RSA election comms strategy: what do you recommend for 2014?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Ed Whiting on July 3, 2012 at 20:07

Thanks Jemima- great idea to have some separate threads going!

Here's a few starters to kick things off:-

1. RSA promotion of the Fellowship Council elections as an opportunity to debate the vision, values and aims for the Fellowship- and a challenge to candidates to articulate their version of this (possibly through answering a few set questions as part of their statements?). This is as much about improving the quality of comms around the election, not the quantity of coms- although the latter would also be welcome!

2. Mini-polls run through the campaign period on specific issues connected to the Fellowship and FC- gauging engagement in the work of the Fellowship and election process, as well as giving candidates something to respond to.

3. Designation of a single landing page for each region's / at large candidates with a clear link from the Fellowship front page- including comments tabs for each candidate - although liberty to set up separate threads from this page.

4. Video hustings during the election period as proposed this time round (albeit a little bit late).

5. Anything that would make the format of the candidate statements a bit more engaging!

Permalink Reply by Pam Warhurst on July 9, 2012 at 7:41

A body like to RSA with its aspirations around being a catalyst for change,  challenging norms and values and seeking to engage a broader church than is currently the case  really needs to consider who does it need to embrace and what would be the point of doing so.

Too many well heeled likeminded people talking to each other can only take the drive for change  so far. The comms challenge is how do we articulate what it means to be a fellow of the RSA better  and what unleashing their potential might lead to. There are some great examples to showcase.

How do we stimulate conversations with younger people and dare I say, those who can't afford to pay the membership fee? That's another key issue.

How do we capture the inspiration derived from the vision and turn  that into actions not just words.

We do need to talk , perhaps as chairs of regions etc , about what this comms strategy might look like, but before that we need to agree as a body, what we exist to do. 

Better, to be frank, to be a smaller body of people fighting for a fairer more inclusive world with ideas . And pilot projects to demonstrate what that might look like, than a body of 27000 people who aren't engaged in the conversation.

So I'd say it isn't just about the elections - we need to be more engaged overall which will drive up fellows interest in voting for the council. 

Permalink Reply by Steve Coles on July 10, 2012 at 6:52

Interesting topic for thought and discussion, thanks Jemima.  I've just been pondering on the on the "we have been confined" element of Ed's observation that "we have been confined to talking amongst ourselves on a LinkedIn [/Ning] discussion thread".  Thinking about the elections in 2014, I strongly support a robust, multi-faceted digital strategy - with information online in various forms, the opportunity to debate and discuss online and/or via social media channels.  However, I'm also not convinced that "we have been confined to LinkedIn/Ning', unless the context of the comment is in relation to a digital strategy only, as there are plenty of opportunities to meet Fellows, engage with RSA Networks, meet in person, have coffee, and chat and listen.  In 2014 I'd expect a good bit of face-to-face communication to happen as well, particularly as I hope that the 2012 intake to the Fellowship Council will significantly grow and help mobilise more international, regional and local gatherings and networks.  That's what I'm committed to and I'm also committed to getting out there to meet Fellows in various places, in person, as well as online.