ControlShift Powers Local Organizing
ControlShift is a much bigger idea than just another software widget.
It's rooted in the idea that people should drive social movements, even when they happen online. We are shifting control of online organizing beyond broadcast back to our community organizing roots.
Existing toolsets for online social change turn activists into passive recipients rather than engaged citizens who create their own change in the world. The tools that are available to our customers currently are far more concerned about A/B testing email open rates and donation funnels than helping to empower people to work on the missions of the organizations they are a part of.
Traditional online organizing follows a broadcast model with centralized campaign staff sending email to millions of supporters. We want these organizations to be more participatory and embrace all of the many talents and resources their members have. The existing software tools don't allow this sort of interaction. They're all about broadcast.
We are proposing a different model: empowering ordinary people from Bangalore to St. Louis with digital tools to collaborate on and win their own campaigns for social change, with offline support from the staff of existing organizations they have an affinity with.
The thesis is that just providing online tools to emerging leaders is not sufficient. Partnering with membership organizations that are committed to changing what their staff do -- making a shift from broadcasting actions to empowering the leaders scattered around their communities with advice, tools and support can multiply the impact we can make.
The tech itself is important, but what we're really talking about is fundamentally reformulating the relationship that organizations have with their members. We'll make them more participatory and help them to embrace all of the many talents and resources their members have.
And try to do so globally.