How Do We Plan A Campaign?

Do you want to start a campaign but don’t know where to start? This article will take you through how to plan your campaign, step by step. If you want more in-depth resources visit the campaigns webpage. You can also get in touch with the Activism Programme Coordinator for guidance and support at sophie.l.birch@durham.ac.uk.  

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• 1. UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM
• 2. UNDERSTANDING POWER
• 3. CAMPAIGN STRATEGY
• 4. MEDIA FOR CAMPAIGNERS
• 5. UNDERSTANDING CAMPAIGN TACTICS
• 6. SU CAMPAIGN SUPPORT

1. UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM

The first step of planning a campaign is understanding the problem you’re trying to tackle. Often problems in society can seem large and unmanageable – by analysing the problem you’ll be able to split the problem up into smaller issues and understand their causes and effects. This will help you to identify smaller, more manageable campaign goals that will progress you towards your overall campaign target. 

One method of problem analysis is the problem tree.

Start by writing the problem on the trunk, causes on the roots and negative effects on the branches as shown here. 

Next, create a new solution tree with the overall vision on the trunk, potential solutions on the roots and positive effects on the branches. 

The vision could be the overall goal of your campaign and the solutions or the steppingstones to achieving it. However, you may wish to divide up your vision into smaller goals to make it more achievable. 

Find the full resource here.

2. UNDERSTANDING POWER

Understanding who has the power to create change is essential to a successful campaign. It can help you understand which groups or individuals you need to influence, ensure your actions are effective and allow you to identify allies and opponents within your campaign.  

Power mapping is a useful technique for understanding power. 

• Begin by making a list of individuals and groups that hold power in relation to your campaign. 
• Next, plot them onto a power map according to how influential they are and whether they are likely to oppose or support your goals. You may need to do some research to find more information.
• From your power map, you can identify which groups or individuals will be your useful allies that can help you achieve your objectives, and which will be your opponents who you will need to target actions towards.  

Find the full resource here.

3. CAMPAIGN STRATEGY

For your campaign to progress, it’s important to have a strategy. This is essentially a plan that will help to keep your campaign on track. You can adjust and edit your strategy as you go along as new obstacles or objectives emerge. 

Here are the key elements of a campaign strategy that you need to think about. 

Find our full campaign strategy template here

4. MEDIA FOR CAMPAIGNERS

Media can be a useful tool for campaigns whether that’s using social media platforms or speaking to local newspapers. It can help you raise awareness, generate support, create pressure and influence decision makers. 

There are some risks associated with using media in your campaign:

• Misrepresentation and loss of control – there is a danger that your message may not be conveyed accurately. 
• Privacy – whether taking photos or talking to local media, there is a risk that personal information could be shared which could lead to unwanted attention. 
• Media fatigue – constantly updating social media accounts can be exhausting and lead to burnout both from activists and members of the public. 

Here are some tips for using media effectively: 

• Choose your social media platforms – depending on your campaign goals, some platforms may be better than others.
• Clear message – make sure your messages are clear and consistent to avoid misrepresentation. 
• Media protocol – decide on how you will use media and come up with guidelines for handling media enquiries, interviews and press releases as well as keep track of media coverage and inaccuracies. 

Find the full resource here.

5. UNDERSTANDING CAMPAIGN TACTICS

Choosing the right tactics is key to making progress and achieving your campaign goals. The golden rule when it comes to deciding on what tactics to use is:

Each action must have an intended reaction

Here are some elements to consider when deciding on campaign tactics:

• Goals – which tactics will help you achieve your campaign goals and have your intended reaction. 
• Use your allies and target your opponents – how can you collaborate with your allies on actions and what tactics can you use to target your opponents. 
• Resources – what tactics can you use with the materials and skills you have available. 
• Audience – how might the tactics you used be received by the public and followers of your campaign. 
• Risks – what are the risks associated with the tactics to the activists taking part, the targets of the actions and the progress and perception of the campaign. 
• Monitor progress – constantly revise how your campaign is going and whether you need to change tactics. 

Escalation – if you are not making progress, how can you safely and effectively escalate your tactics while maintaining focus on your goals. You can set deadlines to indicate when escalation might be needed.

Here are some potential campaign tactics and levels of escalation. Think about how you could combine tactics and use them simultaneously.

Find the full resource here.

6. SU CAMPAIGN SUPPORT

This article is a very brief overview of planning a campaign. At Durham SU, we offer dedicated campaign support for any student activists, whether you’re part of a group already or starting a new campaign. You do not have to be part of a registered SU student group to access campaign support. 

• Book in regular campaign planning meetings with our Activism Programme Coordinator to get support and advice. Just email sophie.l.birch@durham.ac.uk to arrange a time. 
• Book in some campaigns training on the topics below. Email sophie.l.birch@durham.ac.uk to book a session.

1. Understanding a problem - delve into the causes and effects of a problem and dissect it into smaller, more manageable issues that you can tackle. 
2. Understanding power - identify who has the power to create change and understand how to harness power to achieve your campaign goals.
3. Understanding tactics – learn how to choose the right tactics to achieve your campaign aims.

• Appy for our campaigns grant and receive funds for campaign materials and events. 
• Visit our campaigns resource library to access the full list of resources on how to plan and launch your campaign. 
• Find out about how to hire equipment for your campaign group.  
• Join our changemakers mailing list to get updates on campaigns, share upcoming events and find out about upcoming training and useful resources.