Campaign Planning

Planning an effective climate campaign can be daunting in its complexity and scope. The Climate Advocacy Lab has your back! We have split up the process into more manageable pieces that will help you plan things out step-by-step while keeping the big picture in sight. This guide will show you how to be laser-focused on winning using tactics that work. Download the most recent version of this slidedeck here.

Additional tools and resources to support your work:

Building Blocks of an Evidence-Based Campaign Plan
Tipsheet: The Nine Building Blocks of an Evidence-Based Campaign Plan
A tipsheet covering nine essential considerations for how to design a campaign plan that “considers the evidence” at each step of the planning process.
Building Blocks of an Evidence-Based Campaign Plan
Worksheet: Building Blocks of an Evidence-Based Campaign Plan
This workbook is adapted from materials from the February 2020 Lab Campaign Planning workshop in Washington, DC. In conjunction with the Campaign Planning guide and tipsheet (forthcoming), use this workbook to design your own evidence-based campaign plan.
 
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Key Points
  • Clarify your vision: Vision is critical for buiding narrative power.
  • Be guided by your values: Core beliefs and principles clarify strategy.
  • Consider the evidence: Prioritize evidence like research, data, and lessons learned – not assumptions.
  • Set SMARTIE goals: Goals work best when they're deliberate and specific.
  • Explore your theory of change: How will you build power and win?
  • Identify your levers of power: Pinpoint the mechanisms needed to achieve change.
  • Integrate equity and justice: Because we want to create a better world, not perpetuate past harms.
  • Prepare a communications plan: Communications need to be driven by your campaign plans and goals.
  • Explore powerful tactics: Decide on the right tactics that best fit your larger strategy.
  • Build in processes for monitoring and evaluation: How will you know what works, and why?