How to Share Our Work During COVID-19

The coronavirus and resultant social distancing measures are impacting each League and their work uniquely. This means that the content of any coronavirus messaging will differ from League to League. LWVUS is confident in League leaders’ ability to discern what your community needs to hear from your League. If you are looking for content ideas, however, please visit our resource How to Use LWVUS Positions for Advocacy in Light of COVID-19 and our Talking Points for Leagues to Use with Voters During COVID-19. 

This is a list of ideas for ways to talk about your League’s work and keep your members and the public engaged during this time of social distancing. 

 

1. Post on social media 

Social media activity is highly elevated at this time. However, don’t be surprised if your level of engagement is lower—people are looking to social media for very specific content right now, and it may not be the kind of content that comes from League accounts. That’s okay. It’s still useful to post about important topics like elections and the Census. Remember to keep posts positive and to be sensitive to what’s out there at this time (it may not be the best time to do a fundraising ask on social media, for example). Try to make regular posts—a couple posts per week is a good minimum. 

LWVUS has created some social media content that is still relevant right now: 

• Census graphics (in English and Spanish) - find at the end of this action kit 

• 2020 election graphics and sample posts 

 

2. Give your members & engagers easy things to do 

Many people suddenly have a lot of time on their hands, which presents an opportunity to engage them in League work. Consider sending regular (weekly or bi-weekly) emails with simple, easy League activities for your members and engagers to do.  

Here are some ideas for member activities: 

• Ask them to share graphics and posts on their personal social media; you can give them links to posts from your League’s social media to re-share, or you can provide sample posts in your email body for them to copy and paste 

• Ask them to fill out the Census and then use our Census pledge Facebook profile frames 

  • Frame 1

  • Frame 2

• Ask them to respond to action alerts – either create your own, or use these from LWVUS 

• Keep your website current – publish community-specific content such as blogs that can be resource pages for voters looking for information about absentee voting and any updates to election dates. Link to VOTE411 as reliable and nonpartisan information for voters to find what they need. 

 

3. Write a letter to the editor 

Different from op-ed, a letter to the editor is a short response (usually 250 words or less) to an article or reaction to a news event. As such, it is necessary to make only one or two succinct points in your letter. Sometimes an LTE is a better choice than an op-ed because it is more likely to get published and/or it will get published faster. 

Things to keep in mind when writing a letter to the editor: 

• Look up your paper’s word limit for LTEs, as well as any other submission guidelines 

• Sign the letter off from one or two individual representatives 

• Identify your specific League name in the body of your letter 

• Keep your angle local 

 

4. Write an op-ed 

Different from a letter to the editor, an op-ed is a longer-form essay (500 to 800 words) on a specific topic aimed at making a case to the public for an explicit action.  

It’s important to find an angle for your topic that is specific and clear. When writing an op-ed, it can be tempting to use the opportunity to tell your audience everything you think they need to know, but that is always too much for one piece. Look for a unique, newsworthy angle. A successful op-ed lays out its specific thesis clearly and explains it in around 800 words.  

IMPORTANT NOTE: Only pitch to regional and local publications. Leagues should not submit op-eds to large national publications, such as the New York Times. For questions, contact [email protected].

Things to consider when writing and pitching an op-ed: 

• Pick a specific and clear topic – look for a unique angle or newsworthy hook 

• Keep references based in your state/community 

• Aim for 500 to 800 words 

• Have one designated author; you can use first-person pronouns, and other members can help ghost-write 

• Try to incorporate a call to action 

• Only pitch your op-ed to one publication at a time 

• Identify the author’s title and your specific League name 

 

Here are some examples of published op-eds from the League of Women Voters: 

• From LWVUS: How H.R. 1 could help more women make history 

• From LWV of Wisconsin: THE TIME FOR REDISTRICTING REFORM IN WISCONSIN IS NOW 

• From LWV of Florida: Direct democracy in Florida is under attack at the Capitol 

• From LWV of Berkeley, Albany and Emeryville: The League of Women Voters urges a Yes vote on Measure F