Description

ImpactCT is an independent expenditure committee working to elect candidates and advance policies that expand opportunity for people across Connecticut, especially in historically marginalized communities. Our mission is building the political, civic, and leadership capacity needed for durable change. We develop leaders through Pathways to Public Service, generate research and public insight, and help advocacy and community organizations better understand and navigate Connecticut’s political landscape. Our work is grounded in the belief that meaningful progress requires not only good policy ideas, but also the relationships, strategy, and influence to advance them. 

We engage in elections through voter outreach and other electoral activities. Our work reflects our belief that Connecticut’s challenges are interconnected and that lasting progress requires leaders with the vision and political will to address them.

Our priority issues include affordable housing, healthcare, education, criminal justice reform and household wealth generation. ImpactCT’s communications connect statewide policy and political developments to the lived experiences of Connecticut residents.

ImpactCT is seeking a social media partner that can translate this mission into a recognizable, credible and engaging public voice across relevant digital platforms.

ImpactCT invites proposals from qualified firms or consultants to provide social media strategy and planning, content creation, publishing, community management, and analytics and reporting outside of Substack. The selected partner will build an additive social program that reaches audiences and uses formats that differ from ImpactCT’s in-house newsletter work, while remaining coordinated around shared research, priorities and major moments.

The social media program will primarily advance Goal 4 while also supporting ImpactCT’s leadership-development, electoral-influence, and relationship-building goals. We want to be the organization that insiders and opinion leaders turn to for real, accurate information about how voters feel about crucial issues facing Connecticut, and we want our social channels to drive toward that objective. We do NOT care about joining a platform just because everyone else is - we care about building trust among our core audience. 

The primary goals of the engagement are to:

-Increase awareness of ImpactCT and establish a clear public face and voice beyond Substack.
-Reach and build relationships with younger elected officials, emerging leaders, campaign operatives, nonprofit leaders and advocates who use social platforms as primary information channels.
-Make selected Connecticut policy questions more accessible to a broader public through balanced, concise and engaging explanations.
-Turn polling, focus groups and other original research into timely, credible, platform-native content that is useful to leaders, media and the public.
-Create a consistent, measurable and sustainable social media operation with clear platform roles, workflows, approvals and reporting.

ImpactCT welcomes recommendations that improve the approach while remaining within the requested scope. The initial channel set for consideration is Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and LinkedIn, with final platform priorities, posting frequency and production volume validated during onboarding. Substack strategy, writing, publishing and subscriber management will remain in-house and are not part of this engagement. Respondents should describe how they would deliver the following services. 

4.1 Discovery, Audit and Strategy

-Conduct a kickoff process with ImpactCT leadership and designated communications contacts.
-Audit brand assets, website, public-facing Substack positioning, comparable organizations and relevant audience conversations. The Substack review is for coordination and differentiation only, not management.
-Define distinct audience segments, including political and policy insiders, younger and emerging leaders, and Connecticut residents who may not follow policy closely.
-Recommend the priority platform mix based on audience fit, organizational capacity, content strengths, risk and measurable opportunity. Recommendations should address Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and LinkedIn and may include other channels when justified.
-Develop a social media strategy covering goals, audiences, positioning, public face, voice, content pillars, platform roles, publishing cadence and organic growth approach.
-Create a 90-day preparation and launch plan, working backward from a post-election public launch, plus a rolling editorial framework aligned with ImpactCT priorities and the Connecticut civic and policy calendar.
-Define approval, rapid-response, moderation, escalation, records-retention and account-security protocols.
-Establish baseline performance measures and a practical measurement framework tied to the objectives in this RFP.

4.2 Content Planning and Creation

-Develop and maintain a monthly cross-platform editorial calendar for ImpactCT approval.
-Draft platform-appropriate copy, headlines, calls to action, hashtags and link treatments.
-Create branded static graphics, carousels, simple data visualizations, quote cards and short-form video or motion assets appropriate to the recommended channel mix.
-Translate approved findings from polling, focus groups and community research into social-first formats that highlight what Connecticut audiences are thinking, hearing and experiencing.
-Create balanced, digestible explanations of selected policy issues without positioning ImpactCT as a comprehensive policy think tank.
-Coordinate with ImpactCT’s in-house Substack team when common research, priorities or timely developments create a natural connection. Social content should be independently conceived for its platform and audience, not treated as automatic newsletter promotion or repackaging.
-Adapt approved ImpactCT positions, programs, events, candidate-related activities and timely news into social-first formats.
-Identify opportunities to elevate Connecticut voices, community stories and relevant partner or stakeholder content, subject to ImpactCT approval.
-Apply accessibility practices, including readable design, captions, alt text and plain-language copy where appropriate.
-Maintain organized, editable source files and an accessible content archive.

4.3 Publishing and Community Management

-Schedule and publish approved content using agreed tools and access controls.
-Monitor comments, mentions, direct messages and relevant conversations during agreed coverage periods.
-Respond to routine interactions using approved guidance and escalate sensitive, legal, political, press or reputational matters promptly.
-Apply and document community moderation standards, including processes for misinformation, harassment, threats, impersonation and coordinated abuse.
-Identify organic engagement opportunities with aligned organizations, leaders, journalists, creators and community voices, without representing unapproved endorsements or positions.

4.4 Analytics, Reporting and Optimization

-Configure or validate native and third-party analytics, link tracking and campaign tagging as appropriate.
-Provide a concise monthly dashboard with results by platform, content type and objective.
-Explain what drove performance, what did not, and what changes are recommended for the next period.
-Track audience quality and engagement, not only follower counts or impressions.
-Hold a monthly performance review and provide a deeper quarterly strategy assessment.
-Support an orderly transition of analytics, assets, credentials and documentation at the end of the engagement.

4.5 Optional or Separately Priced Services

Respondents may price the following as optional services if available:

-Creator, influencer or partner activation support.
-Paid social strategy, creative, media buying and optimization. Paid media is not included in the base scope requested by this RFP.
-Website or public-relations support that extends beyond coordination with the social program.

4.6 Explicit Exclusions and Boundaries

-Substack strategy, editorial planning, writing, editing, publishing, subscriber management and performance reporting will remain in-house.
-The social media partner is not expected to duplicate every Substack topic or distribute newsletter links as the primary social strategy.
-Polling and focus groups may inform both in-house Substack work and vendor-managed social content. ImpactCT will determine what findings are approved for public use, and the vendor will adapt only approved material.
-Paid media, formal public relations, website management and original research fieldwork are excluded from the base scope unless added through an approved option or amendment.

Requirements

ImpactCT invites proposals from qualified firms or consultants to provide social media strategy and planning, content creation, publishing, community management, and analytics and reporting outside of Substack. The selected partner will build an additive social program that reaches audiences and uses formats that differ from ImpactCT’s in-house newsletter work, while remaining coordinated around shared research, priorities and major moments.