Background
A national trade association needed to rally its members and advocates quickly around a critical piece of legislation poised to advance in a critical state for the organization. A state assembly bill threatened the industry, and the association’s goal was to generate a surge of pressure on lawmakers to oppose it.
Challenge
The association faced two major hurdles:
- Limited budget for outreach.
- Urgent timeline to mobilize members before the bill advanced.
Traditional outreach methods like mailers, advertising, or email, lacked the immediacy and response rate needed to make a meaningful impact within the short window.
Solution
The association partnered with Wonder Cave to run a text messaging campaign targeting advocates directly on their phones. With SMS, the association was able to:
- Send concise, actionable messages that included links to contact lawmakers.
- Reach supporters immediately and mobilize them in real time.
- Track engagement and refine targeting to maximize response rates.
Results
The campaign delivered powerful results with limited resources:
- 7,000+ letters were written and sent to legislators urging opposition to the bill.
- The trade association engaged advocates at scale without exceeding budget.
- SMS provided a cost-effective way to amplify advocacy efforts and demonstrate grassroots strength.
Use Case for Trade Associations
This case illustrates how trade associations can leverage SMS to:
- Activate advocates quickly when legislation threatens or supports their industry.
- Enhance grassroots campaigns by making it easy for members to take action with a single click.
- Maximize limited budgets by focusing outreach on the most direct, effective channel.
- Quicker feedback loop by utilizing two way conversations and hitting people where they are.
Key Takeaway
For trade associations, SMS transforms advocacy into action. By mobilizing members directly on their phones, organizations can drive thousands of meaningful contacts to lawmakers, fast, efficient, and within budget.
Wonder Cave gives associations the power to influence legislation when it matters most.