Advocacy: Letter to the Editor Custom Targets

Kevin Suer

Feature Summary

Release: Winter '10

Author: Myra Friel

Overview

You can now create a custom target for your Letter to the Editor (LTE) Alert.  The target can be an individual editor and/or an Organization.  If you provide a ZIP code for the custom target, you can take advantage of the Local constituent-matching support built into the Letter to the Editor product.

Key Features

• Create Custom Target: You can create a custom target.  The target can be an Organization (such as “Smalltown Daily Bugle”) or an individual (such as “Robin Writealot, Editor” at Smalltown Daily Bugle).    You can provide the ZIP code of the organization in order to leverage the “Local matching” feature.  The zip code provided by the client for the custom target will be used to match constituents to a DMA/MSA if one is available in the standard Letter to the Editor data provided by Convio.
• Add Custom Target:  You can add custom targets to your Letter to the Editor alert.  You can also choose to use Local matching so that only constituents with a ZIP code that matches the MSA or DMA of the target can participate.  (The Any option works as usual: if it is selected, any constituent can participate regardless of their ZIP code.)
• Report on Custom Target:  The Letter to the Editor Report includes a new section where you can specify Custom Target fields to include in your report. 

New Concepts or Terms

None

Use Scenario #1 : Client Creates Custom Target

Client Carmine would like to create a Letter to the Editor alert targeting his local newspaper, which recently ran an article about an issue important to his organization.  Although the local newspaper is not available in the data set provided with Convio’s Letter to the Editor product, Carmine knows he can add it as a Custom Target.

• Carmine logs into Convio and navigates to Advocacy --> Letter to the Editor. 
• On the main page, Carmine clicks Manage Custom Targets.
• He clicks Create a new Custom Target.
• He provides the information he knows about the newspaper he wants to target:
  • He sets the media type to Print
  • Since he wants to target the newspaper as an Organization, and not a particular editor,, he doesn’t provide a Title, First Name, or Last Name
  • Carmine enters “Smalltown Daily Bugle” in the Organization field
  • He adds the ZIP code for the Smalltown Daily Bugle
  • He includes the main email address for the Smalltown Daily Bugle
  • He includes the fax number if he has it.
  • He clicks Finish.
    

Use Scenario #2 : Client Uses Custom Target

Carmine now creates the Letter to the Editor Alert:

• In Step 3-Select Targets” he clicks Add Custom Targets.
• He selects Smalltown Daily Bugle from the list that displays.
• He chooses Local for Constituent Matching.
• He publishes the alert.
  

Use Scenario #3 : Client Views Reports on Delivery to Custom Target

Two days later, Carmine would like to see how many advocates have contacted the Smalltown Daily Bugle.

• He navigates to Reports  Report Writer and selects Create a New Report --> Advocacy --> Letter to the Editor Summary,
• Carmine adds the field “Organization” from the Letter to the Editor Custom Targets section.
• He runs the report and sees how many participants have sent a letter to the Custom Target, Smalltown Daily Bugle.

Limitations and Out of Scope Features
You must select the Custom Target fields in the report for them to be included in the report.  Without these fields, the report will include participation but not the Custom Contact data.

Client Impacts
This is a new feature added to the existing Letter to the Editor product.  Clients not interested this feature can safely ignore it.

Feature Configuration
This feature is accessed via a new button in the Letter to the Editor user interface.  No additional configuration is required by the client or Convio administrators.

FAQs
If I don’t know the name of an individual at the organization I want to target, can I still use this feature?
Yes you can.  You must provide either a First Name/Last Name or an Organization name, but you don’t need both.

What if I don’t know the email address of the target?

You can use a fax number as a contact method.  You must provide at least one method of contacting the target in order to use this feature: either an email or a fax.

Screenshots

Access to Create a Custom Target is via a new button on Letter to the Editor Alert List page

Fields available for Custom Target.  A value for Organization or First Name is required.  Entering the ZIP code will give access to local matching data.