changemaker.lite/mkdocs/docs/v2/user-guides/campaign-manager-guide.md

Campaign Manager Guide

Overview

As a Campaign Manager, you're responsible for planning, launching, and optimizing advocacy campaigns using Changemaker Lite's Influence module. This guide will help you:

• Plan effective campaigns: Set goals, define targets, craft messaging
• Configure campaigns: Set up email templates, feature flags, and targeting
• Launch campaigns: Publish and promote to maximize participation
• Monitor performance: Track email sends, response rates, and engagement
• Optimize results: A/B test messaging, improve conversion, encourage responses
• Moderate content: Review and approve response wall submissions

Whether you're running a small local campaign or a national advocacy push, this guide provides strategies and best practices for success.

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Understanding Campaign Roles

You may have one of two roles that allow campaign management:

SUPER_ADMIN

• Access: Full platform access
• Capabilities: All campaign functions plus user management, site settings, etc.
• Use case: Primary administrator

INFLUENCE_ADMIN

• Access: Influence module only
• Capabilities:
  • Create and edit campaigns
  • Moderate responses
  • Monitor email queue
  • View representative cache
• Restrictions: Cannot manage users, locations, or site settings
• Use case: Dedicated campaign manager without full admin access

!!! tip "Role Specialization" If you only manage campaigns (not volunteers or locations), ask for INFLUENCE_ADMIN role. This keeps the interface focused on your work.

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Planning a Campaign

Defining Campaign Goals

Before creating a campaign in the system, clarify your objectives:

Advocacy goals:

1. Awareness: Educate the public about an issue
2. Pressure: Generate constituent contact to influence decision-makers
3. Mobilization: Build a list of supporters for future action
4. Visibility: Demonstrate public support through response wall

Measurable targets:

• Email goal: How many emails do you want sent?
  • Example: "1,000 emails to MPs by end of month"
• Response goal: How many public responses?
  • Example: "100 personal stories shared on response wall"
• Conversion rate: What % of visitors should take action?
  • Benchmark: 5-15% is typical for advocacy campaigns
• Timeline: When does the campaign start/end?
  • Align with legislative calendar, events, deadlines

Example campaign plan:

Campaign: Stop Bill 123 - Protect Clean Water
Goal: Generate 5,000 emails to provincial MPPs before second reading vote
Target audience: Ontario residents (all 124 ridings)
Timeline: 3 weeks (Feb 1-22)
Success metrics:
- 5,000+ emails sent
- 500+ response wall submissions
- 10% conversion rate (visitors → emails sent)
- 50% email delivery success rate

Understanding Your Target Audience

Who are you trying to reach?

By government level:

• Federal campaigns: Target MPs (Members of Parliament)

  • Use for: National legislation, federal regulations, federal budgets
  • Example: "Urge your MP to support climate action"

• Provincial campaigns: Target MPPs/MLAs (provincial legislators)

  • Use for: Provincial laws, education, healthcare, transportation
  • Example: "Tell your MPP to fund public transit"

• Municipal campaigns: Target city councillors, mayors

  • Use for: Local zoning, development, city services
  • Example: "Ask your councillor to protect the park"

By geography:

• National: All postal codes
• Provincial: Specific province(s)
• Municipal: Specific city or ward
• Custom: Specific ridings or districts

By demographics (requires custom targeting):

• Age groups
• Interests
• Previous engagement

!!! note "Representative Lookup" Changemaker Lite uses postal codes to look up representatives via the Represent API. Ensure your target government level has postal code coverage.

Crafting Your Message

Your campaign email is the core of your advocacy effort. It should be:

1. Personal

• Written in first person ("I am writing to...")
• Uses resident's name and contact info
• Mentions specific representative's name

2. Clear and Specific

• States the ask in the first paragraph
• References specific legislation (bill number, name)
• Explains what you want the representative to do

3. Compelling

• Explains why the issue matters
• Uses facts and statistics (credibly sourced)
• Includes emotional appeal (stories, impacts)

4. Actionable

• Numbered list of specific requests
• Clear deadline (if applicable)
• Follow-up mechanism (reply, meeting, public statement)

5. Respectful

• Professional tone
• Acknowledges representative's position
• Thanks them for considering your views

Example effective email:

Subject: Vote YES on Bill C-234 to Support Family Farms

Dear [Representative Name],

My name is [Your Name], and I am a constituent in [Riding]. I'm writing
to urge you to vote YES on Bill C-234, which would exempt farmers from
the carbon tax on natural gas and propane used for farming.

Family farms are the backbone of our food system, yet they face rising
costs that threaten their viability. This bill would save farmers an
average of $14,000 per year, helping them stay in business and keep
food prices stable.

I'm specifically asking you to:
1. Vote YES when Bill C-234 comes to the floor
2. Speak publicly in support of family farms
3. Oppose any amendments that weaken the bill

Farming is already a low-margin business. Every dollar counts. Please
support our farmers by supporting this bill.

Thank you for considering my views. I look forward to hearing your
position on this important issue.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Email]
[Your Phone]

What makes this email effective:

• ✅ Specific bill number (C-234)
• ✅ Clear ask (vote YES)
• ✅ Compelling reason (saves $14k/year)
• ✅ Numbered action items
• ✅ Respectful tone
• ✅ Personal voice

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Creating a Campaign

Basic Campaign Setup

To create a new campaign:

1. Navigate to Influence > Campaigns
2. Click "Create Campaign"
3. Fill in the form (detailed below)
4. Click "Create"

Your campaign starts in DRAFT status (not published).

Campaign Fields

Title

What it is: Public-facing campaign name

Best practices:

• Keep it short (3-7 words)
• Make it action-oriented
• Include the issue/goal
• Avoid jargon or acronyms

Examples:

• ✅ "Protect Our Forests from Logging"
• ✅ "Fund Public Transit Now"
• ✅ "Stop Bill 123"
• ❌ "Environmental Advocacy Initiative 2024" (too vague)
• ❌ "FPTA Campaign" (acronym unclear)

Slug

What it is: URL-friendly identifier, auto-generated from title

Format: lowercase, hyphens for spaces, no special characters

Examples:

• Title: "Protect Our Forests" → Slug: protect-our-forests
• Title: "Fund Public Transit" → Slug: fund-public-transit

Used in URL: https://yoursite.org/campaigns/protect-our-forests

!!! note "Slug Uniqueness" Slugs must be unique. If you try to use a duplicate, the system will add a number (e.g., protect-our-forests-2).

Description

What it is: Campaign overview shown on listing page and campaign detail page

Best practices:

• 2-3 sentences
• Explain the issue briefly
• Explain why it matters
• Include call to action
• HTML supported (bold, links, etc.)

Example:

<p>Ancient forests in our region are being clear-cut at an alarming rate.
These forests provide habitat for endangered species, clean our air and
water, and offer recreational spaces for our communities.</p>

<p><strong>Tell your MPP to enact a moratorium on old-growth logging
until sustainable forestry practices are in place.</strong></p>

Government Level

What it is: Which level of government to target for representative lookup

Options:

• FEDERAL: MPs (Members of Parliament)
• PROVINCIAL: MPPs/MLAs (provincial/territorial legislators)
• MUNICIPAL: City councillors, mayors

You can select multiple levels if your issue spans jurisdictions.

Example scenarios:

• Climate legislation → FEDERAL only
• Education funding → PROVINCIAL only
• Park development → MUNICIPAL only
• Transit expansion → PROVINCIAL + MUNICIPAL (both levels involved)

Email Subject

What it is: Subject line for emails citizens send to representatives

Best practices:

• Keep under 60 characters (avoids truncation)
• Start with action verb (Support, Oppose, Protect, Fund)
• Include specific bill/issue name
• Use variables for personalization

Variables available:

• {{USER_NAME}} — Sender's name
• {{REP_NAME}} — Representative's name
• {{REP_TITLE}} — Representative's title (MP, MPP, Councillor)

Examples:

• ✅ "Please support Bill C-234 for family farms"
• ✅ "Vote YES on climate action legislation"
• ✅ "Oppose the proposed park development"
• ❌ "Your constituent has an important message for you" (too vague)
• ❌ "I am writing to express my concern about the environmental degradation..." (too long)

Email Body

What it is: The email message template citizens send

Structure:

Greeting (uses {{REP_NAME}})

Opening paragraph: Who I am, why I'm writing

Body paragraphs: Issue explanation, impact, evidence

Specific asks: Numbered list of actions

Closing: Thank you, request for response

Signature (uses {{USER_NAME}}, {{USER_EMAIL}}, etc.)

Optional: User's personal message ({{USER_MESSAGE}})

Variables available:

• {{USER_NAME}} — Citizen's full name
• {{USER_EMAIL}} — Citizen's email
• {{USER_PHONE}} — Citizen's phone (if collected)
• {{REP_NAME}} — Representative's name
• {{REP_EMAIL}} — Representative's email
• {{REP_TITLE}} — Representative's title (MP, MPP, Councillor)
• {{USER_MESSAGE}} — Citizen's custom message (optional field on form)

Tips:

• Use HTML editor for formatting (bold, lists, links)
• Include {{USER_MESSAGE}} at the end so citizens can add personal stories
• Keep base template to 200-400 words (short enough to read, detailed enough to be persuasive)
• Preview before publishing (send test email to yourself)

Cover Photo (Optional)

What it is: Image shown on campaign listing and detail pages

Best practices:

• Use high-quality image (at least 1200x630 px)
• Relevant to issue (photo of forest for forestry campaign, etc.)
• Not too busy (text overlays should be readable)
• Use your own photos or Creative Commons licensed images

Upload: Provide URL to image (must host image externally or use media library)

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Configuring Feature Flags

Feature flags control campaign functionality. Here's a detailed guide on when to use each:

Core Feature Flags

1. Published

What it does: Makes campaign visible on public listing page

When to enable:

• ✅ Campaign is ready to launch
• ✅ Email template is proofread and tested
• ✅ Representative lookup is working

When to disable:

• ❌ Campaign is still being built (draft)
• ❌ Campaign has ended (or use disable_after_date)
• ❌ Need to make changes (unpublish temporarily)

!!! warning "Unpublishing" Unpublishing a campaign removes it from the public listing but preserves all data (emails sent, responses, etc.). The campaign page URL still works for anyone with a direct link.

2. Featured

What it does: Displays campaign prominently at top of listing page

When to enable:

• ✅ Highest priority campaign
• ✅ Time-sensitive (vote happening soon)
• ✅ Major organizational focus

Best practices:

• Limit to 2-3 featured campaigns
• Rotate featured status based on priority
• Feature new campaigns for first week to boost initial signups

3. Has Response Wall

What it does: Allows citizens to share personal stories publicly after emailing

When to enable:

• ✅ You want to showcase public support
• ✅ You have capacity for moderation (unless auto-approve)
• ✅ Issue benefits from personal stories

When to disable:

• ❌ Privacy concerns (sensitive issues)
• ❌ No moderation capacity
• ❌ Campaign is purely about email volume (not stories)

Moderation required: Unless auto_approve_responses is enabled, all responses must be manually approved.

Advanced Feature Flags

4. Collect Phone Numbers

What it does: Adds optional phone number field to campaign form

When to enable:

• ✅ Running a blended email + phone campaign
• ✅ Want to follow up with phone calls
• ✅ Building contact list for future outreach

When to disable:

• ❌ Privacy concerns (reduces conversion)
• ❌ No plan to use phone numbers

Data usage: Phone numbers are stored in campaign responses and visible to admins.

5. Track Calls

What it does: Adds "I called my representative" button and tracks call attempts

When to enable:

• ✅ Running a call-in campaign
• ✅ Encouraging both emails and calls
• ✅ Want to track total contact attempts (emails + calls)

How it works:

• After sending email, user sees "I also called" button
• Clicking increments call counter
• Calls tracked separately from emails

6. Require Verification

What it does: Sends verification email before recording email send

When to enable:

• ✅ Public campaigns (prevents spam)
• ✅ High-profile campaigns (media attention)
• ✅ Need accurate email counts

When to disable:

• ❌ Internal campaigns (trusted users only)
• ❌ Want to reduce friction (lowers completion rate by ~20%)

How it works:

1. User fills out form and clicks "Send"
2. System sends verification email
3. User clicks link in email
4. Email to representative is sent
5. Response is recorded

!!! tip "Recommended" Enable verification for all public campaigns to prevent spam and ensure data quality.

7. Auto Approve Responses

What it does: Response wall submissions appear immediately without moderation

When to enable:

• ✅ Trusted audience (members-only campaign)
• ✅ Low-risk issue (unlikely to attract trolls)
• ✅ No moderation capacity

When to disable:

• ❌ Public campaigns (risk of spam/abuse)
• ❌ Controversial issues (may attract hostile responses)
• ❌ Need quality control

!!! warning "Moderation Recommended" Most public campaigns should NOT auto-approve. Manual moderation ensures quality and prevents abuse.

8. Allow Anonymous

What it does: Citizens can send emails without creating an account

When to enable:

• ✅ Want to maximize participation
• ✅ Privacy-sensitive issue
• ✅ One-time campaign (no need to track individuals)

When to disable:

• ❌ Building supporter list (want account creation)
• ❌ Need to prevent duplicate submissions
• ❌ Want to track individual engagement over time

Trade-offs:

• ✅ Higher conversion (less friction)
• ❌ Cannot prevent duplicate emails from same person
• ❌ No account to re-engage supporters later

9. Custom Recipients

What it does: Override representative lookup and send to specific email addresses

When to enable:

• ✅ Targeting non-government decision-makers (corporate executives, university presidents)
• ✅ Representative lookup doesn't cover your target (small municipalities)
• ✅ Want to target specific individuals regardless of postal code

How to use:

1. Enable flag
2. Enter comma-separated email addresses in custom_recipient_emails field
3. Optionally enter custom recipient names in custom_recipient_names field

Example:

custom_recipient_emails: ceo@corporation.com,president@university.edu
custom_recipient_names: CEO John Smith,University President Jane Doe

All emails will go to these addresses instead of postal code lookup.

10. Show Progress Bar

What it does: Displays progress bar showing emails sent toward goal

When to enable:

• ✅ Have a specific email goal
• ✅ Want to motivate participation ("We're 75% to our goal!")
• ✅ Creating urgency

How to use:

1. Enable flag
2. Set email_goal field (e.g., 1000)
3. Progress bar appears on campaign page showing current count / goal

Example display:

[=========>           ] 734 / 1,000 emails sent (73%)

!!! tip "Set Realistic Goals" Research similar campaigns to set achievable goals. Falling short publicly can be demotivating.

11. Disable After Date

What it does: Automatically unpublish campaign after specified date

When to enable:

• ✅ Time-sensitive campaign (vote deadline)
• ✅ Want campaign to auto-close
• ✅ Don't want to manually unpublish

How to use:

1. Enable flag
2. Set disable_date field (date picker)
3. Campaign automatically unpublishes at midnight on that date

Example:

Legislative vote is March 15. Set disable_date to March 15, 2024. Campaign automatically closes that day.

12. Enable Comments

What it does: Allows comments on response wall entries (discussion threads)

When to enable:

• ✅ Want to encourage discussion
• ✅ Have moderation capacity for comments
• ✅ Building community

When to disable:

• ❌ No comment moderation capacity
• ❌ Risk of hostile/off-topic discussion
• ❌ Prefer clean, simple response wall

!!! note "Experimental Feature" Comments require additional moderation. Consider carefully before enabling.

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Email Template Best Practices

Writing Effective Subject Lines

Do:

• ✅ Keep under 60 characters
• ✅ Start with action verb (Vote, Support, Oppose, Protect)
• ✅ Include bill number or issue name
• ✅ Create urgency (if appropriate)

Don't:

• ❌ Use ALL CAPS (looks like spam)
• ❌ Use excessive punctuation (!!!)
• ❌ Make false claims or exaggerations
• ❌ Use clickbait ("You won't believe...")

Examples:

Good	Why
"Vote YES on Bill C-123 for climate action"	Clear, specific, action-oriented
"Support funding for public transit"	Simple, direct ask
"Protect our forests from logging"	Emotional appeal, clear issue

Bad	Why
"URGENT: Read this NOW!!!"	Spammy, no substance
"About the issue we discussed"	Vague, no context
"I am writing to you regarding..."	Wordy, buries the lede

Structuring the Email Body

Recommended structure:

1. Greeting
   Dear {{REP_NAME}},

2. Introduction (1 sentence)
   Who you are, where you live

3. Main ask (1 sentence)
   What you want them to do

4. Context (2-3 sentences)
   Why it matters, impact, urgency

5. Evidence (2-3 sentences)
   Facts, statistics, expert opinions

6. Specific actions (numbered list)
   Exactly what you want them to do

7. Closing (1-2 sentences)
   Thank you, request for response

8. Signature
   {{USER_NAME}}
   {{USER_EMAIL}}

9. Personal message (optional)
   {{USER_MESSAGE}}

Using Variables Effectively

Available variables:

Variable	Description	Example Output
{{USER_NAME}}	Sender's full name	"John Smith"
{{USER_EMAIL}}	Sender's email	"john@example.com"
{{USER_PHONE}}	Sender's phone	"555-1234"
{{REP_NAME}}	Representative's name	"Hon. Jane Doe"
{{REP_EMAIL}}	Representative's email	"jane.doe@parl.gc.ca"
{{REP_TITLE}}	Representative's title	"Member of Parliament"
{{USER_MESSAGE}}	Custom message	(whatever user typed)

Best practices:

1. Always use {{REP_NAME}} in greeting — Personalizes email
2. Include {{USER_NAME}} in signature — Shows it's from a real person
3. Add {{USER_MESSAGE}} at end — Allows personalization
4. Use {{REP_TITLE}} for variety — Avoid repeating "Member of Parliament"

Example usage:

Dear {{REP_NAME}},

My name is {{USER_NAME}}, and I am a constituent in your riding. As a
{{REP_TITLE}}, you have the power to make a difference on this issue.

[... campaign message ...]

I look forward to hearing your position on this matter. You can reach me
at {{USER_EMAIL}}.

Sincerely,
{{USER_NAME}}

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{{USER_MESSAGE}}

HTML Formatting Tips

The email editor supports HTML. Use formatting to improve readability:

Headings:

<h3>Why This Matters</h3>

Bold text:

<strong>Vote YES on Bill C-123</strong>

Lists:

<p>I'm asking you to:</p>
<ol>
  <li>Vote YES when the bill comes to the floor</li>
  <li>Speak publicly in support</li>
  <li>Oppose weakening amendments</li>
</ol>

Links:

<a href="https://example.com/research">Read the full study here</a>

Line breaks:

<p>First paragraph.</p>
<p>Second paragraph.</p>

!!! warning "Email Client Compatibility" Avoid complex CSS or JavaScript. Stick to basic HTML tags (p, strong, em, ul, ol, a). Many email clients strip advanced formatting.

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Publishing Your Campaign

Pre-Launch Checklist

Before publishing, verify:

• Email template proofread — No typos, grammar errors
• Variables working — Test with your own postal code
• Representative lookup functional — Test multiple postal codes
• Feature flags configured — Review all 12 flags
• Cover photo uploaded — Image displays correctly
• Response wall ready — Moderation plan in place (if enabled)
• Email goal set — If using progress bar
• Disable date set — If time-sensitive campaign
• Test email sent — Send to yourself, verify formatting

To send a test email:

1. Edit the campaign
2. Scroll to email section
3. Click "Send Test Email"
4. Enter your email address
5. Check your inbox

The test email uses sample data for variables.

Publishing

To publish:

1. Edit the campaign
2. Toggle "Published" flag to ON
3. Click "Save"

The campaign is now live at /campaigns/[slug].

Promoting Your Campaign

Promotion channels:

1. Direct link: Share https://yoursite.org/campaigns/protect-our-forests
2. Email newsletter: Include in your regular newsletter
3. Social media: Post on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram with link
4. Website: Add to your main website's homepage or action page
5. Partner organizations: Ask allies to share
6. Earned media: Pitch to journalists, bloggers

Sample social media post:

🌲 Our forests are in danger. Tell your MPP to stop old-growth logging.

📧 Send an email in under 2 minutes: [link]

So far, [X] people have taken action. Will you join them?

#ProtectOurForests #ClimateAction

Sample email newsletter:

Subject: Take Action: Protect Our Forests

Hi [Name],

Ancient forests in our region are being clear-cut at an alarming rate.
But we can stop this.

[Your MPP's name] has the power to enact a moratorium on old-growth
logging. We need you to tell them this matters to you.

[CALL TO ACTION BUTTON: Send Your Email Now]

It takes less than 2 minutes. Over [X] people have already sent emails.
Together, we can make a difference.

Thank you for taking action,
[Your organization]

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Monitoring Performance

Campaign Email Statistics

To view email stats:

1. Navigate to Influence > Campaigns
2. Click "Emails" button for your campaign

The drawer shows:

Overall statistics:

• Total emails sent: All emails successfully delivered
• Emails waiting: Queued but not yet sent
• Failed emails: Delivery failures
• Success rate: Sent / (Sent + Failed)

Email list table:

• Sender name and email
• Recipient representative
• Status (PENDING, SENT, FAILED)
• Sent timestamp
• Error message (if failed)

Screenshot placeholder: Campaign Emails drawer showing statistics and email list

Understanding Email Status

PENDING:

• Email is queued for sending
• Usually sent within minutes
• If stuck for > 1 hour, check queue (see below)

SENT:

• Email successfully delivered to representative
• Does NOT guarantee representative read it (that's on them)

FAILED:

• Email delivery failed
• Common reasons:
  • Invalid recipient email (representative email wrong in database)
  • SMTP error (email server rejected)
  • Network timeout

Retry failed emails:

1. Click "Retry Failed" button
2. System re-queues failed emails
3. Check again in 10 minutes

!!! note "Representative Emails" Representative email addresses come from the Represent API. If many emails fail to a specific representative, the database may be outdated. Contact Represent API maintainers.

Response Wall Statistics

To view response wall stats:

1. Navigate to Influence > Responses
2. Filter by your campaign

Metrics:

• Total responses: All submissions (approved + pending + rejected)
• Approved: Visible on public response wall
• Pending: Awaiting moderation
• Rejected: Hidden from public
• Upvotes: Total upvotes across all responses

Response rate:

Response rate = Responses / Emails sent

Typical response rates:

• 5-10% — Good response rate
• 10-20% — Excellent response rate
• < 5% — Low engagement (consider improving response wall CTA)

Email Queue Health

To monitor the queue:

1. Navigate to Influence > Email Queue

Key metrics:

• Waiting: Emails in queue, not yet processing

  • Normal: < 50
  • Concerning: 50-200
  • Critical: > 200 (likely queue backup)

• Active: Emails currently being sent

  • Normal: 1-5 (concurrent workers)

• Completed (last 24 hours): Successfully sent

• Failed: Delivery failures

  • Normal: < 5% of sent
  • Concerning: 5-20%
  • Critical: > 20% (SMTP issue)

Queue controls:

• Pause Queue: Emergency stop (only use during SMTP issues)
• Resume Queue: Restart after pause
• Retry Failed: Re-queue all failed emails
• Clean Completed: Remove old completed jobs (frees memory)

!!! warning "Queue Pausing" Only pause the queue if SMTP is broken or you're changing email configuration. Citizens expect immediate sends.

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Moderating Responses

Response Moderation Workflow

To moderate responses:

1. Navigate to Influence > Responses
2. Filter to Status: PENDING
3. Review each response
4. Approve or reject

Moderation decisions:

Approve if:

• ✅ Authentic personal story
• ✅ Relates to campaign issue
• ✅ Respectful language
• ✅ Adds value to public conversation

Reject if:

• ❌ Spam or bot submission
• ❌ Profanity, hate speech, or harassment
• ❌ Off-topic or unrelated to campaign
• ❌ Contains personal information about others (privacy violation)
• ❌ Duplicate submission (approve one, reject others)

Delete if:

• Illegal content
• Severe harassment or threats
• Privacy violation (doxxing)

Reviewing a Response

To review in detail:

1. Click "View" in Actions column
2. Read full response text
3. Check submitter info (name, email, timestamp)
4. Decide: Approve, Reject, or Delete

Response detail shows:

• Full text of response
• Submitter name and email (not public)
• Submission timestamp
• Associated campaign
• Current status
• Upvote count (if already approved)

Actions:

• Approve: Make public (appears on response wall)
• Reject: Hide from public (not deleted, can reverse later)
• Delete: Permanently remove (cannot undo)
• Edit: Fix typos or formatting (use sparingly)

!!! tip "Editing Responses" Only edit responses to fix obvious typos or remove sensitive info (phone numbers, addresses). Don't change meaning.

Moderation Best Practices

Speed matters:

• Review pending responses daily (at minimum)
• For time-sensitive campaigns, review 2-3x per day
• Long moderation delays reduce participation (people won't share if they never see results)

Consistency:

• Use same criteria for all responses
• Document your moderation guidelines
• If multiple moderators, ensure they're aligned

Encourage quality:

• Spotlight particularly good responses (if feature available)
• Share excellent responses on social media
• Thank respondents for sharing their stories

Handle edge cases:

• Political/controversial: Allow diverse viewpoints as long as respectful
• Emotional language: Allow passion, reject profanity
• Minor inaccuracies: Approve (you're not fact-checking everything)
• Self-promotion: Reject if primary purpose is advertising

Responding to Moderation Issues

If you accidentally reject a good response:

1. Find the response in table
2. Change status from REJECTED to APPROVED
3. Response immediately appears on response wall

If inappropriate content slips through:

1. Find the response
2. Change status from APPROVED to REJECTED (or delete)
3. Response immediately removed from public view

If user complains about rejection:

1. Review the response again
2. If rejection was correct, explain your moderation policy
3. If rejection was incorrect, approve and apologize
4. Consider revising moderation guidelines to prevent future issues

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Optimization Strategies

Improving Email Conversion Rates

Conversion rate = Emails sent / Page visitors

Typical conversion rates:

• 5-10% — Average for advocacy campaigns
• 10-20% — Good (well-designed campaign)
• 20%+ — Excellent (highly motivated audience)

Tactics to improve conversion:

1. Simplify the Form

• Remove optional fields (phone number, custom message)
• Use postal code autofill
• Pre-fill email for logged-in users

2. Reduce Friction

• Disable email verification (if spam isn't an issue)
• Allow anonymous submissions (no account required)
• Use clear, simple language

3. Strengthen the Call to Action

• Use large, prominent "Send Email" button
• Add urgency ("Vote is tomorrow — act now!")
• Show social proof ("Join 1,234 others who've sent emails")

4. Improve Email Template

• Make it personal (use variables)
• Keep it short (200-300 words)
• Include specific ask (bill number, action)
• Allow personalization ({{USER_MESSAGE}})

5. Add Trust Signals

• Show organization logo
• Display privacy policy link
• Explain what happens after they send ("Your representative will receive this email within minutes")

A/B Testing

Test different versions of your campaign to find what works best.

Elements to test:

1. Email subject line

   • Action-oriented vs question
   • Include bill number vs generic
   • Urgent vs neutral tone

2. Call to action

   • "Send Email" vs "Take Action" vs "Email Your MP"
   • Button color (blue vs red vs green)
   • Button size

3. Campaign description

   • Short (1 sentence) vs detailed (3 paragraphs)
   • Emotional appeal vs factual
   • Include statistics vs stories

4. Feature flags

   • Email verification ON vs OFF
   • Response wall ON vs OFF
   • Progress bar ON vs OFF

How to A/B test:

1. Create two versions of the campaign (duplicate the campaign)
2. Change ONE variable (e.g., subject line)
3. Send 50% of traffic to each version (promote both equally)
4. After 100+ emails sent per version, compare conversion rates
5. Keep the winner, discard the loser

Sample A/B test:

Version A: Subject line "Support Bill C-123 for climate action"
Result: 100 emails sent from 1,000 visitors = 10% conversion

Version B: Subject line "Vote YES on climate action — your MP is listening"
Result: 150 emails sent from 1,000 visitors = 15% conversion

Winner: Version B (50% improvement)
Action: Update Version A subject to match Version B

Encouraging Response Wall Participation

Response wall benefits:

• Shows public support visibly
• Creates peer pressure ("If they can share, so can I")
• Provides human stories for media and decision-makers

Tactics to increase responses:

1. Highlight the Response Wall

• Add text after email send: "Share your story with the community"
• Show recent responses on campaign page
• Feature excellent responses on social media

2. Reduce Friction

• Auto-approve responses (if audience is trusted)
• Pre-fill response form with email content
• Allow anonymous responses

3. Provide Examples

• Seed the response wall with 3-5 initial responses (from staff/volunteers)
• Show variety of response types (personal story, factual argument, emotional appeal)

4. Incentivize Participation

• Run a contest (best response wins a prize)
• Feature responses in newsletter
• Invite top responders to speak at event

5. Moderate Quickly

• Approve responses within hours (not days)
• People won't share if they never see results

Boosting Upvotes

Upvotes signal which responses resonate most with your community.

Tactics:

1. Make upvoting easy: One-click, no login required
2. Show upvote counts: Create competition
3. Promote top responses: Share high-upvote responses on social
4. Create urgency: "Most upvoted response will be featured in our newsletter"

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Reporting and Analytics

Campaign Performance Report

Key metrics to track:

Metric	Formula	Benchmark
Total emails sent	Count of SENT status	N/A (goal-dependent)
Conversion rate	Emails / Page visitors	5-15%
Response rate	Responses / Emails sent	5-15%
Upvote rate	Upvotes / Responses	20-40%
Email success rate	SENT / (SENT + FAILED)	> 95%
Avg time to send	Queue wait time	< 5 minutes

Exporting Data

To export campaign data:

1. Navigate to Influence > Campaigns
2. Click "Emails" for your campaign
3. Click "Export CSV"

CSV includes:

• Sender name and email
• Recipient representative
• Email sent timestamp
• Status (SENT, FAILED, PENDING)
• Error message (if failed)

Use cases:

• Analyze email volume by date (chart over time)
• Identify which representatives received most emails (top targets)
• Follow up with failed sends
• Import into CRM or email tool

Response wall export:

1. Navigate to Influence > Responses
2. Filter by campaign
3. Click "Export CSV"

CSV includes:

• Respondent name and email
• Response text
• Submission date
• Status (APPROVED, PENDING, REJECTED)
• Upvote count

Use cases:

• Analyze themes in responses (word cloud, sentiment analysis)
• Share stories with media or decision-makers
• Feature responses in reports or presentations

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Troubleshooting

Low Email Conversion Rate

Symptoms: Few people sending emails despite high traffic

Diagnostic questions:

1. Is representative lookup working?

   • Test with multiple postal codes
   • Check representative cache (Influence > Representatives)

2. Is the form too complex?

   • Remove optional fields
   • Simplify email template
   • Disable verification

3. Is the call to action clear?

   • Review campaign description
   • Check button text and prominence
   • Add urgency or social proof

4. Is trust an issue?

   • Add organization branding
   • Display privacy policy
   • Explain what happens after they send

Solutions:

• A/B test simpler version
• Add trust signals (logo, privacy link)
• Reduce form fields
• Strengthen CTA

Low Response Wall Participation

Symptoms: Emails being sent but few response wall submissions

Possible causes:

1. Response wall not prominent

   • Add section on campaign page highlighting response wall
   • Show recent responses below email form

2. Friction too high

   • Require verification → people abandon
   • Long approval delay → people think it didn't work

3. No examples/social proof

   • Empty response wall → people don't know what to share
   • Seed with initial responses

Solutions:

• Auto-approve responses (if trusted audience)
• Add examples/prompts ("Share why this issue matters to you")
• Feature excellent responses on social media (encourages others)

Emails Stuck in Queue

Symptoms: Emails remain in PENDING status for > 1 hour

Diagnostic steps:

1. Check queue status: Influence > Email Queue
2. Check SMTP configuration: Settings > Email Configuration
3. Test email send: Settings > Send Test Email

Common causes:

1. Queue worker not running

   • Contact system administrator
   • Restart api service

2. SMTP credentials wrong

   • Verify username/password in Settings
   • Send test email to verify

3. SMTP server rejecting

   • Check spam/rate limits on SMTP server
   • Contact email service provider

4. Network issue

   • Check API server connectivity
   • Try different SMTP provider

Emergency solution:

• If queue is badly backed up, pause queue
• Fix SMTP issue
• Resume queue
• Retry failed

High Email Failure Rate

Symptoms: Many emails with FAILED status

Check error messages:

1. "Invalid recipient email"

   • Representative email is wrong in database
   • Contact Represent API maintainers
   • Use custom recipients as workaround

2. "SMTP authentication failed"

   • Wrong SMTP username/password
   • Update in Settings > Email Configuration

3. "Connection timeout"

   • Network issue between API server and SMTP
   • Contact system administrator

4. "Mailbox full"

   • Representative's email inbox is full
   • Nothing you can do (contact representative's office)

5. "Spam filter rejected"

   • Email looks like spam
   • Revise email template (less spammy language)
   • Contact SMTP provider about reputation

Solutions:

• Fix SMTP configuration
• Update representative emails
• Retry failed emails after fixing

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Related Documentation

• Admin Guide: Full administrator guide (includes campaign management)
• Influence Module: Technical documentation on campaigns and email system
• Email Queue: BullMQ queue technical details
• Response Wall: Response moderation and upvoting
• API Reference: Influence API endpoints

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Last updated: February 2026 (V2 complete)