By, For, and Of the People

Committee of Seventy

How do you build local support for better government?

Working for clean and effective government, fair elections, and informed citizens, Philadelphia’s nonpartisan Committee of Seventy depends on support that extends from town halls to City Hall. How could Seventy engage more people in its work?

SteegeThomson began with a brochure that gave a quick overview of Seventy’s work and impact. We updated the logo, then, as part of a communica­tions audit and plan, sent an e-survey to Seventy’s extensive email list. We also invited social media followers to a Citizens Focus Group. This input, along with our analysis, resulted in stronger civic education programming and wider social media outreach — Twitter followers were up 170 percent 18 months after our plan.