Before you get started: Make sure you've reached out to us to purchase numbers you can use for this action! If you do not, call campaigns will not work. You can reach out to support@actionnetwork.org to request numbers for Call Campaigns.
To create your letter call, go to the Actions tab in the Start Organizing menu and click Call Campaigns.
Next you will reach the create page. Give your call campaign an administrative title, which is for internal use only. Next, choose your target list -- you can pick one or more of built in target lists for the US and Canada:
- US president and vice president
- U.S. Congress
- U.S. Senate
- U.S. House of Representatives
- U.S. Governors
- U.S. State Legislatures
- U.S. State Legislatures Upper Houses
- U.S. State Legislatures Lower Houses
- CA Federal Ministers
- CA Senate
- CA House of Commons
- CA Provincial Ministers
- CA Provincial Legislators
You can also choose any custom targets you've uploaded or have access to (explained here). If you choose a custom target list, make sure that you have included a phone number in your custom target CSV.
Then, you have the option to turn on click to call using the toggle at the top. If you choose not to turn on click to call, activists can call a phone number and hear a recorded message. If we don't have their address on file, we'll use Voice to Address so people can state their address to be matched to the correct target. Activists will be able to enter their zip code by voice or keypad on their device. If you choose to enable click to call, activists will see a front-facing page with a form that asks for their address, mobile number, and whatever other fields you choose. If you didn't collect zip code on the form, activists will be able to enter their zip code by voice or (for US-based activists) keypad on their device. Then they will receive a call on the number they provided that plays your recorded message and connects them to the target(s).
For click-to-call
You can upload a banner image, which will appear below the title and above the description box. Your image should be 1500px wide by any height (600px is suggested). It will be scaled to a final size of 750px wide. You also have the option to add an image attribution, which will appear in small, dark grey text below your image, as well as alt text.
You can use the visual toolbar to customize the appearance of your description text. The following options are available:
- Write your description in HTML
- Format headings left, right, center or justified
- Add text formatting: bold, italicize, or strikethrough
- Create bulleted or numbered lists
- Insert images from links or your computer and add a title/alt text, add image attribution, link the image, change the position or change the width
- Insert a video from a YouTube or Vimeo link or embed code
- Insert and manage a table
- Add links or hyperlinks
- Add a horizontal line rule
Show or hide standard fields by clicking "Edit Form" and using the visual form builder. You can read more about the visual form builder here. You can also decide whether you want to make the field required or not. First name, last name, ZIP/postal code, mobile number, email address and country must always be present and required (street and city as well if using built in targets). You can also create questions with data linked to a specific action using action only fields. Click here to learn more.
Finally, you can add in custom form inputs using the visual form builder (explained here) or by writing your own HTML. And you can add an optional image if you choose.
Then select the phone number you want activists to call for this call campaign or receive a call from if you're using click to call. The dropdown will show you all available numbers, and show you which numbers are already in use by another call campaign. You can select a number already in use to get a link to the call campaign using that number so you can unpublish it.
Note: One phone number can only be used in one call campaign at a time. You will need to unpublish any call campaigns using that phone number, or ask us to purchase a new phone number on Twilio.
Next, you can upload a recorded message, in mp3 format, that activists will hear before being connected to their target(s). You also have the option to record this directly from your device. You'll need to have your microphone enabled on your device to do this. The recording should be relatively short and explain the script you want your activists to follow. If you need to convert an audio recording into mp3 format, here's a helpful free converter.
Selecting call campaign targets
Click Select Targets on the right to add at least one target to this letter and save. In the targeting window, the list at the top shows the currently selected targets for this call campaign. You can search through targets by clicking the magnifying glass icon in the upper left, and remove individual targets by clicking the "Remove" button.
To add targets to your selected list, use the controls below. The targets available for selection come from the target lists you chose from the drop down menu earlier.
You can search for targets by typing in the Search for Targets to Add box. You can search by name, party, title, district, or state. Once you've found one or more targets to add, click on their search results to add them to the box, then click "Add" to add them to your selected list above.
You can add all targets from your target list by clicking the "Add All" button, or clear all targets out of your list by clicking the "Clear All" button.
If your targets are part of our built in target lists and not custom targets, you can add targets by party by clicking the respective party buttons in the "Select by Party" section.
You can also add all targets in a specific state by selecting one or more states in the "Select by State" section and clicking "Add States" to add all targets in those states to your selection list.
When you're done, click "Okay! All Done!" to close the targeting window and see a count of the number of targets you selected. Save your call campaign to save your target selection.
Save
When you're done, you can save your draft or save and publish your call campaign. When you publish, your call campaign will be live. Test it out by calling the number you selected, or filling out the form if you're using click to call. Next, you can add and edit thank you page text, and show or hide the sharing options on thank you pages for click to call. This is a great place to include tips or a script for the call. Your activists will see the names of the targets they're calling on the thank you page. Now it's time to share your call campaign. More on sharing your call campaign here.