Case Study: University of California turns students into voters and advocates with NationBuilder

University of California turns students into voters, and voters into advocates

University of California faced the challenge of turning hundreds of thousands of students into registered voters and active advocates while coping with an outdated supporter database, unclear campus mailing addresses, and low student opt‑in rates. To solve this, UCLA piloted an automatic voter‑registration integration that used a NationBuilder form and database to capture voter data and ask students—at the point of registration—to also join the UC Advocacy Network (UCAN).

Using NationBuilder, UCAN cleaned and consolidated its supporter lists, tagged new signups by student status and campus, and applied targeted messaging and A/B testing to engage people at scale. The program drove measurable growth—advocates rose from ~11,000 to ~18,000 in one year, produced about 20,000 engaged supporters, achieved a 64% student opt‑in rate and ~40% email open rates—and helped mobilize students to influence tuition and higher‑education funding decisions.

University of California

Meredith Turner

Associate Director for Advocacy