymous email your member of Congress form.