This post originally appeared at https://reforminggovernment.org/news-irg-grows-digital-community-to-over-11500-people/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

April 30, 2024

NEWS: IRG Grows Digital Community to over 11,500 People

List increasing by 117% gives IRG a massive capability to better understand Wisconsinites and drive policy discussions 

Delafield, WI – The Institute for Reforming Government’s (IRG) mission is to build bridges across Wisconsin by connecting people to policy, amplifying voices, and solving kitchen table issues. To accomplish this, IRG set out to build a digital community of reform-minded individuals from every corner of the state. 

THE NEWS: IRG announced today that it has grown its internal digital community to over 11,500 people. That includes information on policies that matter to each individual and geographic location.

WHY IT MATTERS: This community gives IRG the capability to engage a large group of Wisconsinites to better understand their challenges, and to work with them to develop policy solutions for real kitchen table issues. They plan to work with this digital community to conduct surveys, build focus groups, and amplify voices on kitchen table issues that matter to the group. 

With members from 91% of Wisconsin’s zip codes, each of the 72 counties, and every legislative district, IRG is positioned to understand local concerns throughout the state, helping drive policy discussions and finding solutions to on-the-ground problems

QUICK FACTS: IRG’s list includes people from:

• Every region of the state
• Every Wisconsin county
• 91% of Wisconsin zip codes 
• Between 75 and 500 Wisconsinites per state senate district
• From 41 states (but thankfully the vast majority are all in Wisconsin!)

To build the audience, IRG worked with Platform Communications, a Wisconsin-based communications firm, to conduct digital outreach and survey work.

CJ’s Take:

“IRG set out to build the best grassroots audience in the state and we focused on issues that keep people up at night – kitchen table issues. This community will help be the catalyst for conservative change in the state going forward. I’m so thankful for the work of our team and Platform Communications to make this happen. We’re excited to get to work with the thousands of Wisconsinites who want to stand up and be part of the solution in our state.”  – CJ Szafir, CEO, Institute for Reforming Government.

WHAT ELSE? Beyond building its list of concerned citizens, IRG’s outreach team has driven over 6,000 miles and conducted over 40 listening sessions with everyday Wisconsinites to listen and learn about their concerns. This led to widely discussed reports, What Wisconsin Wants, and focus groups and polling of Wisconsin college educated women – conducted alongside State Policy Network.   

IRG, only 5 years old, has become one of the most recognized Wisconsin policy shops, with three features in the Wall Street Journal, regular appearances on talk radio that reaches conservatives, moderates, and liberals, and regular commentary in Wisconsin Public Radio, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and the Wisconsin State Journal. In 2023, IRG and IRG Action staff:

• Appeared on radio 44 times
• Were featured over 40 times in print, digital, and TV outlets  
• Published eight op-eds on Wisconsin policy issues  
• Won a national communications award from State Policy Network

For questions reach out to Courtney Gustafson at [email protected] 

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The Institute for Reforming Government is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that seeks to simplify government at every level by offering policy solutions to thought leaders in American government in the areas of tax reform, government inefficiency, and burdensome regulations.

To learn more about the Institute for Reforming Government, click here.