Last November, our partner Dignity in Dying secured a landmark victory: helping to pass the second reading of the assisted dying Bill in the House of Commons. It was a fast-paced, high-impact campaign that mobilised tens of thousands of people in just seven weeks.

In our latest webinar, Dignity in Dying’s Director of Fundraising and Marketing, David Pearce, and Forward Action’s Digital Strategy Manager, Beth Miles, lifted the lid on what made this campaign so effective.

Read on for key lessons and practical takeaways to help you mobilise supporters, influence decision makers, and drive real-world impact in 2025.

The Campaign at a Glance 📢

Dignity in Dying campaigns for a change in the law to allow mentally competent, terminally ill adults the right to an assisted death. For years, Forward Action has partnered with Dignity in Dying to build a powerful digital mobilisation programme, growing an email list of over 500,000 supporters – many with direct experience of terminal illness.

When the assisted dying Bill’s Second Reading was announced for November 2024, they had just seven weeks to mobilise support and secure a crucial step toward law change. We quickly swung into action, rapidly recruiting new supporters, making sure every MP heard from their constituents, and keeping supporters engaged through email and WhatsApp broadcasts.

The results were phenomenal 🚀

• 330 MPs voted in favour – a historic victory in Parliament 🏆
• 60,000+ emails and 9,000 tweets sent to MPs in just 7 weeks 📨
• 44,000+ new supporters recruited 👥

So, what is the key to this campaign’s success? Here are the top five lessons we took away.

1️⃣ Balance Depth of Engagement with Scale

One of the biggest takeaways from this campaign – and a principle we champion at Forward Action- is that you shouldn’t be afraid to ask more from your supporters.

People engage at different levels. Some are willing to take high-bar actions, like writing a personal email to their MP, while others prefer low-bar actions, like clicking a button to send a pre-written message. You need both.

Personal stories were a driving force in this campaign. That’s why we created a bespoke email MP tool that allowed supporters to write personalised emails in their own words rather than sending a standard template. This meant that MPs received over 11,000 deeply personal, heartfelt messages.

At the same time, we needed volume. Alongside the personalised email tool, we ran a standard MP email action that was easier to complete. This ensured MPs didn’t just receive powerful personal stories: they also saw a flood of messages demonstrating widespread public support.

The takeaway? High-bar actions deepen engagement, while low-bar actions scale impact. A winning strategy needs both.

2️⃣ Unlock Deeper Engagement with WhatsApp

WhatsApp is fast becoming a game-changer for digital mobilisation. It allows for two-way conversations with supporters, helping to build trust and deepen engagement.

For this campaign, we used Movement Industries to run WhatsApp broadcasts to a 16,000-strong supporter list. Over seven weeks, we sent two messages per week, testing different formats, including breaking news updates, surveys, and invitations to events.

The results were striking. WhatsApp engagement rates were more than double what we saw on email. People were keen to reply, share their thoughts, and take action. WhatsApp became a real conversation platform, making supporters feel more personally involved in the campaign.

The lesson: For organisations looking to build deeper relationships with their supporters, WhatsApp is an opportunity you can’t afford to miss.

3️⃣ Multi-Channel Integration = Maximum Impact

A winning campaign doesn’t rely on one platform: it combines multiple channels to reach the right audiences in different ways.

In this campaign, Meta ads were used for both broad and geo-targeted supporter recruitment, tweet and email MP actions, and crowdfunding. Google Search helped capture people already searching for information on assisted dying and directed them to sign up for updates. Meanwhile, our friends at Electica ran programmatic and YouTube ads to raise mass awareness of the assisted dying campaign.

Each platform had a role to play, and together they created a powerful, high-impact campaign.

The takeaway? A multi-channel approach is key. Use each platform strategically based on its strengths.

4️⃣ Agility is the Key to Campaign Success

Fast-moving campaigns need flexibility. As the vote approached, unexpected challenges arose, and being nimble made all the difference.

We optimised and refreshed ads daily, ensuring budget went to the best-performing ads. The team used instant messaging to communicate quickly. The strategy remained flexible, shifting messaging and focus as needed. Supporters were asked to take action multiple times, with different messaging tailored to the moment.

The lesson? A rigid plan won’t cut it in a fast-paced campaign. Stay agile, monitor performance daily, and be ready to pivot.

Key Takeaways for Your Campaigns 🎯

✅ Use a mix of high-bar and low-bar actions to get both depth and scale.
✅ Leverage WhatsApp for deeper supporter engagement and two-way conversations.
✅ Run multi-channel strategies: use Meta, email, Google, and programmatic ads to maximise impact.
✅ Be agile and reactive: check campaign performance daily and adjust fast.

Want to Take Your Digital Campaigning to the Next Level? 🚀

We hope this webinar sparked new ideas for your digital mobilisation in 2025.

At Forward Action, we work with ambitious organisations to engage supporters, influence decision makers, and drive real impact.

If you’re planning a high impact digital campaign, we’d love to help. Drop us an email at hello@forwardaction.uk for a free consultation.