Lucy Powell leads the way on grassroots online fundraising

By Alex Smith / @alexsmith1982

In an article for Progressive London ahead of its conference this Saturday, I’ve written a little more about how the internet might play a role in the forthcoming general election.

Although the web’s impact on the result of the election will likely be minimal, it will nonetheless play a shaping role in the process and the nature of the campaign and in facilitating and organising ground activism and local fundraising – indeed, it already is doing.

In my article, I write:

“Certainly, the web is playing an increasingly significant role in our politics. At Labour HQ, a dedicated and expanding team of tech-savvy staff have been deployed, and has quickly got to work developing new ways for Labour supporters and sympathisers to connect. MembersNet provides a space for activists to organise; single issue campaigns have been launched to oppose, for example, the Tory-proposed repeal of the fox hunting ban and to capture a deep email database; and, most effectively, the virtual phone bank – an online access point for members to find voter ID information and canvass from their own homes in their own time – has been an instant success, with 1,083 members making 16,000 calls to voters in its first 90 days. In February, that phone bank will go mobile, with the launch of Labour’s new iPhone app.”

“Perhaps more importantly, the internet is the great enabler. As the most powerful connector ever created, the web can powerfully augment – but will never replace – traditional campaigning methods. Twitter, Facebook and email will all be used to bring people together so they can arrange offline campaign activity. Nowhere is this more evident than with the grassroots initiative #MobMonday, which is using Twitter to mobilise Labour supporters to make phone calls to voters for two hours each week.”

This type of online mobilisation may be more important than it first appears. In a report published yesterday, Tweetminster – an organisation set up to try to bring MPs closer to people using the web – predicted:

“The next election (on Twitter at least) will be between the Conservative Party machine and Labour’s grassroots activists.”

In terms of fundraising – and battling the double-edged problem of tight Labour Party finances and Lord Ashcroft’s millions – this sort of activism is particularly important.

But how can candidates best harness that advantage of online activism, and is it possible to raise money online in a way that will provide real, tangible and measurable support for local election campaigns?

Lucy Powell, Labour’s PPC for Manchester Withington, has already proved that it is. In just a few short hours and with a few brief emails that used new tools created by the Party for this very purpose, Lucy was able to raise over £1,000 that will pay for thousands of leaflets.

While the tools Lucy used were provided by Victoria Street, they are nonetheless tools of autonomy, and can be targeted, tailored and localised to meet the needs of each candidate’s specific campaign, based on local priorities and issues:

Supporters are also shown how and where their donations will be spent in the campaign:

Online campaigning isn’t just about hoarding masses of supporters or followers on Facebook or Twitter – it’s about mobilising those groups and asking people online to do things offline for real campaigns that will help make a real difference.

Contrasted with the nature and tone of the Labour Representation Committee’s recent email appeal for online donations for a specific group of MPs – namely those who supported John McDonnell’s leadership campaign in 2007 – Lucy’s efforts show that openness, and a strong, positive message of localism and inclusion, are the most effective way of building a strong support and fundraising base through new media.

Candidates who want to set up their own fundraising page like Lucy’s can do so now by going to the “Member’s Login” section of MembersNet.