Mobilising The Dad Shift with Movement

“Movement is very easy to use, I felt like I'd mastered the tool in 4 hours which was very quick. I think this is because it feels very intuitive. I really like the power of the audience creator, you can do whatever you want with customer fields, I like that it has email and SMS which are easily interchangeable. Support service has been outstanding, really exceptional, very responsive and quick.”
Alex, Co-Founder of The Dad Shift

Summary:

The Dad Shift used Movement’s SMS, email and CRM tools to effectively mobilise supporters behind their cause of improved paternity leave by reaching people where they are, in their pocket.

They’ve achieved widespread media coverage and brought on thousands of supporters along the way by sending effective communications that people actually respond to.

This is helped because Movement is compatible with their existing tech stack and their organisation culture. The discussion is now taking place in the Houses of Parliament at a key time as Labour assess paternity leave.

Background:

Britain has the unenviable title of offering the worst statutory paternity leave in Europe. Fathers are entitled to just two weeks off, paid at a paltry statutory rate, creating enormous challenges for families and entrenching inequality. In stark contrast, countries like Sweden, Slovakia, and Spain offer far more generous and better-paid paternity leave, with the EU average equivalent to eight weeks of full pay.

The consequences of Britain’s failings are profound:

Financial strain: Over half of families (53%) struggle financially due to inadequate leave provisions.
Lost moments: A third of fathers (33%) take no leave at all, missing vital bonding time with their newborns.
Mental health pressures: Sixty-three per cent of fathers report feeling mentally unready to return to work so soon, creating a "pressure cooker" of stress.
Gender imbalance: The lack of support for fathers perpetuates the “motherhood penalty,” which accounts for 75% of the gender pay gap.

The case for change is overwhelming. Extended and properly paid paternity leave is not just a matter of fairness but of societal good:

For mothers: It reduces the gender pay gap and helps women remain in the workforce.
For children: Better leave leads to improved cognitive and emotional development.
For fathers: Those who spend more time with their children enjoy better mental and physical health, stronger family bonds, and increased happiness and productivity.

Enter The Dad Shift , a grassroots organisation campaigning for improved paternity leave in the UK, has emerged as a crucial voice in this debate. Their goal is simple but urgent: to push the government to update its parental leave policies and bring them in line with European standards.

The Dad Shift’s strategy focused on raising awareness, rallying public support, and influencing policymakers during Labour’s review of parental leave. But achieving this required a robust, integrated platform capable of driving their ambitious campaign. Which is where Movement came in.

Challenge:

The Dad Shift needed to tackle two core challenges:

Raise awareness: Bring the inadequacies of the current system into sharp focus and underline the benefits of reform.
Galvanise action: Mobilise their audience to put pressure on policymakers while demonstrating widespread support for better leave provisions.

A successful campaign required a tech platform that could:

Integrate communications across email, SMS, and CRM systems.
Precisely target different audience segments.
Operate efficiently within a grassroots budget.

Solution:

Movement became the linchpin of The Dad Shift’s campaigning efforts. Our comprehensive, user-friendly toolkit enabled the The Dad Shift to grow support for their cause through personalised conversations.

Heat: Building Pressure

The first step was to highlight the glaring inadequacies of the current policy. With Movement’s tools, The Dad Shift:

Crafted powerful messages: Personalised emails and SMS campaigns shared compelling stories of families struggling under the current system.
Targeted outreach: Movement’s audience segmentation tools enabled precise targeting of affected parents, business leaders, and policymakers.
Amplified the narrative: Automated workflows ensured that consistent, impactful messages reached the right people at the right time.

Light: Driving Solutions

Having exposed the problem, The Dad Shift pivoted to showcasing solutions. Movement played a vital role in:

Rallying public support: Integrated data systems allowed The Dad Shift to launch petitions and email campaigns demonstrating widespread backing for reform.
Engaging policymakers: CRM tools helped track decision-makers and tailor outreach efforts to highlight the political, economic, and social incentives for change.
Shaping policy: Movement facilitated collaboration with businesses and advocacy groups, ensuring proposed policies were both practical and effective.

Why Movement?

The Dad Shift turned to Movement for its combination of functionality, ease-of-use, and campaign-ready expertise:

Integrated communication: Movement’s ability to manage email, SMS, and CRM activity in one platform eliminated inefficiencies and streamlined messaging.
Ease-of-use: As The Dad Shift founder Alex explains, “Movement is very easy to use, felt like I'd mastered the tool in 4 hours which was very quick. I think this is because it feels very quick and intuitive.”
Sophisticated targeting: Advanced segmentation enabled tailored messaging to different audiences.
Adaptability: As The Dad Shift’s campaign evolved, Movement’s team worked to refine and enhance the platform’s capabilities.
Expert support: As campaigners ourselves our experienced team provided strategic advice and technical support, ensuring smooth execution of the campaign.

Impact:

With Movement at the heart of its strategy, The Dad Shift achieved significant results:

Raising awareness: Public understanding of the UK’s paternity leave failings grew exponentially, bolstered by widespread media coverage.
Grassroots mobilisation: Thousands of supporters signed petitions and engaged with advocacy efforts.
Political momentum: Policymakers engaged directly with The Dad Shift, recognising the urgent need for reform and the public’s appetite for change.

Conclusion:

The Dad Shift’s campaign demonstrates the transformative power of grassroots activism when paired with the right technology. By partnering with Movement, they turned a critical issue into a national conversation, galvanising thousands of voices and influencing key decision-makers at a pivotal moment.

Movement was not just a tool but the driving force behind The Dad Shift’s success. Together, we are driving engagement with their supporters through personal conversations and laying the foundation for a more equitable parental leave system in the UK.

If you’d like to see how we can grow support for your cause then book a call with us and we’ll get back to you:

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