5 What does good look like? Key activities

I’d like to suggest some key areas of activity to help you build momentum for your campaign. I haven’t been able to use all of these activities on all of my campaigns, but I have aspired to use them. So what are they?

• Supporters: you take your message out to your supporters both volunteers and staff, ideally face to face but also then with written updates, to enthuse them and keep them enthused but also to gain their feedback. This takes up lots of your time but is vital to ensure that your home base is with you.
• Allies: you take out your message to other organisations you feel may be minded to support you. Initially that may be some of your existing partners, but over time you will be looking for surprising allies to show the wider support in society for your issue. The fascinating element here is exploring how you can communicate your issue to find common ground with these new allies so that they feel moved to start raising this issue in their own way. This work can be never ending as there are always new allies to cultivate, but you use these new allies as evidence of growing support for your issue.
• Media: you look for every opportunity to raise your issue in the media. You are not content with just one-off coverage, but you are constantly looking for ways to get your issue on the radar. You do that by proactive media work but also by reactive media work offering comment on topical stories and by letters to the editor. You seek coverage both from your own organisation but also you work to ensure that there is coverage from other organisations too. You develop and hone your media skills by accepting every invitation to do media interviews so that you both spread the word and become ever more effective in your communications.
• Social media: you use your social media accounts to show the growing momentum and interest in your campaign. In addition your blog takes people on the journey with you – you openly share your theory of change and invite comments and challenge. Your on-line presence breathes energy and momentum, and in particular you relish the use of video to inject that passion into your communications both from you and your allies.

And next week I will suggest some more key activities to build momentum for your campaign …..