Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What kind of outcomes would excite your team?
A. If citizens who are not reached by traditional communications channels receive the STAR program message of countering political violence and increasing cross-partisan dialogue and are motivated by those messages to engage.
Q. Do you consider non-English outlets “nontraditional” for purposes of this RFP?
A. No. We consider traditional media to be traditional outlets, such as newspapers, TV news, etc. “Nontraditional” in this context mean new media and platforms by which people receive news – influencers, podcasts, etc.
Q. Do you have the capacity to engage audiences in languages other than English?
A. No. This could be interesting on a limited or pilot basis. We are focusing our efforts on engaging key target audiences first.
Q. Do you have message research that shows what works from your audiences in your priority states?
A. We have not done our own rigorous message testing, however, our work to date – the project has been active for four years – has been informed by public and private survey research regarding democratic engagement as well as scientific research on the psychological reasons for polarization. We have also tracked key indicators and have an observational and anecdotal understanding of what has worked and what hasn’t over time. Initial messaging may be formulated by The Carter Center and its state implementing teams, and could be customized and distributed to nontraditional platforms via the recipient of the contract.
Q. Do you have infrastructure for collecting audiences (i.e. signups, newsletters etc.?) By this we mean ways for people to take action after they hear the message through non-traditional media. Would you want this to be available or created under this scope?
A. There are networks in each state where this program is operational. They have active websites, newsletters, and the means to capture participant data and expand their contact databases. However, if the applicant wishes to highlight this capability, they should feel free to do so.
Q. We noticed that there was a line on producing materials for network partners. Is there flexibility on products and what should the balance be between products for network partners vs. non-traditional media? I.e. should we be thinking about train-the-trainer and relationship building to increase partner’s fluency with engaging nontraditional media? Or should we build our proposal as operating more like a traditional media firm. Either is possible.
A. We are placing a greater emphasis on the latter; the purpose of this contract is to promote existing messages in a way that reaches a segment of the population that does not regularly read or engage with traditional media platforms.
Q. What is your comfort level with having content creators and new media personalities make our ideas their own (i.e. not using our wording, but taking our ideas)?
A. We would be interested in pursuing this type of activity, however, the content – ideas and pitches – should be reviewed and approved by The Carter Center before distribution.
Q. Could you share more about the call to action for these audiences?
A. The call to action should be consistent with The Carter Center’s STAR program objectives – to engage the public in each given state to mitigate political or identity-based violence, increase cross-partisan dialogue and promote election integrity.
Q. Are you planning to use existing DRNs’ digital channels to reach these audiences?
A. If and when appropriate, existing channels may be used. However, the aim of this RFP is to expand to other nontraditional platforms for communication, e.g., via podcasters, influencers, or other media platforms, etc.
Q. Are you open to establishing new handles or landing pages?
A. Applicants are free to propose expanding upon existing communications architecture if that is consistent with their proposals and The Carter Center communications team will consider the request.
Q. Are there platforms that The Carter Center will not consider running this campaign on?
A. The Carter Center is open to all platform suggestions in RFP submissions and during the life of the contract.
Q. Does The Carter Center have existing research on the audiences referenced in the RFP?
A. The Carter Center has identified these audiences as those least accessible via traditional media.
Q. Can you describe how these audiences were prioritized?
A. Related to the prior question, the aim of the RFP is to reach Americans who do not regularly engage with traditional media to promote messaging that counters or mitigates political and electoral-based violence – the audiences listed in the RFP reflect these groups.
Q. All three audiences are quite diverse and broad. Specifically, voters under 50 is a large, diverse group. Can you provide additional information or data on the emphasis on men, age 18-32?
A. Men, age 18-32, are the group with the highest incidences of political- and electoral-related violence. The STAR program aims to address this phenomenon and would like to increase its engagement with this targeted group.
Q. Under item 2, Communications Tools – are the audiences for these tools the same as those mentioned in item 1?
Item 1: ‘Center-right voters who could be inoculated against election conspiracies
Disaffected eligible voters; lower-trust voters’; ‘And voters under fifty years old (with an emphasis on men between the ages of eighteen and thirty-two).’
Item 2: “Comms tools: Provide network members with clear, accurate guidance and products that they can use to explain how elections work, elevate the work of election administrators, and reduce fear of/increase trust between politically polarized Americans. Some of these products will be produced in conjunction with The Carter Center and other organizations. Organize or create positive pro-social content (e.g. videos of Republican and Democratic politicians engaging constructively with one another, human impact stories of Americans helping each other, especially across lines of ideological difference) and prepare this material into a bank of resources for regular sharing by nontraditional platforms. This could include adapting stories of the week to talking points, taking existing Carter Center educational materials (slides, videos, etc.) and editing or repackaging them for easy reference or social media sharing, and developing other simple products, including infographics.”
A. Yes, they are the same audiences.
Q. Across messaging development and distribution, where is the highest priority: building a centralized content library for network members, or activating trusted voices and nontraditional channels to drive reach and resonance?
A. Activating trusted voices and nontraditional channels to drive reach and resonance.
Q. For the requested communications tools and “resource bank,” are you envisioning primarily static assets, or would platform-native short-form video/creator-led content meet the need?
A. Primarily, static assets (e.g., tool kits and other materials) that could be tailored on a state level; however, a combination of both could be used as appropriate.
Q. Overall, how open are you to new ideas, versus briefs that fulfill every line in the RFP itself?
A. TCC is open to new ideas that would meet the overall objectives of the STAR program, i.e., mitigating political and electoral violence, increasing cross-partisan dialogue and promoting election integrity.
Q: Is the paid advertising budget included in the $200,000 project budget?
A: The Carter Center envisions all costs of the project to be contained within the $200,000 amount listed in the RFP. As such, the Center advises RFP applicants to earmark a percentage of their cost estimates for paid placements, if it is a tactic an applicant recommends pursuing. Upon execution of the contract, any paid placements will first be approved The Carter Center. In the unexpected event that total cost of the contract may exceed the $200,000 amount, The Carter Center will consider any proposed overages on a case-by-case basis for approval.