While it's easy to get caught up in the flurry of election activity, it's crucial to define what you hope to achieve and how you'll measure whether you've been successful. This helps focus your efforts and demonstrate your impact to members, funders, and the board.
Defining Your Goals
Your goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). Think about what you want to accomplish with your election engagement. Examples could include:
- Increase Visibility: Make bicycle and pedestrian issues a top-tier topic in the local election conversation.
- Educate Candidates: Ensure every serious candidate understands the key components of your advocacy platform.
- Educate the Public: Increase the public's understanding of the candidates' stances on your issues.
- Build Your Base: Grow your email list or social media following by a certain percentage.
Key Metrics to Track
The metrics you track should align directly with your goals.
| Goal | Potential Metrics |
|---|---|
| Increase Visibility | - Number of media mentions - Mentions of your issues in candidate debates or forums (that you didn't host) |
| Educate Candidates | - Percentage of candidates who completed your questionnaire - Number of candidates who attended your events or rides |
| Educate the Public | - Page views on your candidate questionnaire responses - Views on your candidate interview videos - Attendance at your public events |
| Build Your Base | - New email subscribers - New social media followers - Number of new volunteers recruited |
Evaluating Success
After the election, take time to analyze your metrics and reflect on what worked and what didn't. This process is covered more in After the Event, but it's important to have your goals defined beforehand to make that final step meaningful. A post-election debrief with your team and volunteers can be an invaluable part of this process.