What makes a campaign a Campaign? We think about this in very simple terms. A Campaign is a specific series of actions aimed at a specific group of people, and geared to produce a specific outcome. But as they say, the devil’s in the details…
The sign of a great Campaign is one where you know what you are receiving, why you are receiving it and what action you are meant to take next. So as a potential Campaign organizer, you need to ask the same questions in order to maximize your returns on the effort to run your Campaign:
Why are you sending this campaign?
“Why” implies you understand the problem that you seek to change. You might want to alleviate illness which is prevalent in a community, support the work of a specific organization or even get someone elected. But without the “why”, there is no “how”
What are you sending?
“What” gets us down to specifics – is it an email, sms, mailing, TV/Radio advertisement or smoke signal? Then, what format – letter, question/poll, challenge, postcard or an “ask”?
How – what action do you seek?
As Ghandi extols, the action is directly related to the change you want to see in the world. Are you raising money? Encouraging people to vaccinate their children? Reminding staff to take their quarterly compliance tests? Be specific and clear. For example, “get behind this important cause” is not going to get you a result. Instead try “show your support by signing this petition on our website here – it only takes two minutes and means the world to us.”
When do you need a response?
Finally, when do you need the action? After all, why do now what you can put off ‘til tomorrow? Try “all petitions must be submitted by Wednesday August 25 to be counted – make yours count!”
Put yourself in the recipient’s shoes – if you want them to take action in order to reach your Campaign’s goals, make it easy by letting them know the Why, What, How & When.
