Michael Whybrew interview: What you Could Learn from the International Campaign for Tibet
	Posted by Jordan Viator at Jun 23, 2008 09:27 AM CDT Categories: Advocacy , Fundraising

At a time when we are all casting our eyes on different parts of the world to learn what's happening with the human rights, the economy, natural disasters and foreign aid, I decided to sit down with Michael Whybrew, Director of Development for the International Campaign for Tibet, to learn more about what his organization does and a few keys tactics it implements to further its mission - both online and offline.

Share with us a little about the mission of The International Campaign for Tibet and how your organization is involved with international human rights issues.

ICT’s primary mission is to promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet.  That work is expressed through a broad range of activities, such as monitoring and reporting on human rights, environmental and socio-economic conditions inside Tibet; advocating for Tibetans imprisoned for their political or religious beliefs; and securing humanitarian and development assistance for Tibetans.  ICT also helps promote self-determination for the Tibetan people by supporting the negotiation process between the Dalai Lama and Chinese government

What projects are you currently working on (or have you worked on in the past) to support or advocate for your cause? Tell us a little about the International Campaign for Tibet’s goal(s) here and possible plans and projects we may see from you in the future. 

So much of what we do is dependent on the larger context of world events and international politics.  The current situation inside Tibet has put the next round of talks between the Tibetan Government-in-Exile and Beijing on much more of a fast track then we were anticipating earlier this year.  We are also deliberately leveraging the heightened awareness of the Tibetan issue (and the larger human rights issues within China) between now and the Olympics to keep the pressure on China and world governments that are supportive of what the Dalai Lama is trying to accomplish.

Last year was in many respects a year of celebration after many years of hard work.  ICT and our many supporters were key in getting the U.S. Congress to award the Congressional Gold Medal to His Holiness last October.  Equally as important was the fact that President Bush made the award.  It was the first time a U.S. President appeared with the Dalai Lama in an official, public setting.  It was a very powerful gesture of support for the cause as well as a strong message to China.

What is your organization doing online to communicate, market or advocate to your constituents? And what specific tactics and/or tools have you used to help with these online efforts?

What we have been doing until very recently is what I’d characterize as very “strategic and practical” communications with our constituents . . . primarily because we are a small organization and staff are almost always wearing multiple hats.  Of course, we promote our Web site wherever and whenever we can and encourage people to sign up for our email list.  ICT generates a lot of original news and reporting content and that is a big draw for frequent visitors to our site.

Our email communications have tended to be very focused on specific advocacy actions we really need our supporters to take (e.g., sign a petition, contact their congressional representatives) or to publicize ICT events.  From a fundraising perspective, we’ve had the most experience and success with email appeals tied to very concrete, immediate needs with a looming deadline.  For example, we were in a position last fall where we suddenly needed to raise an unexpected $200,000 to cover the expense of staging a Tibetan cultural celebration on the west lawn of the Capitol.  The venue also provided a large, video projection screen and audio so people could watch the Gold Medal ceremony remotely.  We were able to raise almost half of our goal online and we started with only about three weeks to go before the event.  I think all of us were surprised at the results.  Thankfully, this allowed about 10,000 people to watch the ceremony on the west lawn in addition to almost 50,000 worldwide who watched a live webcast of the proceedings.

This year, we are moving toward being more systematic with our communications.  We will be launching a regular Tibet news update email soon and are working on an online version of our hard copy member newsletter, Tibet Press Watch, that we will also promote by email.  On the fundraising front, we are going to be more deliberate and strategic by crafting email versions of some of our direct mail appeals . . . when it makes sense and only if the message lends itself to the immediacy of email.  It’s important to ask for support, but it’s equally important to know how often to do that.  The last thing I want do is numb down our supporters by sending email appeals too frequently.  I don’t want ICT to become just another drip of noise in people’s bloated inboxes.
 
What results are you seeing online? And how have these helped augment and/or exceed offline efforts?

I am thankful that we have very strong open rates, typically at or above 30%.  That’s the first, most important hurdle.  In general ICT tends to have high average gifts off line and we are seeing that with our online donations as well.

I know there is a lot of talk about how, one day, email will certainly (or hopefully) replace snail mail.  I don’t know what the reality will be except to say it will be interesting to watch it continue to evolve.  Right now, online is an important part of the overall mix.  It’s part of the whole working together whether that takes the form of a direct mail appeal, a member newsletter, a one on one conversation . . . or an email..

The International Campaign for Tibet’s work includes not only communicating with constituents, but also asking them to advocate on issues of importance with elected officials and asking them to support the organizations financially; how do you balance those needs between fundraising and advocacy and are you seeing your constituents both advocate and donate?

Keeping it balanced is a struggle for all organizations.  I think one of the things that makes that a little easier for ICT is that we keep our advocacy asks focused on those few things people can do that really will make a difference.  We are very conscious of how many emails are going out in any one week, to what part of the file, as well as what they just received, and what we might be sending them two weeks from now.  In addition to being mindful of the ongoing context of communications, we also try to keep every email, regardless of the content, focused on as few things as possible.  Most of my career has been in direct marketing.  If I’ve learned anything besides test test test, it’s to keep it simple.  Less is more.  Ideally, we try to keep the spotlight on the one thing we want people to do.

If you could give one single piece of advice to another nonprofit looking to use the Internet in their outreach or communications strategy, what would it be?

That’s easy.  Be very respectful of the fact that someone is trusting you with their email address.  Sure, they won’t be surprised if you abuse the privilege . . . whether that’s too many emails, too many empty advocacy asks, too many donation requests without a solid need behind it.  But they just might be surprised if you honor their trust by only communicating when you really have something of substance to say.

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