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Online Outreach

See also the Social Media page.

How to do ONLINE OUTREACH before Rebellion

We are all crew and social media is an immediate and direct means of communication, so we need as many rebels as possible to use online outreach to help make this Rebellion a success. 

  • In the countdown to rebellion, there’ll be many opportunities to use online outreach to engage less active members, and to invite potential new members to a talk, training or events. 
  • Social media plays a huge part of our lives - it’s powerful, so using Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp (and even email) can significantly increase attendance to Local Group activities. 
  • Online outreach is easy to do, so most rebels can do it.

Leave no virtual stone unturned!

METHOD ONE: online outreach to your Local Group rebels 

Most Local Groups have lots of less active rebels - people lead busy lives and C-19 has impacted everyone, but in the run-up to Rebellion, many will understand why Local Group outreach is revving up. 

  • After the event is posted on your Facebook page, check who’s hit ‘Going’ or ‘Interested’. If they hit ‘Going’, message them, thanking them for coming and asking them to widen the invite by sharing the event. If every person brought one more person, numbers would double, two extra people each would treble attendance!
  • For anyone who replied ‘Interested’, contact them, asking if there’s anything you can do to help them attend - some rebels have barriers to attendance, and if you don’t ask, you can’t help. Without pressuring, your goal is to turn ‘Interested’ to ‘Going’.

Then, to maximise attendance, it’s time to DIG DEEP - we’re in rebellion mode!

  • Use Messenger to personally invite each and every rebel in your online membership.
  • Be thoughtful in approach - there are many reasons why people are less able to take part in Local Group events but hopefully reaching out starts a conversation, helping them to take part in a way that works for them.
  • Create a template message - keeping it brief and friendly in tone.
  • Put a link to the event listing in the message.
  • Most Local Groups have huge online numbers of rebels - split the numbers up into manageable chunks, amongst a group of rebels.
  • Support your direct message with Facebook posts, Instagram and Twitter, and mobile channels to let everyone know invites are out.
  • Once you’ve messaged everyone, follow up the ‘Going’ and ‘Interested’.

METHOD TWO: online outreach to friends, family, peers and colleagues

We have a job to do - mobilise the population, so people you already know are an easy audience to ask, and there’ll be lots of great talks coming up:

  • Pick the event, action or training and use the ‘Invite’ button to all your friends - there’s no geographical limit to zooms - invite everyone!
  • You might also phone or email them to let them know you’ve invited them - have a lovely catch-up whilst you’re inviting them!
  • Keep an eye on who’s ‘Going’ or ‘Interested’ and follow up, as above. 
  • Remember to ask anyone ‘Going’ to share the event - if your friends/contacts bring more people to the talks, it’s the quickest way to grow our movement. 
  • Check back with your friends/family/contacts about whether they’ve found others to bring - it’s not pushy, it’s Principle 2 (‘We set our mission on what is necessary’, i.e. mobilising 3.5% of the population).
  • Set yourself a find-a-friend-or-five goal!
  • For any ‘Going’ friend/contact, you could send them a link so they can find out more, www.rebellion.earth, https://rebellion.earth/the-truth/faqs/

METHOD THREE: online outreach to community groups

We have much work to do to increase diversity and representation within our movement, so your Local Group outreach rebels can also promote the ‘Heading for Extinction’ talks to as many community groups as possible. Lots of groups and organisations empathise with saving biodiversity and human life.

  • Drop the event listing/s into these groups’ Facebook pages and monitor response, positively commenting if an online conversation takes place. 
  • You’re targeting sympathetic groups - negative responses are unlikely, but if there is critical commentary, remain polite and refocus concern on the climate crisis - the simple inclusion of a powerful fact really helps explain why we do what we do.

Feedback amongst your Local Groups - share top tips about what’s working well, or not so well, in recruiting people to talks and trainings, and set your Local Group a target for numbers attending. Check in regularly on whether this is going to be achieved, increasing efforts if necessary.