Common Ground Solutions, Campaign to Engage Americans to Build a Stronger Civic Culture
Ward Circle Strategies helped Common Ground Solutions (CGS) grow from a civic startup to become a respected player in the democracy community, working to increase civic engagement, improve the quality of political discourse, highlight real-world stories of people working together across partisan lines, and forge common-sense solutions to America’s biggest challenges.
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Goals
CGS retained Ward Circle Strategies to create a communications campaign, experiment with civic engagement models, and begin scaling up its outreach to state and national media and lawmakers.
Tactics
- Landscape Analysis: Reviewed public opinion research, democracy sector activities, and media coverage to determine what gaps CGS could fill in alignment with its mission.
- Network-Building: Provided introductions, research and staff support to leading organizations in the democracy sector.
- Brokering Partnerships: Forged a CGS alliance with Voice of the People to to amplify research showing how Americans agree on many contentious issues. Created events with local hometown news organizations.
- Innovative Event Models: “Citizen Panels” brought together Members of Congress and local media with citizens and generated media coverage for the existence of common crown across party lines.
- Built Media Profile: Developed materials, conducted press outreach, and helped place stories and op-eds in multiple target markets.
- Built Congressional Profile: Built CGS Congressional profile through introductions, staffing and organizing events showcasing CGS with members of Congress.
Impact
- Citizen panels attracted members of Congress, constituents and local media coverage in several states.
- CGS successfully built its profile within the democracy community as a promising newcomer with a model-breaking theory of change.