This is a post I wrote a couple of years back on the FundraisingInnovation blog about a simple engagement model that I find helpful in constructing online actions and campaigns. (thanks to Steph Legault of HighWater Mark for the original concept)
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The “Ladder of Engagement” is a model for visualizing how organizations can build a base of more committed supporters for activism, campaigning, advocacy and fundraising.
The Ladder of Engagement sets out a simple scale for ranking different activities that online supporters may enage in. Low on the ladder are quick and easy items such as signing an online petition or forwarding an email to a friend. At the top of the ladder are the most involving forms of activism, including meeting with elected officials, organizing local actions, and making donations.
| High Engagement | Recruit friends/family | |
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Upgrade monthly donation Signup for monthly giving Renew single donation Make single donation Write a letter Attend a ‘real world’ event Sign petition Viral / Tell a friend Send an epostcard Subscribe to e-Alerts / Issue Alerts Subscribe to eNewsletter Enter a contest |
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| Low Engagement | Visit website |
Over time, an individual supporter would be expected to engage in a variety activities, both high and low on the ladder. The goal of an online engagement strategy is not just get increased numbers of people involved, but also to encourage them to climb the ladder of engagement.
Some of an organization’s supporters will climb the ladder of engagement as a natural evolution of their relationship with that organization. Others can be assisted by specific messaging that encourages them to deepen their commitment and invite them to do more. This must be done carefully so that the past activities they have taken part in are not de-valued, but that they are also shown some of the higher steps on the ladder.
A Thank you/Acknowledgement message that someone may receive after participating in an action or activity can be one of the key tools for encouraging them to climb the ladder — for instance, encouraging someone who has just signed an online petition to subscribe an eAlert list on this issue, or asking a new online donor to forward a current campaign message to a number of their friends or colleagues.
The ladder of engagement is also sometimes presented as a pyramid - illustrating that relatively few of an organization’s supporters will climb to the highest steps on the ladder, and most will remain in the lower-engagement levels. One of the ways to expand the upper levels of the pyramid is to broaden participation at the lower levels - the “base” - so a strategy to expand numbers of supporters engaged at a lower levels is a means to achieving greater participation through to the upper levels.
