Misleading supporters over email damages progressive causes.

We all have steep goals and are constantly looking for innovative ways to make those goals, position the importance of our organizations, and compete for attention and money. However, there is a baseline of responsibility we should all agree to in advance of 2018.

By signing your name to this document, you agree not to use the tactics described below in a program you run. You agree to advocate against these tactics to your peers and superiors, and you agree to call on your CRM to terminate accounts of programs that do use these tactics.

Please sign your name and share with other emailers you know!

Don’t pretend someone owes you money or that you are someone you are not

• Don’t send supporters messages with the phrases “Final Notice” or “Account delinquent.” Many donors are misled by these subject lines into believing that they OWE money and have failed to remit. Even if this is explained in the text of your email, it is unacceptable.
• Don’t pretend your organization speaks for candidates, electeds, and entities that you don’t speak for.
• It should be easy for your email recipients to find out the name of your organization, whether that’s in the sender name, reply-to, or subject line.

Don’t propagate fake news via email

• Potential outcomes delivered as news (“Mueller fired”) abuse your supporters’ trust by lying to them. Even though you are not a news outlet, members of your list will rightly treat breaking news-style messages as breaking news. Straying into fake news to generate clicks manipulates your list and contributes to a larger erosion of truth in news media.

Don’t buy names

• Only email people who have opted in. And though often necessary and appropriate to send email to non-subscribers directly following-up on actions they've taken (e.g. a contribution confirmation or RSVP'd event reminder), do not continue to send people email unrelated to those actions unless the person has opted in.
• If the type of entity that you are, or who you represent, changes, give your email list clear notice and an uncomplicated unsubscribe process.

UPDATE 4/23/18: Based on signer feedback, we've clarified our "Don't Buy Names" section from the following: "Don’t send email to people who have not opted in to receive emails from your organization more than once" to "Only email people who have opted in. And though often necessary and appropriate to send email to non-subscribers directly following-up on actions they've taken (e.g. a contribution confirmation or RSVP'd event reminder), do not continue to send people email unrelated to those actions unless the person has opted in."

*Why is this important? Every supporter who gives us their email address is trusting us with personal information in support of our cause. In most cases they are also trusting us with their money and their votes. As progressives, we owe it to our supporters not to abuse that trust. Most people do not distinguish greatly between different programs and legal entities, and when they find themselves being deliberately misled, it damages their trust in progressive email programs as a whole.

There are many tactics that are not on this list -- you may choose to dislike, talk about, and not use those tactics. This is merely a consensus-led collection of manipulative practices we should absolutely all pledge not to engage in. Because we believe that these practices should result in the termination of your account by your CRM, we are not including “iffy” or eyebrow-raising tactics.

*Why are we collecting your email address? Not to email you. Your email address is required so you can make a reasonable commitment to being who you say you are.

Signers:

Josh Hendler

Kenneth Pennington

Brent Blackaby

Andrew Brown

Rebecca Christopher

Jim Pugh

Josh Levinger

Melissa Byrne

Kendall Brown

Laura Packard

Jenna Lowenstein

Matt Ortega

Rafael Noboa y Rivera

Charles Monaco

Eric Reif

EJ Baker

Sara Langhinrichs

Mike Nellis

Dana Affleck

Tara McGowan

Ryan Fanning

Chris Casey

Paula Brantner

Elijah Zarlin

Kyle Stoneman

Natalie Foster

Alesa Mackool

Will Easton

Robyn Swirling

AJ Carrillo

Chris Hughes

Matt Blizek

Simon Moss

Adam Ruben

Bill Gordon

Sarah Spooner

Neil Sroka

Josh Nelson

Jon Ozaksut

Jose Martinez Diaz

Ryan Alexander

Daniel Mintz

Zack Exley