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Our mission at Action Network is to build progressive power, which we do by supporting you, our partners, on the front lines of our movement. We build digital mobilization and organizing tools that work reliably to help you do the crucial work of building community and caring for one another when it matters most.
Today, we’re thrilled to announce that the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) has joined Action Network as a Development Partner.
The Canadian Labour Congress is the largest labour organization in Canada, bringing together dozens of national and international unions, provincial and territorial federations of labour and community-based labour councils to represent more than 3 million workers across the country.
“I think that by bringing Action Network to Canada we can make our campaigns stronger and more impactful. Instead of ten million different healthcare campaigns, we can create one that’s loud, shared, and a collaboration with other unions, and that is spectacular. “
— Laurie Antonin, Digital Strategist at the CLC
Together, we’re working to ensure that progressive organizations at all levels in Canada — from the grassroots on up — have access to the robust fundraising, email, mobile messaging, and organizing tools they need to win. The Canadian Labour Congress will help incorporate the lessons learned and best practices from Canadian organizers and digital practitioners into the toolset, benefiting the progressive movement as a whole.
The Development Partnership Program was founded to build movement-centered technology within a sustainable model that provides cost-effective, powerful tools for the whole movement. The Canadian Labour Congress will sit at the table with the AFL-CIO, Daily Kos, and the Democratic National Committee to brainstorm, prioritize, and vote on wishlist items to be added to the Action Network development roadmap. This model is core to our organization, and we believe it’s the best way to build technology for the progressive movement.
Together, we’re building new features to help supercharge progressive campaigning in Canada, including:
- Localization: Canadian provinces and districts are available for email and mobile message targeting
- [Coming soon] Letter Campaigns: Canadian elected officials are now built-in targets for Letter Campaigns
- [Coming soon] Bilingual Backend: Run your digital program in French or English with a fully bilingual administrator interface
I spoke with Laurie Antonin, Digital Strategist at the CLC, to hear about what this partnership means for Canadian unions and progressives.
What has it been like to be a part of the cooperative development process so far?
I think the most exciting aspect of this process is building something that speaks to the needs of labor unions in Canada. We understand that we need to activate something in folks to connect the change they want to see and the struggles that they’re going through, and having the right tools in place to help engage folks in that direction is key. We’re all learning the technology and understanding how this will help individuals get closer to their unions and closer to our campaigns.
Working with Action Network specifically is great because they understand our world. They understand what labor means and how we organize. They understand the ways in which we will spread ourselves thin to get a member to vote, to show up at a membership meeting, to join a campaign. We’re already seeing those possibilities, and we can’t wait to see those rewards.
So one benefit is being able to form the tools to make sure that they’re fitting with your actual strategies?
One hundred percent. Anytime we build a strategy around a campaign, whether it’s for elections or an issue-based campaign, we ask ourselves, “What are the moments we are going to create to bring people together?” That’s always the starting point. And then we think about how often we can bring those people together. That’s really what Action Network allows you to do. It allows you to automate the conversations with people that allow you to get more people to that place in the moment. The tools make that process really simple. The more we learn about the technology, the more we map out opportunities for people to take action.
Action Network is a flexible group, and I think that’s super important. Every organization has their own functions and their own DNA and way they approach things. That’s what makes Action Network approachable. There are so many tools out there that it’s impossible to decide which one works for you. Working with Action Network makes everything so much cleaner and more streamlined. They’re always finding a solution to help you through that process of moving over to another system or making recommendations that will allow for those features to work better or be more integrated. There’s always a solutions-based approach to working with Action Network.
What do you think this partnership will make possible that wasn’t possible before?
I think that by bringing Action Network to Canada we can make our campaigns stronger and more impactful. Instead of ten million different healthcare campaigns, we can create one that’s loud, shared, and a collaboration with other unions, and that is spectacular. We can do that regionally, provincially, and on a national level with hundreds of thousands of people behind a cause.