Communications Directors Meeting #2 | Upswell – Using Social Media for Research | June 21, 2023

During this session, Sarah Francis, Founding Partner, Campaigns & Impact and co-Founder Drew Bernard at Upswell, and Alliance member, led a session on the types of research that can be deployed through social media and how to use social media as a tool for survey recruitment. Sarah and Drew shared insights on how to understand one’s audience, measure the impact of ads on the perception of a brand, and use in-app polls. They also shared information on ads targeting options and strategies to create engaging content to help recruit participants through online surveys.

Watch the recording:

Speakers:

Sarah Francis – Biography

Sarah has 25 years of experience designing and implementing innovative online campaigns and knows how to bring people together for a cause. At Upswell, she helps clients design and implement social campaigns to achieve their missions, from global health to disaster relief. Her goal is to give clients the skills and confidence to succeed on their own.

Before founding Upswell, Sarah was the Director of Strategy at ActionSprout, where she helped hundreds of organizations learn to use Facebook to achieve their missions and later, was brought in as an internal member of the Facebook Health Partnerships team. Previously, Sarah was the Chief Technology Officer at MomsRising, an advocacy organization focused on making America a truly family-friendly place. In just five years, Sarah helped build MomsRising from twenty thousand members to a thriving, nationwide one million strong powerhouse.

Drew Bernard – Biography

Drawing on more than 20 years of experience in both the tech and the nonprofit fields, Drew is an advocate for getting effective technology into the hands of the NGOs who can use it to create a healthier, more just and joyful world.

At Upswell, Drew is focused on innovation and new initiatives. He loves brainstorming new ideas with Upswell clients, and he’s always looking for opportunities to have a big impact.

Before founding Upswell, Drew co-founded ActionSprout, an online platform that helps thousands of NGOs around the world use Social Action Campaigns on Facebook to inspire, engage, and mobilize their supporters. Drew began working in the social sector in 2002 at the nonprofit capacity builder Groundwire.org, where he helped launch a strategy and innovation program.

The slides from Sarah and Drew’s presentation can be viewed here.