Advocacy campaigns that are specific to a single city don’t typically engage huge audiences of people, particularly when compared to national campaigns. But the people who do engage are often the most passionate and can be highly effective at recruiting others to join the fight.

When Peers.org launched a petition to support home-sharing in Grand Rapids, Michigan, their membership spread the word using ShareProgress and increased the number of signatures by 85%.

With an engaging theory of change and ShareProgress tools, Peers was able to present the Grand Rapids City Commission with over 1,000 community member signatures against the proposed home-sharing restriction.

Find An Engaging Issue With A Strong Theory of Change

The Peers community is highly engaged on sharing economy issues. Paired with a strong theory of change, the campaign in Grand Rapids gave people plenty of reason to take action.

Peers members Brian & Erica V. created the petition to request that the Grand Rapids City Commission allow citizens to advertise their temporary room rentals on Airbnb. The first vote on the issue provoked enough backlash to move the vote after a public hearing which could be influenced by a strong show of community support.

Super Local? Super Awesome.

People share things happening in their communities, whether they are farmer’s markets, celebrations, or protests. This makes local campaigns a natural fit for recruitment by sharing. For the Peers community in Michigan, the Grand Rapids prohibition on Airbnb was happening in their backyard.

Running local campaigns allows people to take part in small achievable victories and helps build community with other members near them.

Supercharge Your Social Sharing Program

Whether you’re reaching out to potential supporters in a specific city, Congressional District or state, social sharing is an effective method to get out the word. ShareProgress provides you with the tools and data you need to create a highly effective social sharing program.