Blue State

We’re thrilled to announce that six Blue State projects have been honored by The Anthem Awards, which celebrate purpose and mission-driven work of people and companies across the globe. In 2024, their most competitive year yet, the Anthem Awards — an arm of The Webby Awards — received more than 2,300 entries from over 30 countries. The following Blue State projects, which range from fundraising and advocacy campaigns to engagement and awareness campaigns to bespoke branding and events, demonstrate the breadth and depth of our partnerships and portfolio. Especially in this moment, we’re incredibly proud to reflect on a year of progress for the causes we care about, including what we accomplished with these Anthem-Award-winning partners: ? Amnesty International USA, Mobilizing for an Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza: Silver Anthem Winner in Rapid Response Campaign Mercy Corps, We Won’t Stop: Silver Anthem Winner in Special Projects ?? United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), No Matter What: Silver Anthem Winner in Campaign - Non-Profit Caltech, Forming the Caltech Initiative for Students: Bronze Anthem Winner in School/University Comic Relief, Digital Red Nose Day: Bronze Anthem Winner in Event Greater Than Hate: Bronze Anthem Winner in Partnership or Collaboration

As of November 14, 2024, Blue State has chosen to go dark on X, formerly known as Twitter. This decision reflects our values as a mission-driven organization working to create positive change, and is an act of solidarity with the growing number of progressive and mainstream voices who are leaving the platform. Under Elon Musk’s ownership, X has become one of the leading purveyors of right-wing disinformation. By design, the platform uses algorithms that throttle voices that don't align with Musk's, while amplifying hateful rhetoric and conspiracy theories, including racism, homophobia, misogyny, xenophobia, and fascism. We choose to no longer participate on X in the spirit of living our values. As an agency that believes in the power of data, it behooves us to mention that X has not been a major referral source for quite some time. But even if it was, we believe that no longer participating on X is the right choice. As with all of our work, we curate our strategies for each and every client. Leaving X or reducing participation may be the right choice for some clients and not for others, depending on their goals and target audiences.?If you are a Blue State client and are unsure whether you should remain on X, please reach out to your Blue State team. They can help assess the best course of action for you. We have opted to not deactivate our account in order to retain control of our username, prevent impersonation, and because, as experts in this space, we will continue to monitor how people receive information, collaborate, and communicate online. We also believe in being open to the potential for growth and change. As an agency that believes in the power of technology for good, we wholeheartedly believe in supporting and building digital spaces that prioritize both open discourse and safety, and where people can come together to share ideas, have honest conversations, and build community. There will be harder times to come that will require braver steps than this. As far as tests go, this one is easy. We hope you’ll join us in exploring what a truly free and supportive digital society can be.

Proud to be part of UNCF's mission to support and uplift Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and to get out the vote. HBCUs contribute $16.5 billion to the national economy. These institutions are not only educating the next generation of leaders but are also critical to economic growth and social mobility. And there is no better moment than this election year to highlight HBCUs — and how underfunding threatens their impact. From local and state offices all the way to the White House, our elected leaders provide the funding HBCUs need to thrive. We partnered with UNCF to develop a sophisticated paid media plan that included CTV, digital media, and radio in targeted local markets. In a media landscape flooded with advertising, we created a video that stands out and champions HBCUs. Watch our ad and see for yourself: the stakes are high. Go vote! A special thanks to our animation partner, Neon Zoo.

For generations, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have been catalysts for civic engagement — inspiring students to lead movements for justice, equity, and change. In our latest blog, Laylah Wilson, Strategic Communications Associate, shares her personal experiences organizing voter engagement efforts at her alma mater Norfolk State University and offers practical strategies for mobilizing students ahead of the upcoming election. From hosting on-campus voter registration drives to helping out-of-state students with absentee ballots, Laylah’s insights highlight what works—and what doesn’t—when driving student participation. ??? ?? Read more: https://lnkd.in/g_8ZD37N #HBCUVote #GOTV #CivicEngagement #BlueStateStratComms

There is tremendous value in creating tailored audience journeys to more deeply engage supporters. Customer data platforms can make them easy to set them up. Check out a step-by-step example of an audience journey created with Lytics. https://lnkd.in/eb9W4FWZ

Personalized content helps organizations strengthen their connection with supporters. In order to deliver that content, organizations must capture and integrate first-party data, which can be time-consuming. Customer data platforms like Lytics make it simple. Blue State’s Sam Zimmerman and Thom Josephson share how. https://lnkd.in/eW8n4P9J

With end-of-year giving on the heels of a historic election, nonprofits are concerned about how the increased competition for donors’ attention will affect their bottom line. Blue State surveyed thousands of donors in April and August to find the answer. Get the results from our latest report: https://lnkd.in/e7ZpTxiu

As we approach this election, what can communicators and organizers do to combat over-the-top and deceptive authoritarian speech? Blue State’s Managing Director of Strategic Communication, Noelle Howey, shares 5 expert tips https://lnkd.in/e9veY2H5

?? Ready to jump-start your data strategy? Join Pantheon and Blue State for an insightful webinar on First-Party Data Strategy with a Composable CDP! In today's data-driven world, leveraging first-party data is crucial for personalized marketing and superior customer experiences. But how do you get started? ??? Webinar Highlights: - Unlock the potential of your data: Learn how to effectively collect, manage, and utilize first-party data. - The why for a composable CDP: Discover the advantages of a Composable Customer Data Platform and how it can integrate seamlessly with your existing systems. - Expert insights: Hear from industry leaders on best practices and strategies for implementing a robust data strategy. ?? Date: Tuesday, July 30 ?? Time: 10:00 AM PT / 1:00 PM ET ?? Location: Online Register now and transform your data approach with actionable insights and proven strategies. Don't miss it! ?? Register Here: https://ow.ly/7bZr50SJCyr

For several years we've been looking for an affordable solution to bring the types of data-driven personalization we use for email campaigns and media retargeting into websites for nonprofits. Using the Lytics *free tier* we're finally able to dig in and make this happen. Join me on Tuesday, July 30 at 1-2pm EST / 10-11am PDT for a demo of how the CDP ties together journeys across the website and email – it's really quite cool! Register here: https://lnkd.in/eKDE-9ZB