What to Do After Your Election?
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Your member organization runs its annual election like clockwork, but do you have a post-election plan? You could be missing out on countless opportunities to better understand your members, increase election participation, improve future election cycles and more.
Following the election, your organization should spring into action by gathering information. What are the demographics of members who voted and those who did not? Did you see an increase or decrease in participation levels? What worked during the most recent election process and what challenges did the organization face? These are all questions that should be addressed in a post-project call with your election representative.
Plan for future elections
Planning for your next voting event is critical in creating a stress-free election process. The first step is to set goals for your next election, when you understand the trend lines of previous elections, you can confidently establish goals for the future. Make your goals realistic and measurable, here are some of the examples we’ve seen in the past:
- Engage more members in the voting process.
- Bring efficiency and time-savings to your staff that handles the voting projects.
- Save money on postage by pursuing online voting options.
Are you considering a new voting method? Knowing the demographics and communication preferences of your members is a key factor in determining which voting methods your organization should utilize. Paper ballots, online voting or a hybrid of multiple methods provide convenient options for members to cast their vote.
Member Surveys
The number one way to analyze the effectiveness of your communications and election techniques is to undertake a post-election survey. These can be used to obtain rapid, actionable results that allowing your organization to gain key knowledge about opinions and issues that matter to your members.
Post-election surveys can be also be valuable to learn why your members didn’t vote. Once you have the data, you can better analyze your voting trends, prepare for future elections and implement tactics to get members to vote.
Not satisfied with your engagement?
- Participation Reminders: Customized commincation tools like email, postcards and letters help reach those who have yet to vote in a way that is meaningful to them and maximize the engagement of your voting project.
- Single Sign-On (SSO): Simplify online voting even more with SSO that enables you to transform your website into an online portal for members to vote at the same time as they pay their bills or browse your website.
- Advanced Analytics: Identifies which voting methods are the most popular among your voters helping your organization make data-driven decisions about how to promote your election. In-depth analytics helps you determine strategies for connecting with your “on-the-go”
For more information on the post-election process (and some great success stories), contact us. We’re here to help!
Since joining SBS in 2011, Tony has led company communications, branding, and product launches, maintaining SBS as the go-to for governance solutions. He regularly hosts educational webinars and speaks at national trade association events across the United States. Tony’s expertise has earned him media recognition, with features in outlets like Rural Electric Magazine, The Association Adviser podcast, Associations Now, and NBC’s King 5 Mornings in Seattle.