How It Works
Broadcast vs Distributed Organizing
ControlShift Labs is committed to the idea that people should drive social movements, even when they happen online. With a distributed organizing model, your organization can leverage the power of your supporters by giving them the opportunity to start, run, and win their own campaigns. The distributed organizing model not only allows your organization to run more numerous and diverse campaigns, but it also leads to more involved and more active supporters.
Traditional Broadcast Organizing
Distributed Organizing
Traditional Broadcast Organizing
The central organization decides on the campaign, and the members respond.
Distributed Organizing
The central organization guides the strategy, and members are engaged as organizers in winning campaigns.
Traditional Broadcast Organizing
Members receive lots of emails from campaigners, but don’t often communicate with each other.
Distributed Organizing
Members communicate with each other and meet frequently in person.
Traditional Broadcast Organizing
Success is measured in clicks, petition signatures, phone calls, new emails on the list, and occasional big wins.
Distributed Organizing
Success is measured in many small — and a few big — victories.
Traditional Broadcast Organizing
If the central organization fails, members are on their own.
Distributed Organizing
Members build power and community that can outlive the central organization.
Traditional Broadcast Organizing
Members read and click on lots of emails.
Distributed Organizing
Members learn real organizing skills and become leaders.
Why Distributed Organizing?
Cutting through in email is more and more difficult.
It’s not the early days of the internet anymore — there’s lots of competition from other advocacy organizations and businesses. Opens and action rates continue to decline, year by year.
Clicktivism has long since become routine.
Decision makers expect barrages of emails and phone calls, and it’s harder to convince members that yet another petition is the way to change the world.
Your members want to connect.
Real power and community doesn’t happen in the inbox — it grows when people meet their neighbors, work together, and develop relationships over time.
Local is where we can win.
Many of our biggest institutions are stuck, but the school board and town council can still be swayed.
Electoral
Advocacy
