Electoral

At Crossroads, we work with our clients to take their issue agenda and electoral goals and build an effective organizing framework that will achieve real results. And most importantly, we will put in place processes that will ensure the sustainability of the grassroots operation long after Crossroads is no longer involved.

Candidate Campaigns

From local bids for City Council to nationally-targeted US Senate races, Crossroads has helped dozens of campaigns across the country build winning field, communications, online, and get-out-the vote programs.

Issue Campaigns

Crossroads has worked with ballot committees and advocacy organizations large and small to effectively educate voters, engage activists, and show results at the polls and in the halls of government.

While Issue and Candidate Campaigns may differ in their ultimate goals, many of the overall needs, tactics, and strategies remain the same. A menu of many of these services is included below, broken down into common themes.

Advocacy

Grassroots Mobilization & Field Outreach

Crossroads can help advocacy organizations and campaigns mobilize communities to take action. We have put together innovative strategies utilizing a plethora of available tools for distributing campaign messages through diverse outlets - contacting legislators through websites, writing letters to the editor, rally events, face-to-face meetings, and a variety of other strategies. Whatever the cause, Crossroads will reach out to your target community and raise awareness of an issue to return positive results.

Strategic & Campaign Planning

Crossroads helps campaigns, advocacy groups, membership organizations, trade associations, 527s, and PACs become more effective in accomplishing their internal and public goals. We work hard to develop a strategy that matches organizational capability with short and long term goals. Not content to apply a one-size-fits-all action-plan, we spend the necessary time to assess and understand your organization’s strengths and identify potential areas of improvement.

Communications

Message Development & Tools

An important part of any advocacy strategy is communication. The Crossroads team works with organizations to ensure that there is outreach to community media outlets – from print to broadcast to radio to internet. With guidance, talking points, press releases and advisory templates, and tips about how to pitch the media, organizations not only receive positive attention for their current organizations but also have the tools and skills to assist them on future projects.

Spokesperson Training

As the public face of your organization or campaign, your spokespeople will have more impact on the public perception than any other member of your team. Crossroads can help connect your staff and volunteers with the training resources they need to ensure they’re always on their A-game when dealing with print, broadcast, and online media - as well as in outreach to the general public.

Data & Targeting

Data Management

Modern political campaigns consume and generate a mountain of data. Knowing what to make of all that information and how to put it to work becomes increasingly challenging. Crossroads has helped campaigns throughout the country make sense of their voter files, pinpointing the portions of the populace that need priority attention – those potential voters that staff time is best spent working to persuade and mobilize. With Crossroads on your team, your campaign will run with a precise and rational data strategy.

Targeting Strategy

Effective targeting is one of the most important pieces of a winning campaign, and the tool that makes the difference in a competitive race. The days of political mass-communication are long gone, replaced by micro-communication – talking to small groups of voters in a way that resonates specifically with them, making your messaging more relevant and with a stronger impact. Crossroads can help you identify groups to target in your race, and find effective ways to engage them.

Field Operations

Field & GOTV Strategy

Crossroads has helped dozens of campaigns and issue organizations across the country build winning field and GOTV campaigns. We work with our clients to take their agenda and issues and build an organizing framework that will effectively educate voters, engage activists, and show results at the polls. And most importantly, we will put in place processes that will ensure the sustainability of your grassroots operation long after Crossroads is no longer involved.

Paid Canvass Operations

The last thing a campaign manager needs in the closing weeks of a campaign is the added load of a paid canvass operation. Crossroads staff have put together dozens of canvasses across the country - whether a municipal or statewide election - we’ve been there. We can successfully manage the recruiting, training, logistics, and payroll leaving core campaign staff with one less responsibility on their plate.

Voter Registration

Crossroads can build a voter registration strategy and operation that will produce results. Our experience with campaigns that expand the electorate has been successful thanks to strong management and reporting matched with regular adaptation to the reality on the ground. Our registration programs urge new voters to utilize any vote-by-mail or early vote opportunities available in your state. After all, when more voters can cast a ballot for you, more voters will.

Voter Education

An issue campaign can’t expect voters to take action or turn out on Election Day if they’re unaware of the stakes. Crossroads can help your campaign put together a plan and gather the resources necessary to reach out to key groups and inform them about the voter registration process, or reasons to support your cause, take action in contacting their representatives, or vote for your candidate. We can help you make sure your target audience has the knowledge necessary to make the informed decisions your campaign needs.

Fundraising

Finance Planning

Fundraising is no easy task in the current environment, but Crossroads can help. Our staff can help your group develop a successful fundraising plan. We’ll help you think creatively about fundraising to find unique opportunities that lead to untapped donor dollars. We can help craft creative and catchy messaging to break through the apathy barrier and find the low-dollar donors that make the difference between the Cadillac plan and something less.

Fundraising Execution

The Crossroads staff has raised funds for a wide variety of candidate campaigns, political parties, and advocacy organizations. From direct mail and event planning to donor research and call-time management, our team can help you every step of the way to maximize your fundraising potential.

Online

Online Messaging

Crossroads staff members are campaign veterans who have been responsible for online messaging in a variety of settings. We’ve written fundraising appeals, calls to action, general campaign updates, and everything else imaginable. We’ve been charged with creating email schedules, testing response rates, and finding creative ways to acquire new supporters and utilize existing ones. When it comes to online messaging, Crossroads staff has the experience and creativity to deliver results.

Web & New Media Development

We have built successful websites and online strategies for our clients. Ranging from prominent US Senate campaigns to local elections, our team will make sure your online tools match your online needs. Crossroads can build an online presence from the ground up or work to integrate existing technology and vendors into a comprehensive package to help you embrace netroots. We have experience with diverse content and contact management systems including NGP Campaign Office, Wired for Change / Democracy in Action, Joomla!, and ExpressionEngine. We can help develop strategies for outreach through blogs, Wikipedia, and other online outlets.

Training & Facilitation

Group Facilitation

Sometimes a third party is needed to keep meetings on the right track in order to meet goals. Other times, everyone knows a meeting is needed, but isn’t sure what the goal should be. Crossroads will work with an organization as the neutral party – looking at the big picture, making sure everyone has a chance to contribute, and working to bring consensus and reach a decision. We’ve worked with all sorts of groups, on all sorts of issues, to reach their goals.

Training Programs

Campaigns often have volunteers and staff who mean well and want to make a difference but, do not have the experience or knowledge necessary to efficiently and effectively carry out assigned duties. The staff at Crossroads has decades of experience that we are more than happy to share with your supporters. Whatever the type of campaign, Crossroads can put together a remote or on-site training program that fits your budget, time constraints, and goals.