Why isn ’t there more campaigning?

The internal obstacles to effective campaigning

Jonathan EllisRight Ethos seminar – 17th October 2013

What is campaigning?Having a burning desire to see policy or

practice change

Identifying a clear problem and solution

Knowing who has the power to make this change and what influences them

Campaigning can be seen as the umbrel la term to include:

Research

Lobbying

Media

Public mobilisation

Allies

What is campaigning?It is all about…

T

E

A

What is campaigning?It is all about …

TouchEnthuseAct

What do you need to campaign?

Evidence – rapid and revealing

Clarity on problem and solution

Clarity on where power lies

Use of an influence tree for routes and allies

Understand your opposition

Develop your theory of change

Regular review and revision

Campaigning….

What could be simpler?

So what’s stopping more campaigning?

Obstacles to effective campaigning

Lack of researchNervous leadershipConstant requests for a

strategyResources

Obstacles to effective campaigning

Lack of shared valuesLack of common understanding

of campaigningLack of a theory of changeNo momentum

Individual agendas taking overInternal disharmonyLack of a common goalWe are too busy to campaign

Any sound familiar to you?

Obstacles to effective campaigning

‘why isn’t there more campaigning?’

part 2

Some generalisations!Jim Coe

1/ there are constraintsContracts

Relationships

Lack of f leetfootedness

Intolerance of uncertainty

Worldview

2/ there is more campaigning

3/ the wrong sort of campaigning

 PARTICIP-ATIVE

REPRESENT-ATIVE

trends

EMERGENT CONTROLLEDtrends

UK Uncut Move Your Money

Move Your Money

NMP3NMP3

Spart-acus

Spart-acus

38O38O Typical NGO campaign

Typical NGO campaign

CitizensUK

CitizensUK

‘Marketing pull’

policy

powerbrand

profile

recruitment

Internal pressures in conflict with external trends

Constraining space for (effective) NGO campaigning

Overcoming the obstaclesBe open about internal obstaclesNurture enthusiasmEnsure common goalsEncourage joint plansEncourage need for momentum Encourage regular reviewsCelebrate success and embrace failure

What qualit ies should you look for?

Passion

Persistence

Vision of what you are going to achieve and how it is going to happen

Flexibility

Creative use of the campaigning tools

Curiosity about power and influence

What qualit ies are you looking for?

And above all ....

a burning desire for change

a sense of enjoyment!