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MomsRising Case Study

MomsRising is working to bring together millions of people who share a common concern about the need to build a more family-friendly America. Started in May of 2006, MomsRising has over 140,000 citizen members and is rapidly growing. Every day, MomsRising.org helps members create cultural and legislative change using creative strategies and 21st century advocacy and communications tools.

Growing Its Base, Unlocking the Power of Salsa Platform

Co-founder Joan Blades brought her experience from MoveOn.org to starting-up MomsRising.org. She knew that flexibility and scalability were key to success.

"We needed to be able to create custom forms and tools on the fly, to target emails to various segments of our list, and handle tens or hundreds of thousands of signups in a day, if a campaign took off. DemocracyInAction allowed us to have that infrastructure in place instantly, at a very affordable price."
MomsRising.org co-founder & MoveOn.org co-founder, Joan Blades

MomsRising.org turned to DemocracyInAction for list growth and constituent contact tools. The young organization took advantage of DemocracyInAction's most comprehensive Salsa platform, which includes supporter management, opt-in e-mail blasts, petitions, special campaigns, tell-a-friend, and events.

Right to Petition

Drawing on the functionality of Salsa, MomsRising.org used questionnaires to help pass the Washington State Family Leave Act. The organization called on its members to develop and vote on pro-family proverbs to get the attention of the state legislators and the press. Recognizing an opportunity to generate media attention on the issue, MomsRising.org delivered fortune cookies, which contained five pro-family sayings to lawmakers. The idea got attention from legislators and drew interest from the media.

"The Family Leave bill would not have passed without the great work of MomsRising. Being able to mobilize thousands of constituents to e-mail our Governor and individual lawmakers made all the difference...It's a great model for an authentic political movement made up of people who are unable to attend rallies or raise huge amounts of campaign donations. It's a way for real people to make a real difference."
Washington State Senator Karen Keiser

Perhaps one of their most memorable campaigns was their response to news that a ticket agent forced a mother off a Freedom Air flight (Delta Airlines) for breastfeeding on-board. The nonprofit used Salsa to quickly create an online petition that generated over 19,000 signatures. As a result of MomsRising.org's fast response, Delta reversed its policy regarding breastfeeding.

Members Rising

With the help of DIA online advocacy and outreach tools, MomsRising.org has recruited a staggering 140,000 members in only 24 months and adds about 1,000 new members every week. Over 85 national and state organizations have signed on to be aligned with MomsRising.org.

As a Tier 3 Salsa user, MomsRising.org uses practically all of DIA online communications. Moving beyond the confines of Washington state and working with DIA consulting partner Radical Designs, MomsRising.org has created distributed events around the country in order to set meetings with 44 U.S. Senate Offices in support of the Fair Pay Restoration Act.

Moms Win in New Jersey

Using Salsa's targeting and campaign functionality, MomsRising.org members in New Jersey generated over 60,000 strategically timed letters to legislators, made hundreds of phone calls, and organized an eye-catching onesie display at the state capitol. These efforts, paired with the work of their partners, resulted in a winning campaign, making New Jersey the 3rd state in the country to pass Paid Family Leave.

MomsRising Continues the Good Fight for a More Family-Friendly America

MomsRising.org continues to engage members actively in creating a family-friendly America. Recent activities include:

  • MomsRising.org members emailed in over 42,000 letters to Congress opposing funding cuts to afterschool programs and two congressional hearings were set up in response.
  • MomsRising.org members continue to have house parties to show the Motherhood Manifesto film all across the nation.
  • Paid Sick Days for All campaign, which seeks to reduce the number (i.e., nearly half of all) of private sector workers who don't have a single paid sick day, is active in 6 states and at the national level.