Knowledge Management Program

Scale success across Iowa’s progressive and Democratic network. 

Description:

Iowa organizations frequently face similar organizing challenges but lack efficient ways to learn from each other’s successes and failures, resulting in duplicated effort, repeated mistakes, and missed opportunities to scale effective strategies statewide.

While some counties develop innovative approaches to fundraising, candidate recruitment, voter outreach, or event planning, these successful tactics rarely transfer to other counties due to informal communication networks and limited documentation systems. Meanwhile, newer county chairs and volunteer organizers often struggle with basic operational questions that experienced organizers have already solved elsewhere in the state.

Creating a structured system for documenting successful strategies, sharing resources, and facilitating peer learning ensures that breakthrough organizing innovations can quickly benefit all counties while preventing less-resourced organizations from struggling with problems that others have already solved, ultimately strengthening Democratic organizing capacity across Iowa.

Documentation Framework:

Campaign and Organizing Playbooks

  • Voter Protection Manuals
  • Event Planning Guides – Templates for fundraisers, town halls, volunteer recruitment events with timelines, checklists, and budget breakdowns
  • GOTV Operation Manuals – Step-by-step guides for voter contact, volunteer coordination, and election day operations
  • Digital Organizing Handbooks – Social media best practices, email campaign strategies, and online fundraising techniques
  • Candidate Recruitment Protocols – How to identify, approach, and support potential candidates for local office

Issue-Specific Resources

  • Local Issue Campaign Guides – How to organize around county commissioners races, school board elections, municipal issues
  • Opposition Research Templates – Standardized formats for tracking opponent positions and voting records
  • Media Relations Toolkits – Press release templates, media contact lists, spokesperson training materials

Administrative and Legal Resources

  • Compliance Checklists – Campaign finance reporting, political communications disclaimers, election law requirements
  • Volunteer Management Systems – Recruitment, training, retention, and recognition best practices
  • Coalition Building Guides – How to partner with unions, advocacy groups, and community organizations

Sharing and Distribution Systems:

Digital Knowledge Base

  • Searchable Online Library or database – Organized by topic (fundraising, organizing, communications) with rating and review systems

Peer-to-Peer Learning Networks

  • Regular Best Practices Calls – Video conferences where organizers share recent successes and challenges

Interactive Training Platforms

  • Webinar Archives – Recorded training sessions on specific topics with Q&A transcripts
  • Office Hours Sessions – Regular times when state organizing experts are available for county-specific questions
  • Peer Consultation Network – System for counties to request advice from others who have faced similar challenges

    Model Initiatives:

    Tech for Campaigns Tech for Campaigns is a nonprofit organization that provides free technology services and expertise to political campaigns, civic organizations, and advocacy groups to help them run more effective digital operations. The organization connects volunteer technologists with campaigns and causes that need help with web development, data analysis, digital marketing, and other tech-related challenges to strengthen democratic participation.

    Sister District’s Resource Library

    • Comprehensive guides for competitive state legislative races
    • Regularly updated based on election results and new research
    • Peer review system where experienced organizers validate new materials

    Indivisible’s Toolkit System

    • Action guides that local groups adapt for their congressional districts
    • User feedback system that improves materials over time
    • Regular “toolkit parties” where groups share customization strategies

    Labor Union Knowledge Sharing

    • AFL-CIO’s organizing database with searchable case studies from successful campaigns
    • Regular “best practices exchanges” between different locals and regions
    • Mentorship programs pairing experienced organizers with newer union leaders