Using E-mail mailing Lists for Advocacy

E-mail is fast, cheap and an efficient means of reaching and communicating with a large group of people. A Web-based mailing list service is generally the method of choice for small grass-roots advocacy organizations.

There are currently two major services offering free e-mail list services, usually referred to as a listserv. These are Topica and Yahoo Groups. Thousands of nonprofits are currently using either of these successfully. All of the free services place ads at the bottom of every message which some people find objectionable and others consider a small price to pay for a free well-run service.. Yahoo Groups is generally considered more user friendly with the most features as well as bigger ads. Topica is preferred by the more techie people. All of them provide basic features -- importing lists of email addresses, automatic subscribe and unsubscribe, moderated or unmoderated, private or public, and a Web archive of all messages. Detailed information and sign up is available at:
Topica   www.topica.com  and Yahoo Groups www.groups.yahoo.com

Places to learn how to operate a successful Advocacy E-mail list.

Excellent instruction guides for things to do and not do are available at the following technology support organizations:

• One Northwest's Toolkit: An Activists' Strategy for Effective Online Networking

  • www.onenw.org/toolkit/modestproposal.html

• NetAction's Virtual Activist Training Guide

  • www.netaction.org/training

  • See Part 2B: Using Email for Outreach, Organizing, and Advocacy -- Mailing Lists

• Organizer's Collaborative - Tips on Facilitating a Social Change Email List.

  • http://democracygruops.org/mailinglisthowto.html

Let us know how you make out. Good luck