Building campaigning effectiveness
Bond is a partner in a programme that will transform the campaigning and advocacy of UK civil society organisations for sustainable social and political change.
In recent years Bond members and partner networks have gained recognition and respect from wider civil society, politicians and others by demonstrating an ability to be at the leading edge of campaigning practice.
Bond is extending its work on campaigning effectiveness to build the capacity of NGOs and to share and exchange learning with the wider voluntary sector in the UK. Bond is a partner in a campaigning and advocacy capacity building programme led by NCVO, funded by the Improving Support programme of Capacity Builders UK. The aim is to develop and promote excellence in voluntary sector influencing of decision makers by promoting good practice and developing skills, knowledge and organisational development.
Bond has prioritised three areas of campaigning that will enable the international development community to work together to explore and improve campaigning practice and provide an opportunity to share learning with other UK organisations campaigning for change:
1. Beneficiary voice in campaigning
The voices of those with whom and on whose behalf we campaign, and how they are represented and involved in our campaigning, are important elements of campaigning effectiveness.
Beneficiary participation in development programmes is a well-researched and developed area of NGO work. However, the role of beneficiary voice in campaigning has not yet been adequately explored.
Bond will create spaces for development NGOs to learn from organisations that campaign in the UK on behalf of, and with, people living in poverty or with HIV and AIDS or disability, as well as communities impacted by social or environmental injustice. Likewise, what NGOs do well in the promotion of voices of beneficiaries thousands of miles away can help organisations in the UK to strengthen their approach to beneficiary voices in campaigning.
2. Inspiring supporter action in campaigns
When we ask our supporters and other citizens to take action in our campaigns, we need to be confident, firstly, that public pressure should be part of influencing and, secondly, that the suggested action offers the best chance of contributing to the change we seek. We also must maximise the likelihood that those we reach out to will actually be moved to take action.
Bond will help its campaigning members explore together how best to provide engaged and interested citizens with actions they want to take and that will make a difference. We will also look at working with the creative industries, especially involving new media technology, and engage with and learn from commerce and the entertainment industry.
3. Campaigning for change at European Union level
For many years, development NGOs have campaigned on issues where the change that needs to happen is at EU level. Now is the time to become more systematic and pool what has been learned on issues such as aid and trade.
Campaigning in the UK on decisions made in Brussels and pan-European campaigning with allies across EU member states are mission critical for a growing number of civil society organisations.
Maximising opportunities to win EU policy changes means finding ways of sharing practice that creates winning campaigns and truly holds European decision makers to account.
4. Upcoming events
Early September 2009 (exact date, tbc): Special peer exchange meeting of the Bond Advocacy Capacity Building group on Beneficiary Voice in campaigning.
11 September 2009, Bond, Roundtable peer exchange session of global issues campaigners on inspiring supporter action.
19 September 2009 (tbc): Inspiring Supporter Action event with professional NGO campaigners and NGO activists/key multipliers.
23 October 2009: Bond Beneficiary Voice peer exchange group meeting on guidance notes, Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund.
November 2009: Seminar on Beneficiary Voice
December 2009: Senior NGO campaigners meet for peer exchange to revisit Inspiring Supporter Action guidance notes.
February 2010: Inspiring Supporter Action Course
February 2010: GCAP Assembly. Inspiring Supporter Action guidelines presented and used to direct discussions.
February 2010: Beneficiary Voice in international development campaigning guide launch and conference event with UK focused campaigners on voice in UK campaigns on domestic issues.
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