The Engagement Pyramid: Six Levels of Connecting People and Social Change

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1	http://www.idealware.org/articles/engagement-pyramid-six-levels-connecting-people-and-social-change
2	by Gideon Rosenblatt
3	Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike2.5 License
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5	Engagement Level 1: Observers
6	(bottom of the engagement pyramid)
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8	Primary engagement goals	Inspire initial and repeat contact with the organization.
9	Mindset of person being engaged	Interested in the cause and aware of the organization. Awareness is the major factor. “I care enough about the issue to be aware of your organization’s existence, but you haven’t given me reason or opportunity to investigate you first-hand.”
10	Nature of engagement	Sporadic, indirect communications.
11	Communications	Person takes occasional, distracted glances at the organization’s work. These indirect communications may be via word-of-mouth, social media or traditional media. Person may visit the organization’s website but does not provide contact information, so any direct communication is at their initiative. Communications focus on information sharing and awareness-building.
12	Action	Deciding to visit organization’s website or attend an event.
13	Examples	Hearing about an organization’s work from a friend via email or a Facebook or Twitter post. Hearing about the work through a newspaper article or blog or by attending an event.
14	Engagement metrics	Website traffic, aided and unaided recognition polling.
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17	Engagement Level 2: Followers
18	Primary engagement goals	Offer value and secure permission to deliver direct, proactive communications.
19	Mindset of person being engaged	Understands and is interested in the cause and cares somewhat about the organization. Attention is the major factor. “I care enough about your work to open my stream of incoming communications to you, but there’s no guarantee I’ll look at what you send me.”
20	Nature of engagement	Regular, direct communications.
21	Communications	Person receives ongoing stream of communications focused on information sharing and piquing interest. These updates keep the organization’s work front-of-mind and build enthusiasm.
22	Action	Providing contact information. Reading and watching direct communications from organization.
23	Examples	Subscribing to an email distribution list, print newsletter or an RSS feed. Signing up on a list at an event. Note that Facebook fans and to some degree Twitter followers blur the lines between levels two and three because the public nature of following an organization on a social network is also a mild form of endorsement.
24	Engagement metrics	Newsletter subscriptions, opens and click-through metrics. RSS subscriptions. Twitter followers and Facebook fans.
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27	Engagement Level 3: Endorsers
28	Primary engagement goals	Earn enough trust to secure endorsement of the work.
29	Mindset of person being engaged	Believes in the mission and trusts the organization enough to approve the use of their name to endorse the organization, its programs or a particular campaign. The endorsement may also include a nominal financial contribution. Trust and time are the major factors. “I endorse the work you do, but it is your work and I’m not prepared to invest a significant amount of my time/money in it.”
30	Nature of engagement	Straightforward, single-step, transactions.
31	Communications	Regular, direct mass communications to inform and pique interest, punctuated by concise, persuasive communications leading to a simple call to action.
32	Action	Simple, quick acts with little risk or investment of resources; commitments limited enough to be made on impulse rather than through real deliberation.
33	Examples	Examples of endorsement include: low-level membership pledges, forwarding email, and petition signing. Becoming a fan on Facebook and even a follower on Twitter might be construed as a low-level endorsement.
34	Engagement metrics	Number of membership or other lower-level contributions, public endorsements (such as petition signing), contacting officials, and email forwards. Conversion and renewal rates. Social media forwarding/sharing.
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37	Engagement Level 4: Contributors
38	Primary engagement goals	Deepen commitment to the mission and the work.
39	Mindset of person being engaged	Contributes significant time, financial or social capital to the organization. Time and money are the major factors. “I’m committed to the work and will pitch in to help, but don’t expect me to assume responsibility.”
40	Nature of engagement	Multi-step assignments.
41	Communications	Regular, direct mass communications to inform and pique interest, accompanied by periodic, personal email, phone calls or face-to-face meetings to share information and coordinate on a discrete project or request for funding.
42	Action	Contributions are not made on impulse – only after due consideration. Habitual contributions may feel like impulse decisions (writing the year-end check or coming into the office regularly to volunteer), but they are part of a larger pattern of behavior indicating a considered investment in the mission. Significant contributions of time and resources become an expression of values and beliefs. The best volunteer jobs are concrete assignments with clearly defined deliverables and good staff oversight.
43	Examples	Writing or reviewing organizational marketing materials, making personally significant donations, attending public hearings, or joining a committee or task force.
44	Engagement metrics	Growth in the number of active volunteers and significant donors; conversion and renewal rates; volunteer hours and contributed dollars.
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47	Engagement Level 5: Owners
48	Primary engagement goals	Instill and develop a sense of responsibility for the mission.
49	Mindset of person being engaged	Fully invested in the mission and success of the organization, a program or campaign. Mission-relevant knowledge and skills are the major factors. “You can count on me to figure out what needs doing and to be responsible for getting the job done in the way that makes the most sense.”
50	Nature of engagement	Ongoing, collaborative actions.
51	Communications	Regular, direct mass communications to inform and pique interest, accompanied by regular personal email, phone calls and face-to-face meetings to collaborate on ongoing projects. Flow of communication is two-way and conversational.
52	Action	Investments of time, financial and social capital increase, often blurring together. These investments confer a sense of ownership in the organization’s work. Financial support is significant enough that the person feels warranted in their desire to shape the work and understand its impact. Contributions become a creative outlet and expression of passion. People begin using the term “we” instead of “you” when talking about the organization.
53	Examples	Deep volunteer involvement in a program or board membership; testifying at a public hearing; blogging or otherwise publishing about the organization’s work.
54	Engagement metrics	Metrics become less quantitative, more subjective, which necessitates assessing perceptions through interviews and surveys.
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57	Engagement Level 6: Leaders
58	(top of the engagement pyramid)
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60	Primary engagement goals	Develop leadership skills and opportunities.
61	Mindset of person being engaged	Leads others in carrying out the organization’s work. Leadership skills are the major factor. “I’m willing to lead us in carrying out this mission.”
62	Nature of engagement	Ongoing acts of leadership.
63	Communications	Regular, direct mass communications to inform and pique interest, accompanied by regular personal email, phone calls and face-to-face meetings to support the mission. Communication flow is often initiated by the person, rather than the organization.
64	Action	The engaged becomes the engager, so deeply committed to the mission they now focus their energy on engaging and leading others in the work. Focus of energy broadens from campaigns and programs to a more holistic mission focus.
65	Examples	Community organizers who find and development talent in their community; board members who take on real governance and leadership of the organization.
66	Engagement metrics	Metrics become less quantitative and more subjective, which necessitates assessing perceptions through interviews and surveys.
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