Action through mobiles

Mobile phones are the most popular, and most widely used, form of communication technology we've ever seen: it is estimated that 86% of the world's population are now using them.

Mobile devices are also helping people overcome barriers to internet access, caused by poor infrastructure.

This section will not cover all the mobile phone tools, platforms and apps that you could use for advocacy. Rather, it will focus on some inspiring cases, from around the world, of how organisations and individuals have used mobile phones to engage with civil society and democratic processes. This section will also explore the strategic issues you'll need to think about if you want to take action with mobile phones yourself.

Why use mobile phones in your campaign? 

For those without smartphones, applications like Binu enable users of standard mobile phones to access Facebook, Twitter and even the draft Zimbabwean constitution. In Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria, Google has made it possible for people to access email via text message.

There's been a rush of interest in mobile phones in many sectors, with initiatives dedicated to the use of mobile phone technology in health, education, agriculture, and women's economic development, among others.

How can I use mobile phones in my campaign?

Before getting started, consider five things: 

1. Campaign goals
2. Audience
3. Capacity
4. Context 
5. Technology

1. Campaign goals: What is the change you want to see?

Before you start, revisit the Campaign basics section to familiarise yourself with the foundations of campaigning. 

Then think about what exactly you want to achieve:

• Do you need to mobilise, make a call to action, disseminate information or provide updates on your campaign?  For these, you'll need to facilitate one way communication. Tools like FrontlineSMS can help with this, by enabling you to send targeted messages to groups of supporters.
• If you need to conduct a survey, document what is happening on the ground, or co-ordinate actions and protests, you will need two-way communication. Tools like Magpi - a survey tool which runs on a wide range of different platforms - could help with this.

2. Audience and stakeholders: who are you trying to connect with?

To design interventions that will 'fit' your intended audience, you need to find out how the people you're aiming to reach use their phones.

Think about how you use your own phone. What kind of phone do you use? Do you use voice or text more? Do you have multiple Sim cards for use on different networks? If you use a smartphone, do you use it for email, maps or a favourite app that lets you communicate for free? Understanding your own use of mobile phone technology will help you design a mobile intervention that will match the capabilities of your audience's phones.  

You should also consider tailoring your messaging for different groups – being clear about who you want to engage, and what you want them to do.

• If your audience just use text message and voice technology (rather than smartphones), then you should focus on a strategy that works with text message and voice technology . 
• If they have internet capabilities, you could also think about using Wordpress, Twitter or Facebook to post information updates about the campaign and calls to action.

Also consider the costs involved in:

• Making voice calls
• Sending a text message
• Receiving a text message 
• Using data/internet
• Communicating across mobile networks

If data/internet costs are high, for example, then your general audience likely do not use their smartphones to access social networking sites or Twitter.

3. Capacity

Thinking about your organisation's technical capacities will help inform your mobile advocacy strategy. For example, setting up a system like FrontlineSMS (designed for NGO use) requires a bit of technical understanding - though quick and informative technical support is offered through the FrontlineSMS forum.

If you have some funds available, a commercial text message provider is also an option. When choosing a provider, make sure they have a sense of the needs of NGOs, and see if you can get a reduced rate as a not-for-profit organisation.

4. Context

Mobile advocacy can be expensive and a drain on the resources of small NGOs – so it's worth considering these context issues before you get started:

Advocacy context

Are there any potential partnerships you could nurture with organisations who are working in your sector, or who have related campaigning or advocacy goals? They may have contacts they can share with you, or may wish to collaborate on a mobile outreach programme.

Legal context

Make sure you are compliant with data protection and other relevant laws in your country if you are planning on using bulk text messaging systems. You may be required to inform people what you may do with any data you collect from them, or there may be limits on the number of text messages you are allowed to send. 

Political and digital security context

Remember that mobile communication is extremely easy to intercept and that mobile phones are easy to steal or lose. Extreme caution should be used when using mobile phones in sensitive contexts.  Always think about how communication can put individuals at risk. 

For example, if you are working on issues around domestic violence and you want to offer support to women through text or voice messaging, then you need to be sure that the women you are working with do not share their phones with the people who are placing them at risk. You should also be aware of the implications of bulk SMS texting without giving your audience the option of opting out of receiving information, especially when it comes to sensitive issues. For instance, blanket texting constituents about a new anti-corruption reporting initiative is not recommended if the fact of receiving this information endagers them by association, due to the political climate of the country they're in.

See our Security in-a-box guides on How to use mobile phones as securely as possible and How to use smartphones as securely as possible. These include hands-on guides to a variety of useful applications for smartphones. For example, if you're using your phone to take pictures of people at demonstrations, think about using the application ObscuraCam to disguise the faces of people who do not want to be recognised. Internews has created a great resource called SpeakSafe, a media worker's toolkit for safer online and mobile practices.

Mobiles are fast-moving: new devices, services and apps come onto the market all the time. Connectivity is also changing fast, and ultra-fast 4G mobile internet is set to arrive on the African continent before much of Europe.

One of the challenging aspects of using mobiles in advocacy and campaigning work is the complexity of mobile phone tools and platforms. For example, applications that are developed to work on iPhones won't work on Android smartphones.

Sending recorded information through mobile devices

In recent years some exciting projects have been developed using Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Systems. These systems – where a user can dial in to receive recorded information – are great for connecting with illiterate communities or for delivering complex, confidential information such as sexual health information.

These systems are currently quite challenging to use but they are becoming more accessible: the VOIP Drupal project is bringing IVR functionality to Drupal websites, while Freedom Fone is planning a cloud version of their software to make it easier for users to deploy.

Case studies