Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Welcome to the 21st Century

Some very encouraging news from this week’s Hill Times:

The federal Liberals are looking to Canada's ethno-cultural communities, as well as at state-of-the-art voter targeting software to sell more memberships and revamp their formerly moribund fundraising efforts.

New Liberal Party National Director Rocco Rossi, a longtime confidante of new Leader Michael Ignatieff (Etobicoke-Lakeshore, Ont.) and the former head of the Heart and Stroke Foundation, said the party is hoping to buy software similar to that used by U.S. President Barack Obama's presidential election campaign.


My advice would be to not skimp on costs. Having briefly played around with some Obama database technology last fall, I saw first hand what a huge benefit it was for targeting and contacting voters and volunteers. I can only image how beneficial it would be when it comes to fundraising efforts.

The other thing to keep in mind, is that having the greatest database in the world in Canada among Canadian opposition parties doesn’t mean a lick unless you’re constantly using it and updating it with new information. Obviously, there are confidentiality issues to consider, but it needs to be something ridings, campaigns, and the national party can all take maximum advantage of.

But, without a doubt, this is very encouraging news.

8 Comments:

  • While technology may help, people will not support a party and its leader without a grassroots concern. Simply making the call does not engage people to vote, donate or volunteer. The Liberal party is lacking this, thus the fundraising woes.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6:50 p.m.  

  • Calgary RAnts: Good point - about the Liberal Party of 5 years ago. In the past year or so, the Liberal Party has turned it's fundraising around - by that very "grassroots" engagement you speak of. Mr. Ignatieff has met with more "ordinary" Canadians in the past two years than Harper did in his entire life in office. While Harper hides, Ignatieff engages. I shouldn't forget Mr. Dion... he was also out there quite a bit.

    The "old" Liberal Party was a little too reliant on the old way of fund-raising. It is changing, and, while it is still morphing, good progress has already been made - hence the last Quarter, where we outfund-raised the Conservatives.

    I can see the grassroots outreach in individual ridings across the West - and that really means something, because it only reflects the efforts which must be occurring in the East.

    We've had a very active membership - as far as debate and discourse goes... we just weren't very good at asking them for $s. This has changed (for the better).

    By Blogger WesternGrit, at 7:44 p.m.  

  • Thank God.

    By Blogger Corey Hogan, at 8:30 p.m.  

  • The Conservatives and the Liberals trying to do this will seem rather imitative of the Obama movement which has been very successful and solid.
    He is in touch weekly, sometimes daily. WOW! I just got an email from Obama, thanking me, like... AWESOME!
    Its hard to trust these guys in the Libs and Con party, although Dion was creating something genuine.

    By Blogger Oemissions, at 11:39 p.m.  

  • Did you read Prairie Wrangler's article on this?

    He uses this as further corrobation of his theory that Harper and Obama are very similar, but somehow when Harper does something it's bad, and when Obama does it, it's good.

    Read it for yourself

    By Blogger Robert Vollman, at 1:33 a.m.  

  • The "old" Liberal Party was a little too reliant on the old way of fund-raising. It is changing, and, while it is still morphing, good progress has already been made - hence the last Quarter, where we outfund-raised the Conservatives.

    According to the Elections Canada database, in the last quarter the Liberals raised $2.3 million from 17,558 donors, while the Conservatives raised $6.3 million from 49,065 donors.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 8:32 a.m.  

  • I wonder if they break these donations up/down into age groups and regional areas!
    I remember during the election Baird spent most of his time hanging out at Seniors Centres.
    Ofcourse Justin Trudeau was very popular at these places too.

    By Blogger Oemissions, at 8:50 a.m.  

  • "Last quarter" ... then it may have been a more recent period. It was all over the news - how the LPC out-fundraised the Cons over a certain period...

    By Blogger WesternGrit, at 1:35 p.m.  

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