Mobilizing for Better Care

Cecili Thompson WilliamsOutreach Director, Campaign for Better CareNational Partnership for Women & Families

cwilliams@nationalpartnership.org

Campaign for Better Care

• Multi-year, multi-faceted consumer advocacy campaign

• Led by the National Partnership for Women & Families

• Funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies

Goals• Make improvements in the health care

system so that it delivers high quality, comprehensive and coordinated care, especially for vulnerable older adults with multiple chronic conditions.

• Build a strong, independent and lasting consumer voice for better health care, by mobilizing consumer advocates, older adults and their families.

Who Are We Mobilizing

~Caregivers/Family/Friends – Baby Boomer Caregivers, approximately

ages 45-63 (depending on source)– Older Adult Caregivers, ages 65+– Student/Young Professional Caregivers

~Patients/Consumers – Older Americans – Baby Boomers

~Grasstops Advocates ~Non-caregiver activists ~Providers

Is Our Audience Online?

~ As of January 2009, our primary target audience (baby boomers and older adults) represented 46% of all internet users.

~ “Instant messaging, social networking, and blogging have gained ground as communications tools.”[i]

~ Older generations are the most likely to use the internet for health information research.

~ Our target audience is the fastest growing demographic on Facebook.[ii]

[i] Generations Online in 2009, Pew Internet & American Life Project, p. 2.

[ii] Facebook's Social Ads Platform as reported by istrategylabs.com

Mobilizing Philosophy

• Meet our audience where they are

• Provide action opportunities which engage and challenge members on and offline

• Educate the public to expand our base of support

Strategic Use of Tech

Grassroots Organizing

• Allows for a farther reach

• The “point and click”

• Conversion actions

• Ever-growing menu of tools

Social Media and Online Tools

Widgets

Strategic Use of Tech

www.campaignforbettercare.org

• Overall Feel of Community from a Trusted Source

• Website Structure

Strategic Use of Tech

Volunteer program management

• Robust databases

• Metric Analysis

• Action reporting

Strategic Use of TechCapacity Development

• Hugely challenging

• Variety of avenues

•Online training

•Supplemental resourcing

TIP: Use each action as a skill-building opportunity

Challenges

• Value-adding

• Reaching the non-tech savvy with an online campaign

• Staying on the cutting edge

Lessons Learned and Recommendations

• Make it personal

• Make it manageable

• Don’t be afraid to fail

There is a better way.

Join us!

To sign up:www.CampaignforBetterCare.or

g