From Volunteers to Voters: together.eu | Case Study
The Challenge
Democracy is not a given. It’s built and rebuilt every day by people who believe their voices matter. The 2024 European Elections posed a vital question: could citizens across 27 countries, with different cultures, languages, and histories, come together to make democracy stronger?
This was the challenge facing together.eu, a central part of the European Parliament’s "Use Your Vote" campaign, as it set out to transform disconnection into action. The message was simple but powerful: Use your vote. Or others will decide for you.
Building a movement takes more than good messaging — it takes structure, strategy, and training. That’s where Brand Response came in, helping together.eu with everything from volunteer learning journeys to hands-on toolkits that enabled local action across Europe.
Beyond the act of voting: it was about creating a movement, a community that felt deeply personal and profoundly collective.
The Approach
Building a Movement
The "Use Your Vote" campaign centered its message around real, personal stories that brought democracy to life. The video campaign featured senior citizens from across Europe reflecting on life without democratic freedoms. Their stories of struggle and resilience served as powerful reminders to younger generations of why voting matters.
Building on this foundation, together.eu created spaces where these narratives could inspire grassroots action and bring the campaign to life.
Local events, gamified competitions, and social media outreach turned passive supporters into active participants and influencers. Local events by in-country Liaison offices transformed quiet towns into hubs of democratic energy.
Empowering Local Leaders
At the center of this effort were the volunteers. They weren’t just told what to do—they were taught how to lead by each local office of the European Parliament (EPLO). Through workshops, e-learning modules, and hands-on toolkits, they learned to organise events, connect with their communities, and inspire action.
The Leadership Academy in Brussels brought 300 volunteers together in an atmosphere of collaboration and purpose. From this training emerged leaders who mobilised voters and built trust and relationships that would last beyond the elections.
One volunteer, a teacher from Italy, organised three events in her small town, bringing students and retirees together to discuss the future they wanted to build. In Denmark, another volunteer collaborated with a local youth organisation to host Q&A sessions with young politicians, making voting relatable and engaging for first-time voters.
Leveraging Technology
Technology played a crucial supporting role. The together.eu platform provided personalised guidance and ladders of engagement, automating email reminders and offering resources tailored to individual needs. Training was provided on how to use Social Media and AI ethically and effectively. These tools allowed volunteers to spend less time managing logistics and more time engaging with people face-to-face. Technology didn’t replace connection; it made it scalable.
Listening and Adapting
From start to finish, together.eu stayed responsive. Feedback from volunteers and voters shaped the campaign at every step. Surveys, reflections, and data were used to refine approaches and ensure the movement stayed relevant. This adaptability turned together.eu into a powerful conversation leading towards action.
The Impact
The impact? A record 50.74% voter turnout—the highest since 1994.
- A Growing Movement: 350,000+ members joined together.eu, turning it into a powerhouse of democratic action.
- Volunteer-Powered Change: In just the last three months, volunteers led around 8,000 activities across Europe. This includes leadership Academy participants who contributed 1,200.
- A Cultural Shift: The "Use Your Vote" video hit 504 million views, making participation impossible to ignore.
- Real Voting Impact: A survey of 6,000+ members found 83% of volunteers influenced others to vote. Nearly 30% reached over 100 people, and 23% reached 25–99.
Together, we didn’t just talk about democracy—we made it happen.
Final Thoughts
“The Brand Response team supported us in bringing the European Parliament voters mobilisation efforts to a new level in 2024. On one hand, the Brand Response team guided the EP staff working on together.eu in building the community, via digital tools and initiatives on the ground. On the other, Brand Response's strategic view challenged us to move forward from what was done in 2019 and try new tactics, especially for training and motivating volunteers. At the same time, the team was able to adapt to the reality of institutional communication. The fact that all of that was done with a positive attitude and a smile made it all better!” - Gaia Manco, Project Leader, European Parliament
“Democracy is strongest when it’s rooted in relationships. together.eu proved that at base people trust people over institutional messaging, they want to feel they’re part of something bigger. As one volunteer put it, ‘This wasn’t about telling people to vote. It was a conversation about why their voice matters and how they can use it.’” - Sam Lockwood, Founder of Brand Response
Moving Forward
The 2024 European Elections marked a turning point. together.eu didn’t just create a campaign; it built a model for democratic participation that can grow and evolve. By focusing on stories, relationships, and collective action, it offered a vision of democratic participation as something lived and shared.
Note: Images are from Leadership Academy March 2024 (Image Attribution and copyright European Parliament Some rights reserved)
