Global climate change is arguably the most pressing issue of the day. According to a 2015 World Bank report, a warmer climate could lead to the destruction of fragile ecosystems, worldwide crop failures, more unstable weather events and drive hundreds of millions into extreme poverty.
Yet, despite the scientific consensus on human-caused climate change, a large number of people remain unaware – or worse, skeptical – of the challenge at hand. The need for greater public awareness is dire.
Thankfully, Canada’s Ecojustice is stepping up to the challenge.
What is Ecojustice?
Ecojustice is a Canadian environmental law charity that represents community groups, non-profits, First Nations and individual Canadians in the fight for environmental justice.
In addition to – and in support of – its legal activity, Ecojustice educates the public on various environmental issues such as climate change. The charity achieves this objective through a sophisticated digital marketing and advocacy strategy.
“Climate change can feel like this huge, unwieldy topic, but we’re finding that our digital channels are a great way to meet our audiences where they are on this issue, better understand their concerns and respond to their questions in real-time,” said Devon Page, Ecojustice’s Executive Director. “Our content has focused on connecting the dots between climate threats and climate solutions, which must include strong, enforceable laws that lead to reductions in carbon pollution and better protect people and the planet.”
Ecojustice’s Digital Marketing and Advocacy Tactics
Ecojustice employs the following digital marketing and advocacy tactics to spread awareness of climate change and raise money for its operations:
1) Blogging
Ecojustice has an excellent blog with many authors participating in its production. During the 2015 Canadian Election, for example, the charity created a blog post that ranked the political candidates on their commitment to fighting climate change. The informative piece generated a lot of web traffic and received significant feedback across Ecojustice’s online channels.
2) Prominent Calls to Action
The thing I love about Ecojustice’s online infrastructure – which includes a website, email and social media – is how easy they make it for visitors to find relevant information. For example, the organization’s two most important calls to action, “Subscribe” and “Donate”, are prominently placed on Ecojustice’s website, emails and social networks.
3) Content, Content and More Content!
Resources readily available for public consumption are abundant on the Ecojustice website, and include blog posts, press releases, newsletters, “Victories” reports and research reports. The charity offers its community resources available in different content formats, including video and images.
4) Social Media and Email
In case you didn’t find its website, Ecojustice has a robust and active social media presence with tens of thousands of followers on Facebook and Twitter. These networks, like the website, feature prominent calls to action and lots of content. With an email subscriber list of more than 30,000, Ecojustice’s email communications are highly personalized and targeted.
5) Fundraising and Partnerships
Ecojustice has an impressive string of legal victories in its fight for environmental rights. As talented as Ecojustice’s legal team may be, these efforts would not be possible without the revenue raised as a result of its fundraising efforts. Ecojustice’s total donation income increased by 38% in 2014 compared to the previous year (SOURCE). Also, the charity has many diverse community partnerships from First Nations groups to the David Suzuki Foundation.
Ecojustice is a great example of how to use digital marketing and advocacy to fight for environmental rights. I strongly recommend you subscribe to Ecojustice’s email list. Not only will you learn about pressing environmental issues, you will also see firsthand what an engaging email communications campaign should look like.
