On Monday I gave a workshop to the first year students studying Social work in Southampton about my journey and the need for practitioners to listen in communication NOT just reply. And on my way home I started thinking about how this is relevant in the charity & not-for-profit sector when running an effective campaign or trying to make an impact on a scale. So I thought it would be good to jot down my 5 top tips on campaigning and advocacy. All of which I am still developing myself, but that's the beauty in them. TIP 1: PURPOSE. YOUR WHY... Is the single most important thing. It is the liquid gold, the thing you need to cherish and shout about in everything you do! Simon Sinek in Start With Why discusses how leadership can only be effective when you know you're 'why', the thing that made you get up out of bed and start trying. In running an effective campaign, this should be the thing you live and breath. Without purpose, a campaign can appear lost and it can be hard for your audience to feel engaged. This is not something you should think about, and it needs to be a constant point of reference, in any campaign. for your audience to inspired to take action, you need to tell a story; it needs to be something which motivates them to be involved and understand why the campaign exists in the first place. It is also important that you remain consistent in your message and the actions you take to share it otherwise difficult for anyone looking in to feel your passion, and fully understand what you are saying. TIP 2: CLEAR COMMUNICATION IS KEY. communication is constant from texting your mate to having a conversation with someone who you have never met before. What you communicate and how it is conveyed needs to be clear and easily accessible to a wide range of people. From a poster to a million-pound advert like those done around Christmas to encourage you and me to go and buy our goods from places like Marks & Spencer's or Tesco, it is their message is clear, concise and often a call to action or simple instruction. Looking back at the past few years, with the rise of social media platforms putting emphasis on a community can really help to reach a larger group of people, across the globe. The 'Ice Bucket challenge' was able to engage with a varied demographic of people making it inclusive and clear in its message of raising money and awareness for an underfunded and known illness. What I am trying to say is that how you communicate your message, you're why doesn't always need a huge amount of money behind it. Since starting my IFightFor CIC I have experimented with different styles of communicating our purpose as an organisation. Some with success others with little. That is because as I have come to know all too well, not all methods of communication will work for every organisation on every platform. But that is not to say you should not try. This brings me swiftly onto my next tip... TIP 3: BE ADAPTABLE. When an organisation stops adapting or afraid of change, like people it becomes hard to get out of routine. This is the same as a campaign structure! If an element of what you are doing works well, utilize it but never become afraid of trying new techniques. Nothing is ever one-sided and things will always go wrong. Or appear this way at first glace. But that is okay, even the greatest marketing strategies run encounter challenges. Developing ideas is something I love doing, I must have hundreds of notes in my iPhone which I have tried to deliver on and as soon as something goes wrong or engagement on social media has been low over a number of days, I have stopped trying or would give up... When I so wish I hadn't. I admit this because I think its important, especially in the charity sector. Because learning and adapting to the challenges means we know what to do and not to try next time. TIP 4: BE OPEN TO FAILURE. I hate failing. Well, at least I did growing up, in part because I thought it would give ammunition to those who put the fear of doubt in my mind. However, failure or the process of getting things wrong when creating a campaign is the most beautiful part, in my opinion. Because when you stop learning and trying to understand the process. It can prevent you from actually making an impact. When I started writing grant applications and got rejection after rejection I thought it was me and even now I find myself wondering at times 'what if it fails', but after you learn that a failure is an event, not a person it gives light to the opportunities and experiences you gain that inform your practice. . TIP 5: BE BOLD (THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX).
If you have an idea that you think might not work I encourage you to try it and be bold in trying things that people haven't yet tried. Just because they haven't it does not mean you can't. Campaigning effectively comes down to the simple idea, in which you believe you can make a difference big or small. Being bold and creative in your strategy may lead to people questioning what you are actually trying to do. However, words, ideas can make a massive impact and sometimes the unconventional ones have the most success. Just look at the Computer, iPhone, Google, Microsoft all of which came from people being bold and creative with ideas and trying to change the world with an unconventional approach. These tips are things which I have learnt and explored a lot recently and still developing. But that is a good thing and If you take anything away from this post I hope it is simply to try, fail and keep going.
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AuthorBrain tumour survivor. Ambassador, campaigner and co-founder of #IFightFor Archives
January 2019
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