NAWSA & stori.es: An Historically Based Semi-Fictional Web Platform Demonstration

an historically-based platform demonstration

NAWSA

This is a story about the the stori.es platform, and the National American Woman Suffrage Association in the final push for a national suffrage amendment. The internet didn't exist in 1917, but this is what the movement could have looked like if it did.

We created this historically-based platform demonstration because:

1. We want to demonstrate just how the stori.es platform helps advocates "gather, curate, and use personal stories to effect change."

2. The suffrage movement is a great example of personal stories effecting national change.

3. It's way more fun than a slideshow full of technical jargon and screenshots!

The Suffragettes Make a Plan

In 1917, National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) Organizer Maud Wood Park was in the middle of their "Winning Plan" campaign to gain full suffrage for women through a constitutional amendment. The amendment had already been voted down twice in the past 50 years.

In order to achieve this goal NAWSA needed to coordinate the efforts of 36 state organizations, expand their network of advocates in reluctant but critical states, and increase the public dialogue around the cause of suffrage.

As this is an historical reimagining, let's pretend that Maude hears about the stori.es platform from fellow suffrage organizer and current NAWSA president, Carrie Chapman Catt.

Maud & Carrie realize that stories from suffragettes and supporters will amplify their organizing strategy- helping to connect storytellers with the media and political leaders, identifying strong advocates, and encouraging people across the country to talk about suffrage.

After a quick onboarding process, Maude sets up all of NAWSA's state level organizers with stori.es accounts. Organizers will be able to easily collaborate with each other, despite their widely dispersed locations.

Maud is comfortable knowing that with the stori.es platform, the privacy of the organization and their advocates is protected, and none of their information will be sold or used for advertising.

The Suffragettes Gather Stories

NAWSA staff, introduced to stori.es only a few slides ago, quickly build custom questionnaires using the stori.es platform drag and drop "What You See Is What You Get" editor, easily deploying standard questions for personal information.

Organizers quickly publish their questionnaires, and send them to supporters through email and social networking sites. NAWSA asks their membership about the importance of suffrage, their voting and protest experience, and their involvement in the Great War.

Women and men across the country share their stories of support for suffrage. NAWSA receives stories from people of all walks of life - those who already have voting rights, those who don't, those who are participating in local level demonstrations of support, and those participating in the war effort.

Organizers across the nation are able to easily view stories as soon as they are submitted.

NAWSA organizers can view individual story submissions, including storyteller contact information.

The Suffragettes Curate Stories

The organizers work together to apply custom tags and organize stories into collections, all with the intent of being able to quickly deploy the right story to the right place at the right time. The stori.es platform makes it easy to keep track of multiple stories submitted by one storyteller.

NAWSA organizers across the nation contact storytellers to gauge interest in local advocacy efforts and verify facts, adding notes to stories and storyteller records to facilitate communication with staff members across the organization, and links to document published uses of a submitted story.

The Suffragettes Use Stories

The South Carolina NAWSA office receives a very specific request from a reporter with the Columbia Gazette, wanting to speak with a local suffrage supporter who has been to a protest, but not been arrested.

Using the stori.es platform's search function, which includes geographic search capabilities, the South Carolina Organizer is able to easily create a collection of stories from local women (searching specifically within a collection for stories from her state), and pass those stories along to the reporter.

Maud and the NAWSA organizers work with compelling storytellers to develop advocacy skills, and deploy those storytellers across the country to speak with elected officials in support of suffrage.

Organizers work with local storytellers to refine their written story, sharing compelling pieces in NAWSA journals and newsletters.

The Suffragettes See Success

While NAWSA's use of the stori.es platform is fictional, powerful personal stories -- like those of the suffragettes -- are a very real and effective part of influencing public sentiment and creating meaningful change.

And we believe the stori.es platform can help 21st century advocates gather, curate, and use powerful personal stories to effect their own meaningful change.

Find out more on our website. If you are interested in becoming a beta partner on the stori.es platform, contact us

to schedule a full demonstration.