Case Study: Olivia Chow activates campaign supporters with NationBuilder

Using clever gamification to activate campaign supporters

The vendor NationBuilder was used by Olivia Chow's 2014 Toronto mayoral campaign to tackle the significant challenge of uniting a deeply divided city and reaching voters across 44 wards with a limited, capped budget. The campaign needed a digital strategy to recruit and manage a large volunteer army that could bridge the urban-suburban divide and compensate for their financial constraints.

NationBuilder provided the digital infrastructure for a gamified solution centered on a supporter dashboard. This platform featured badges for completed actions and "tiles" that flipped over to track engagement, turning volunteer activities into a rewarding, game-like experience to drive recruitment and participation. Although the candidate ultimately lost the election, the NationBuilder solution was instrumental in building a highly active volunteer base that gained significant ground in the outer suburbs. The program fostered a lasting, engaged community, with many volunteers remaining active in politics long after the campaign ended.

Olivia Chow

Michal Hay

Field Director