Jane Cox, director, Principle Consulting Visit the CharityComms website to view slides from past events, see what events we have coming up and to check out what else we do: www.charitycomms.org.uk

1. Campaigning for change:
Communications for
advocacy and
campaigns
Jane Cox
Principle Consulting
Wednesday 11th July

2. Principle Consulting

3. Campaigning for change
• Why?
• What? Clear goal(s), good evidence base
• Who? Map decision makers, influencers, champions
and allies
• How? Coalitions, parliamentary levers, social media,
traditional media, continuous monitoring, evaluating
and improving
• When? Finding windows of opportunity
But first of all…….

4. What is a campaign?
What is a campaign?
A campaign is a planned set of activities that people carry
out over a period of time in order to achieve something
such as social or political change.
Campaigns are successful when:
 Your target is morally persuaded to follow a particular
course of action or;
 Your target is pressured to the extent that there is no
alternative.

5. Why?
WHY DO CHARITIES CAMPAIGN?

6. Changing government policy

7. Changing government policy

8. Changing business practices

9. Changing social attitudes

10. What?
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE?

11. Be clear
on what
you want
to achieve
…..And what evidence
you need to achieve it.

12. Goal-setting
Is it a SMART goal?
Specific: A clear & precise outcome
Measurable: Should result in clear, noticeable change
Achievable: Be ambitious but it should actually be possible
Realistic: You should have the commitment and resources to
do it
Timed: It should have a completion date built in

13. Key elements
of campaigns
Evidence

14. Evidence
 What evidence do you currently have
about the impact of your work?
 Is there more work to be done
evidencing the outcomes of your
intervention? E.g. data, case studies,
reports

15. Who?
WHO MAKES THE BIG DECISIONS?

16. Who are the decision makers?

17. Identifying
decision-
makers

18. Influencers

19. Find friends, allies and champions

20. How?
HOW TO RUN A GOOD CAMPAIGN

21. How? Key
elements of
campaigns
Coalition-
building

22. Coalition-building
What is a coalition? Temporary alliance for a combined action or shared
ambition.
Why build a coalition?:
 Sharing of skills/contacts
 Added credibility and legitimacy
 Can help you ‘reach out’ beyond the ‘usual suspects’
How do you make it work?:
 Trust and communication
 Staying focused on the shared aim
 Shared ownership

23. How?
Understand and
use Parliamentary
levers
Parliamentary questions
Debates
Early Day Motions (EDMs)
Select Committees
All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs)
Legislation
Letters
Meetings

24. How?
Spokespeople

25. How?
Case studies
❑ Variety of people
& perspectives to
resonate with a
variety of
audiences

26. How?
Humour

27. How?
Social media

28. How?
Media strategy

29. When?
THE IMPORTANCE OF TIMING

30. You need
all of the
above in
place.
But be ready to
move when the
opportunity
arises…..

31. Campaigns taking advantage
of current events
 Syrian Vulnerable Person’s
Resettlement scheme –
initiated at Christmas then
expanded after Alan Kurdi
pictures
 Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust
and ‘Jade Goody’ effect
 Anita Roddick announces
she has HCV
 Let Us Learn and the
Windrush Scandal

32. Understanding
the policy
environment
Horizon
scanning

33. Does this equal immediate
success?
 Rarely!
 Play the long game:
may be years, not
weeks or months.
 Keep up the pressure,
once you have
success – keep their
feet to the fire!

34. Common campaigning pitfalls
 Unclear aims and objectives
 Activity planning happening before or without an influencing
strategy
 Pointless activity, e.g. awareness for awareness sake
 Choosing the wrong issue
 Lack of innovation
 Messages that do not get noticed and move people
 Poor monitoring and evaluation
 Failing to focus on the overall aim
 Not following up with the implementation – the devil is in the
detail!

35. Any questions?
Jane@principleconsulting.org.uk

36. 11 July 2018
London
#CCsmallcharity
Small charities
communications
conference

37. Visit the CharityComms
website to view slides from
past events, see what events
we have coming up and to
check out what else we do:
www.charitycomms.org.uk