Transcript Emergency Email Networks - North American Bowhunting Coalition

Emergency Email Networks
Keeping up with the competition
Designed For Sending Urgent
Messages Immediately

Uses for Bowhunting organizations
-
Legislative matters
 - Hunting season decisions
 - Banquets and Seminars
 - 3D shoots
When To Develop It ?
Before you need it!
NOW !!
Remember!
You
will not have time to put
together an email group if you
wait until you must use it.
Your
now!
quiver needs to be full
You Should Have Already
Done The Following

A general sample emergency email and the
basic contact components should be ready
so that all you need to do is plug in the
current information.
 Make
sure they explain how to use the
legislative web site to send your legislator an
email.
 Make
paste
sure they explain how to cut, copy and
Additionally You Should
Already Have
 Email
groups that are already prepared
and are kept updated
 A selected
person who will be your “hub”
or email originator that can pass on emails
sent by other groups
Also Important!

Develop a policy on how to react when
an email emergency request is made.
Remember…

If you wait for all board members to
comment, the battle may be over.

Try and stay abreast of potential
problems and make policy decisions
in advance.
How Does It Work?

Starts with one person
 Then goes to a pre selected group or
groups
 Then to their sub groups
 Ability to easily forward on to individuals
or other groups is essential !
How To Develop An Email
Delivery Tree

Identify the issues you will be using the email
tree for
 Legislative issues
 - Your members (one group)
 - Friendly sportsman groups (one group)
 - Legislators (one group or sub groups)
- Natural resources committee
- Senate or House
- Sportsman’s caucus

Event Announcements
 Your organization
 Other sportsman groups
 Wildlife Agencies and Game
Commissions
 Biologist, administrators, main decision
makers,
Where Do You Get The Email
Address Information ?

Legislature
 - On their web sites
 Members of your group
 - Directly from membership applications
** You should stress the importance of
why you need Email Addresses!!!!

Other sportsman organizations
 - Their web sites, or by making a phone call
What Do You Send?
-
Something that requests the
recipient to act
-
Something that enables the
recipient to act easily
Remember

The best action email is when the recipient
can make the required contact directly
from your email.

If they do not act right away they probably
will not act at all.
Main Components Of An
Emergency Email

Heading (Must denote Immediacy)


A Deadline Date For Action


- Ex. ACTION ALERT
IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED
-Ex. Legislature goes to Vote NEXT TUESDAY May
23rd!!!!
Subject (What is the action about)

-Ex. Cougar Hunting Bill
 Should be brief and to the point
Additional Information to Include
 A Plea
(something that tells them why they
need to act)
•
If they do not buy your reason for acting they will not
continue reading the email
•
Needs to be broad enough to engage most of the
people you are sending it to.
•
Take time to formulate and bounce it off a few folks to
get their reaction
Instructions !!!!!!!!!

1) Who they need to contact (Ex. Legislature)

2) How they can contact this person.
Preferably a direct link to a web site
or an email address. Also include
phone numbers and mailing address

3) Detailed explanation of what they need to do
to get the message sent once they reach the web
site or email address
Also….

4) What you want them to say in their
email or letter

- keep it short simple and to the point ( Ex. “I
support bill 2438”)

5) A sample letter included as an
attachment that they can sign or email

6) Instruction on how to cut, paste or copy the
attachment onto the email they send
And Finally.

7) A final reason or request for them to act along
with a reminder that they should act now

8) A Thank You!

9) A request that they pass this email on to a
friend or other concerned party.
How to Contact Your Legislature
 Most
State Legislatures offer you the
following;
 - A way
to contact your legislator through the
state Legislature web site.
 - More importantly a way to find out who you
legislator is, so that you can send them an
email
Why Is This So Valuable?

You do not have to organize your members
by legislative districts
 - You need only give them a link to the
state web site and tell them how to navigate
it to find their representative.
 A few clicks and they are connected
 (especially helps those that don’t know
who their legislator is)
What If You Want To Target
One Specific Legislator ?

You can send out an email to all your
members asking only those who have this
representative to make the contact.

Since a lot of folks don’t know their
representative you can ask those living in
zip codes XXXXX to contact this
representative
Cut / Copy And Paste

Do not Assume that everyone knows how
to cut and paste.
 You need to explain how to do this!
 This enables your exact message to reach a
legislator.
 It should be easy for the sender to use.
More Hints

Always send a few trials to yourself to
make sure it all works (especially graphics)
 Use different colors or bolds or fonts to
break up messages
 Urge your groups to thank their legislators
or Governor if they act as you hope they
will
 Let your groups know the final outcome
Group Email To Your
Members

Same principal
 - they should be able to act on your email
through links or a print out

- eg. Registration for an event through
an email link or link to your web site

- eg. An attachment with all the
information on your event
Helpful Hints



Use CC and BCC
BCC can hide other recipients and make
message seem more personal.
Especially useful when sending to all
Legislators
BE
GET
PREPARED!!!!!!!!!
IT SET UP NOW!!!!!
Case Study
 Cougar
Hunting Pilot Program In
Washington State
Brief Background
o
- WDFW legislation to extend a pilot program for
using hounds to hunt cougars in certain counties
of Washington state. It is contrary to an initiative
passed some years earlier which eliminated
hound hunting for cougars. Program based on
Science and Public Safety.
Who Was Involved?

Primary Opposition

Animal Right Groups, Peta, HSUS
Proponents
Sportsman Groups, WDFW
Chronology of Events

- House HB 2426
 - Bill begins in House
Initial opposition in Agricultural
and Natural resources committee

Our Lobbyist requests we have
members contact Ag and NR committee
members
Chronology Continued

Slightly amended bill goes to Rules
committee (lobbyist informs us that
opposition is organizing). Recommends
contacting Rules Committee (bill passes
and goes to House floor)
 All out request for all sportsman groups to
contact their representatives and push for
bills passage
Example of
the Email
We
Sent.
Please Print
Out for
Reference!
Example
Attachment
Letter Sent
to Senators.
Please
Print Out!!
Cougar Bill Continues

Bill passes house and goes to Senate
 - opposition increases as bill is pushed
through Senate committees for a vote on
the floor (our Lt. Governor is a
bowhunter)
 - All out request for all Sportsman Groups
to have their members contact their
Senators for the final vote on this bill.
And Continues

Bill passes Senate.

Lobbyist reports that Animal Rights
Groups are mounting a major campaign to
convince Governor to Veto or amend Bill.

A major campaign is launched by
Sportsman groups to contact the governors
office.
Email from Lobbyist

From: Ed OwensTo: Hunters Heritage
CouncilSent: Wednesday, March 05, 2008
05:48 AMSubject: LEGISLATIVE
ADVISORY: HB 2438 (Cougars) Passed
the SenateGood day ladies and gentlemenﾊ
HB 2438 Hound hunting of cougars passed
the Senate at 6:08 PM last night by a vote
of 31 yea, 18 nay and is now on its way to
the desk of the Governor.ﾊ There were
three amendments brought forward by
Senators Fairly and Tom.ﾊ Each of these
amendments would have restricted the use
of hounds as detailed in the billﾊin some
manner. All were defeated.
Email Campaign to Governor

Every animal rights network in Washington
State erupted this afternoon with a
"call to arms” targeting the office of the
Governor with a veto HB 2438 message
within twenty minutes after the bill was
pulled from Rules to the Senate floor.
Example of
the Email
Lobbyist
Sent.
Please
Print Out
for
Reference!
Email from Washington State
Bowhunters to Our Members

ACTION ALERTﾊCOUGAR HUNTING BILL
HB 2438 AFTER A TOUGH BATTLE, THIS
BILL HAS NOW PASSED BOTH THE
HOUSE AND THE SENATE AND IS
AWAITING THE GOVERNORS
SIGNATURE. THOSE GROUPS IN
OPPOSITION TO THE BILL ARE
MOUNTING A SERIOUS CAMPAIGN TO
THE GOVERNORS OFFICE
ENCOURAGING HER TO VETO THE BILL.
AS SPORTSMAN WE NEED TO STAND UP
FOR RESPONSIBLE GAME
MANAGEMENT PLANNING.

ﾊﾊﾊWhat needs to Happen:ﾊ It's absolutely critical thatﾊsupport for HB
2438 beﾊcommunicatedﾊto Governor Gregoire.ﾊﾊIndividuals can go to
the web site for the Governor at
http://www.governor.wa.gov/contact/default.aspﾊand simply fill out
the comments form - and more than one person in your household can
do the same.ﾊ The message can be as simple as please support HB
2438 and the form at the web site includes a public safety category to
make it even easier.ﾊ The direct line telephone number for the
Governor's Office is (360) 902-4111 and her FAX number is (360) 7534110.ﾊ Messages can also be left at the in-state toll-free Legislative
Hotline number at 800.562.6000. Organizations can use the same
email form at the Governor's web siteﾊtoﾊcommunicate a respectful
statement of support - although the message should be copy/pasted in
full in the comments section - on behalf of their members with
something, for example, along the lines of:ﾊGovernor Chris
Gregoire Office of the Governor PO Box 40002 Olympia, WA 985040002ﾊPLEASE TAKE A FEW MINUTES OUT OF YOUR BUSY DAY
TO MAKE THIS CONTACTﾊINCLUDED IS A SHORT NOTE WHICH
YOU MAY COPY AND PASTE IN THE COMMENTS SECTION OF
THE LINK TO THE GOVERNORS OFFICE OR FEEL FREE TO USE
YOUR OWN WORDS. PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO OTHER
CONCERNED SPORTSMAN!!!!!
Example
of the
Email We
Sent.
Please
Print Out
for
Reference!
Attachment Letter to Governor
Example of
the Letter
We
Sent.
Please
Print Out
for
Reference!
Final Outcome

Governor Signed the bill

Pro Cougar bill emails, letters and phone
call outnumber anti hunting emails, letters
and phone calls 10 to 1

This was an unprecedented margin
Summary



Be prepared
Organize in advance
Have email groups already created and ready to
send out to NOW
 Create the basic outline of your emergency email
now including how to contact legislator and how
to cut copy and paste so you will just need to
insert the new information
 You can wage a successful Email campaign
 Good Luck!