--- title: Why You Should Avoid Government Petitions for Effective Advocacy description: Mobilizing supporters through government-hosted petitions may seem easy, but it often leads to missed opportunities for your campaign's impact. image: https://www.newmode.net/hubfs/Government-Hosted%20Petition%20or%20Consultation%20(6).png --- Some additional information in one line [Steve Anderson](https://www.newmode.net/blog/author/steve-anderson) #### Steve Anderson is the co-founder and chief strategist… # Why You Should Avoid Government Petitions for Effective Advocacy [![Steve Anderson](https://www.newmode.net/hs-fs/hubfs/NewMode_March2020_Theme/images/steve_anderson.png?width=80&height=80&name=steve_anderson.png) ](https://www.newmode.net/blog/author/steve-anderson) [Steve Anderson](https://www.newmode.net/blog/author/steve-anderson) Oct 29, 2024 This was a rule we had at the digital rights advocacy organization I used to run. ![Government-Hosted Petition or Consultation (6)](https://www.newmode.net/hs-fs/hubfs/Government-Hosted%20Petition%20or%20Consultation%20(6).png?width=640&height=379&name=Government-Hosted%20Petition%20or%20Consultation%20(6).png) Why? 1. **Engagement is Key, and Government Websites Don’t Deliver** Government platforms are notorious for being clunky and unengaging, which discourages participation. Users are far more likely to abandon a slow, uninspiring page, which directly impacts the reach of your campaign. Your supporters deserve a user-friendly experience that energizes them to take action. 2. **You Can’t Measure What You Don’t Track** Tracking engagement is essential in understanding your supporters’ commitment and amplifying your impact. Government-hosted platforms do not offer metrics on who took action or how many participated, leaving campaigners in the dark. With a platform like [New/Mode’s Smart Petitions](https://www.newmode.net/blog/how-online-petitions-can-go-beyond-performative-activism#smart), you can access detailed engagement data, empowering you to analyze and optimize your campaign strategies. 3. ***This one is important: Government platforms are disempowering ** One of the biggest setbacks of government forms is their inability to capture contact information. Without the means to follow up, you’re missing out on building relationships with your supporters—a cornerstone of effective advocacy and power-building. A campaign isn’t just about that one action; it’s about building a community of ongoing engagement and support for long-term change. ### What If You Have to Use a Government Platform? If a government petition or consultation is essential to your strategy, you still have options to build meaningful engagement: 1. **Host Your Own Action First** Create a campaign action on your own site, using tools like [New/Mode](https://www.newmode.net/solutions) to collect responses. Once you’ve gathered them, you can submit these to the government body as a PDF or CSV. This way, you get people on record while still engaging them directly. 2. **Redirect to the Government Platform After Engagement** Start by capturing support through your own platform, then redirect participants to the government page. This way, you capture contact info and gauge initial engagement—a useful proxy for measuring impact. In short, sending people directly to a government website can dilute the effectiveness of your campaign and undermine trust with your supporters. Keep supporters in your sphere of influence to foster lasting change. Regardless of which approach you take, New/Mode is here to help.  [![Sign up for free](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2288048/interactive-172640193042.png) ](https://www.newmode.net/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLL12WFUl6iylWA17gdFORRV2m%2FNcgLtzL8bNK7qWOovAZC%2FmJJfMQZMzhslrG6AKQQrDHPrtDfbjdRoAj83Immuyu5tkoiZmVSaNYfaRZSV639VlyM2IPJwwdl1dKc62jyff5t%2Bkmg8kw4M8O0RK7%2Bn62ze5tOCD%2BUciwgwuzO%2FM4ffjg%3D%3D&webInteractiveContentId=172640193042&portalId=2288048) [Advocacy Campaign](https://www.newmode.net/blog/tag/advocacy-campaign) [Featured](https://www.newmode.net/blog/tag/featured) [Advocacy Strategy](https://www.newmode.net/blog/tag/advocacy-strategy) [Digital Strategy](https://www.newmode.net/blog/tag/digital-strategy) [Campaign Strategy](https://www.newmode.net/blog/tag/campaign-strategy) [Organizing Strategies](https://www.newmode.net/blog/tag/organizing-strategies) [V2](https://www.newmode.net/blog/tag/v2) [![Steve Anderson](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/2288048/hubfs/NewMode_March2020_Theme/images/steve_anderson.png?width=160&height=160&length=200&name=steve_anderson.png) ](https://www.newmode.net/blog/author/steve-anderson) Written by ## [Steve Anderson](https://www.newmode.net/blog/author/steve-anderson) #### Steve Anderson is the co-founder and chief strategist for New/Mode — a values-based platform that provides targeted online engagement tools. https://NewMode.net ## More From New/Mode Blog #### More on V2 from New/Mode Blog #### More on V2 from New/Mode Blog ### [The Social Media Advocacy Flywheel: What High-Performing Campaigns Have Figured Out](https://www.newmode.net/blog/the-social-media-advocacy-flywheel-what-high-performing-campaigns-have-figured-out) [![Steve Anderson](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/2288048/hubfs/NewMode_March2020_Theme/images/steve_anderson.png?width=40&height=40&name=steve_anderson.png) ](https://www.newmode.net/blog/author/steve-anderson) [Steve Anderson](https://www.newmode.net/blog/author/steve-anderson) in [New/Mode Blog](https://www.newmode.net/blog) Jun 23 #### More on V2 from New/Mode Blog #### More on V2 from New/Mode Blog ### [Why Many GOTV Strategies Fail Before They Even Start (And How to Fix It)](https://www.newmode.net/blog/why-most-gotv-strategies-fail-before-they-even-start-and-how-to-fix-it) [![Jessica Currie](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==) ](https://www.newmode.net/blog/author/jessica-currie) [Jessica Currie](https://www.newmode.net/blog/author/jessica-currie) in [New/Mode Blog](https://www.newmode.net/blog) May 26 #### More on V2 from New/Mode Blog #### More on V2 from New/Mode Blog ### [Newsletter - March Edition](https://www.newmode.net/blog/newsletter-march-edition) [![Jessica Currie](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==) ](https://www.newmode.net/blog/author/jessica-currie) [Jessica Currie](https://www.newmode.net/blog/author/jessica-currie) in [New/Mode Blog](https://www.newmode.net/blog) Mar 19 ![](https://px.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=1941068&fmt=gif) ![](https://px.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=1941068&fmt=gif) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Steve Anderson", "url" : "https://www.newmode.net/blog/author/steve-anderson" }, "dateModified" : "2025-05-25T09:31:40.317Z", "datePublished" : "2024-10-30T00:47:33.000Z", "headline" : "Why You Should Avoid Government Petitions for Effective Advocacy", "image" : [ "https://www.newmode.net/hubfs/Government-Hosted%20Petition%20or%20Consultation%20(6).png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.newmode.net/blog/why-you-should-never-not-ever-send-supporters-to-a-government-hosted-petition-or-consultation-platform-post", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.newmode.net/hubfs/Primary-Full-Horizonta-2.png" }, "name" : "New/Mode" } } ```