Just as there are training programs in digital organizing and data management, progressives should organize a series of low-code trainings for political operatives, to encourage the use of low-code tools in campaigns and other time-strapped organizations. Such courses would cover topics like:
- Excel macros
- Zapier
- Airtable
- Content management systems like Wordpress
- iPhone and Android app builders, Streamlit
The training program could be housed in a variety of organizations, such as the DCCC (for its Red to Blue candidates), the Arena (for a broader segment of operatives), or as a standalone organization. Such trainings could be funded by a startup incubator, which could benefit from the creation of temporary low-code tools by incubating startups that productionize such tools for longer-term adoption.
Low code tools are already in wide use in political organizations, but the full potential of these tools has yet to be unlocked. Some examples of low-code tool usage in political organizations include:
- Custom workflows for welcoming new supporters, as Daisychain supports
- Capturing data on-the-go which can’t be captured by tools like MiniVAN
- Scanning person-specific QR codes in a mobile app to eliminate data entry errors
- In-house tools for user management
- Custom list-building
- Managing a custom fundraising database across multiple clients, as Kalani Tissot describes in his Great Battlefield interview at the 43:20 mark.
Ryan Rogers also discusses the use of app builders which target the political space specifically in his Business of Politics interview, at the 30 minute mark - but it’s unclear how such a builder would differ substantially from other app-building tools.