What is campaigning?
Campaigning is about changing things for the better. It means identifying a problem, making decision-makers aware of what the problem is and persuading them to take action to resolve the issue.
keys of campaigning
Each campaign requires a different approach. You will need to think about who you wish to target with your campaign and which techniques will be most effective in reaching them. This handbook looks at many different audiences and techniques.
Aims
Set your objectives at the beginning of the campaign and make sure everyone involved agrees these aims. Firstly decide whether a campaign is necessary. There will also be times when a matter can be resolved without the need for a campaign. A local authority might be happy to talk to you about your concerns and amend their actions accordingly.
Information
Get accurate information and evidence to support your case. The secret of any successful campaign is finding the evidence that will convince people of your argument. Whatever evidence you use, it is crucial to have the information the media, the public and decision-makers want and understand.
Audience
Decide who you need to influence and think about which campaigning methods will be best. Now that you know what you want, you need to consider who will make the decisions that will make your campaign successful. For instance, is it the health authority, the local education authority, the local MP or the local authority? It may be a combination of these decision-makers, i.e. for the community equipment campaign the best people to lobby are local councillors and/or the Director of Social Services as they make the decisions on and control the budget for equipment services.
Timing
Make sure you know when key decisions will be taken, i.e. votes in the council on social service budgets or when local elections are taking place.
Make sure the people you are trying to influence are properly briefed well before the date of any vote and it is worth contacting people again just to remind them of your campaign aims.
Partnerships
Involve other people and groups who share your views and may be able to support and help you campaign. Your campaign is much more likely to succeed if there are a lot of people working together towards the same goal. For example, a community equipment campaign may interest groups such as RNID or Age Concern, as such policies will also affect the people they represent.
The decision-makers will be more likely to listen to your concerns if they see that a number of different interests are represented.
It is worth approaching local figures of influence, such as the Mayor or local celebrities, for their support. These people will make it much more likely that you get press coverage.
