Case Studies

DNC Digital Organizing at Scale, Empowered by Reach

Background: Engaging Voters Through Digital Innovation

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has long been committed to increasing voter participation and reaching the electorate where they are. In 2024, the DNC faced the challenge of reaching, persuading and mobilizing voters in an increasingly digital world while combating misinformation and low engagement in key battleground states. Traditional organizing tactics used such as doorknocks, calls, mail and texts have become less effective with each cycle. So the DNC partnered with Reach, a cutting-edge digital organizing platform, to enhance their capacity for relational organizing and digital content sharing.

With a history of leveraging technology to empower grassroots efforts, the DNC sought to build a robust, distributed digital organizing ecosystem that could scale effectively, and meet diverse regional needs. The collaboration with Reach marked a pivotal moment in digital voter engagement, blending traditional organizing principles with modern digital tools.

Reach: A Transformative Digital Organizing Platform

By offering an intuitive, action-oriented tool designed to maximize volunteer engagement, Reach empowers campaigns to scale their relational organizing, targeted messaging, and digital engagement.

Building a Distributed Digital Organizing Ecosystem for Maximum Impact

A 28-member Digital Organizing Team led the strategy and execution, ensuring alignment with the DNC’s broader voter mobilization efforts.
17 separate Reach campaigns were activated to engage key communities in battleground states with locally relevant content and messaging.
A hybrid approach combining user-generated content (UGC), targeted messaging, and relational organizing fueled impact at scale.

Program Execution & Results: A Data-Driven Approach to Digital Engagement

Content Engine & Distributed Media: Amplifying Authentic Voices

volunteer-created content pieces amplified campaign messages with personal and authentic narratives.

pieces tailored to key states, issues, and coalition priorities, ensuring hyper-localized engagement.

Screenshot of Reach Galleries from DNC campaign

Volunteer Mobilization & Training: Empowering Grassroots Organizers

High-impact training sessions empowered distributed organizers with the skills to engage their communities effectively.
56,830 shifts completed, reflecting deep volunteer commitment and engagement.

Screenshot of Reach training run buy the DNC in July 2024, with excited volunteers.

Action & Activation: Driving Voter-Centric Engagement

Action Cards facilitated specific, voter-centric actions, driving measurable outcomes.

Custom Push Notifications delivered timely mobilization prompts, ensuring volunteer engagement at critical moments.

Reach Action Card from Day 2 of the 2024 DNC Convention

User & Volunteer Engagement: Sustaining Participation and Impact

Rapid Growth & Sustained Engagement: Scaling Volunteer Involvement

users from all 50 states, DC, and four US territories.

Over half of these users had push notifications enabled, allowing for high-level direct coordination between the DNC and their volunteers.

Volunteer-Driven Impact: Strengthening Community-Led Organizing

volunteers participated in online and relational GOTV (Get Out The Vote) efforts.

volunteer content creators shaped the campaign narrative from the ground up, fostering authenticity and trust.

Lizzo content created by volunteers from the Harris campaign

Pumpkin spice content created by volunteers from the Harris campaign

Content Performance & Relational Influence: Generating Engagement and Reach

total content shares, driving impact and creating viral moments that extended campaign reach.

assets created, including 5,550 user-generated assets showcasing authentic voices.

feedback submissions, allowing real-time iteration and optimization of messaging strategies.

Screenshot of Reach Assets Admin screen showing a grid of content assets.

Relational Voter Contact & GOTV Effectiveness: Mobilizing Voters Through Trusted Messengers

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searches conducted, enabling on-the-spot voter canvassing and data capture.

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relationships established, leveraging social connections and persuasive outreach from trusted messengers.

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voter contact and canvassing actions, providing valuable data and engagement.

Key Takeaways & Conclusion: Lessons from a Landmark Digital Organizing Effort

The DNC’s 2024 digital organizing program powered by Reach set a new benchmark for grassroots mobilization through relational organizing and distributed content strategies. By empowering volunteers with intuitive tools and fostering a relational-driven engagement model, the program built a high-trust, high-impact voter outreach network that scaled rapidly.

The collaboration between the DNC and Reach underscored the power of relational organizing, targeted digital engagement, and authentic storytelling in modern voter mobilization. This effort is just the beginning, as future campaigns will continue to evolve, refine, and scale these strategies to reach and mobilize even more voters.