An '''action alert''' is a message that an organization sends to mobilize people, often members of the group and supporters of a specific point of view, calling on them to take action to influence public policy.<ref name="one hour"> [https://books.google.com/books?id=nN3RMP-BcnkC ''The one-hour activist: the 15 most powerful actions you can take to fight for the issues and candidates you care about''] Christopher Kush, John Wiley and Sons, 2004; {{ISBN|0-7879-7300-9}}, {{ISBN|978-0-7879-7300-1}}.</ref><ref name="cyber"> [https://books.google.com/books?id=mhRh1LH8tOMC ''Cybercitizen: How to Use Your Computer to Fight for All the Issues You Care about''] Christopher Kush, Macmillan, 2000; {{ISBN|0-312-26305-8}}, {{ISBN|978-0-312-26305-8}}.</ref> Typically, action alerts are in reference to a timely issue, where prompt action is needed in order to affect upcoming decisions.<ref name="cyber"/>
==Description== Action alerts are considered a cost-effective and efficient grassroots organizing tool and are employed widely by many advocacy organizations.<ref name="one hour"/><ref name="cyber"/> A well-designed action alert can be a "powerful way to invite people to participate in the processes of a democracy."<ref> [https://books.google.com/books?id=v5H1-i6LHu0C ''The Nonprofit Manager's Resource Directory''], Ronald A. Landskroner, John Wiley and Sons, 2001; {{ISBN|0-471-39242-1}}, {{ISBN|978-0-471-39242-2}}.</ref>
Action alerts may, for instance, ask supporters to: *Contact their legislator to highlight the issue or argue for/against proposed legislation; or *Write a letter to the editor about a specific item in the news. Action alerts commonly begin by explaining the public policy issue to the recipients, and then tell the reader how they can impact the decision. Action alerts go by many other names. Amnesty International, for instance, refers to them as "Urgent actions".<ref> {{cite web|url=http://web.amnesty.org/pages/ua-index-eng |title=Urgent Action saves lives: Sign up today - Amnesty International |accessdate=2005-04-08 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050403121614/http://web.amnesty.org/pages/ua-index-eng |archivedate=2005-04-03 }}</ref>
==Organisations that use action alerts== {{Globalize|section|USA|2name=the United States|date=March 2018}} {{Dynamic list}} {{Expand list|date=October 2009}} *Citizens Against Government Waste *People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals *Electronic Frontier Foundation *Union of Concerned Scientists *American Family Association *Public Citizen *National Right to Work Committee *Tea Party Express *Free Software Foundation *Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization *Amnesty International *Human Rights Watch *Corruption Watch (South Africa) *Transparency International *Indonesia Corruption Watch *Anti-Corruption Foundation *Watchdog.org *International Republican Institute
==References== {{reflist|2}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Action Alert}} Category:Freedom of expression Category:Public opinion Category:Amnesty International Category:Crowd psychology Category:Politics