Writing a mission statement can be critical part of launching a new campaign or organisation. It grounds your team in a joint understanding of what you’re there to achieve – and makes it clear to the public what you stand for. Here are some mission statements from some of the world’s leading digital campaigning groups.
Campact (Germany)
Campact – Get Politics Moving!
Campact is a people’s movement in which 1.7 million people are fighting for progressive politics.
When it’s time to make important decisions, we use online appeals to directly contact those responsible in parliaments, governments and corporations. We form alliances, carry out debates with politicians and take our protest out onto the street: with large-scale demonstrations and local campaigns. This is how our activities drive social, ecological and democratic progress forward – for a world in which all people can live in peace and enjoy their freedom equally.
We will not accept empty words – we measure results on the basis of politics that have actually been put into practice. Funded by donations, we pursue our concerns and issues independent of party politics and business interests.
Our campaigns drive social, ecological and democratic progress forward – for a world in which all people can enjoy their freedom equally. By progressive, we mean politics that
- protect our environment and create freedom,
- encourage democratic participation and guarantee equal opportunity in education,
- protect civil rights and welcome refugees,
- provide for social justice and stand up for solidarity in taxation policies,
- fight discrimination and work towards equal rights.
These goals unite us with social movements; these are movements we get involved in and we see ourselves as a part of them. In order to realize these goals, our national state is often too small. That’s why we also stand up for a democratic European Union for all citizens. We are calling on Germany and Europe to take on their responsibility for global justice.
We are firmly convinced that social change is necessary and possible. In cooperation with many different partners, we have made Germany’s fields free of genetic engineering, enforced the phase-out of nuclear power, closed loopholes in the taxation laws and provided for greater transparency in politics. This emphatically proves that, when we raise our voices together, we can obligate our elected representatives to work towards our common welfare. That’s why our motto is: Get Politics Moving!
GetUp (Australia)
Vision
GetUp is working towards a thriving democracy in Australia led by the values and hopes of everyday people. We envisage a Fair, Flourishing and Just Australia.
Mission
GetUp gives everyday Australians the chance to make extraordinary impact – online, across the airwaves, and in the streets.
GetUp is a powerful campaigning community. By combining the sheer power of a million members, movement partners and a central team of expert strategists, we do what it takes to get things done.
Our work is driven by our values, not party politics. GetUp is, and always has been, an independent organisation. GetUp members come from every walk of life and around a shared belief in fairness, compassion and courage. We campaign on issues that our members care about in the fields of Environmental Justice, Human Rights, Economic Fairness and Democracy.
GetUp is about making change, not just making noise. Everything we do is guided by carefully crafted strategies designed to win. Sometimes that means we gather in raucous protest, other times that means partnering with policy experts to develop new solutions, or we exercise our consumer power, and everything in between.
38 Degrees (UK)
What does 38 Degrees stand for?
38 Degrees believes that power should rest with the people. Our millions of members work together to:
- Defend fairness
- Protect rights
- Promote peace
- Preserve the planet
- Deepen democracy
How does 38 Degrees work?
38 Degrees members take simple, powerful actions to weigh in at critical moments when our values are at stake and we can make a difference. Sometimes we act online, like signing a petition, emailing an MP or corporate boss, or raising awareness on social media. Sometimes we act offline, like visiting an MP or minister, taking out ads in newspapers, holding public meetings or fundraising for legal action. We also get creative when we need to – in the past we’ve hired bike ads to circle council offices, descended on Parliament Square dressed as beekeepers and camped out in public toilets to keep our issues on the agenda
Why 38 Degrees is necessary
38 Degrees exists because we believe 3 things to be true:
- Democracy works better when more people get involved
- Political debate in the UK is distorted by corporate and elite interests. These interests have significant control over political parties and dominate the media.Ordinary people typically hold far more progressive views than those occupying positions of economic and social power. A majority of people in the UK generally want to make the UK fairer, protect civil liberties, protect our environment and see democracy work better.
- The institutions which have historically served to challenge elite power or increase democratic engagement (e.g. trade unions, political parties, workingmen’s clubs) no longer offer a way in for enough people. Often the way we live our lives has changed radically while these institutions have stayed the same.
All this adds up to a “civic surplus”. Lots of people want to invest their energy in improving society, but are unable to find a trusted channel to direct that energy into. They’re left with two choices: give up on “politics” entirely, or find a new way to engage.
38 Degrees believes a new movement is needed to give such people appealing ways to engage and turn their values into relevant action.
What we aim to do
38 Degrees aims to shift the centre of gravity in UK society towards a shared set of values which we think would make it better: freedom, fairness, equality, human rights, community, peace, sustainability, and democracy. Some people would call these values “social democratic”, “progressive”, or “left-wing”. Others would just call them common sense or being a decent human being.
We aim to make this shift in the centre of gravity happen by bringing large numbers of people together who share most or all of these values. We aim to work pragmatically within this large, mainstream community, to seek out and take the “next available step towards a better society”. That can sometimes mean directly campaigning to change policies and sometimes mean attempting to change the terms of the debate.
Over time, through the sum of all our campaigning activities, we aim to build a large, self-sustaining movement of British citizens, who share this vision of a better society and believe in their collective capacity to make change happen.
How we do it
38 Degrees draws lessons from several different movement-focused campaigning traditions, including community organising, the work of single-issue campaigning NGOs, and the pioneering work of overseas organisations like GetUp and MoveOn. We can sum up our approach in ten overarching principles.
- Fairness, equality, freedom, human rights, community, peace, sustainability, and democracy
We exist to promote positive social change, to protect the environment and to challenge injustice.
- People-Powered
38 Degrees’ power is drawn from what our members can achieve together, not from insider dealing with powerful politicians or corporate interests.
- Member driven
We serve our members and their values. We want to change the world through accessible, meaningful collective action. Members direct the organisation through both direct decision making (e.g. voting) and indirect means.
- Nimble
We chase the energy where high levels of public awareness and passion meet highly actionable moments. We cultivate a culture of innovation and a willingness to take risks.
- Multi-issue
We don’t organise ourselves or our campaigns in issue silos. Instead we look for ways to draw our members into issues across the spectrum.
- Full spectrum campaigning
We enable our members to pool whatever resources they have to create change – including their voice, money, votes, presence, creativity, and influence with their peers.
- Independent
We are separate from and independent of all political parties, judge all politicians by the same high standards and offer support based only on merit. We don’t take money from political parties, government or big business. We rely on donations from thousands of 38 Degrees members from all over the UK to make change happen.
- Technology is the tool
We’re not an “online organisation”, we’re a campaigning community that uses the internet.
- Pragmatic
We seek to turn our values into campaigns which will have real impact on a relatively short timescale. We remain true to our values by constantly seeking ways to narrow the gap between the society we live in now and one which would reflect them better. We look for the “next available step towards a better society”, and aim to give our members regular opportunities to feel their power by running winnable campaigns.
- Respectful
We seek to actively contribute to a politics (and a world) free of prejudice, discrimination and victimisation through the way we do our work. In both our tone and the substance of our actions, we are respectful and fair. We steer clear of nasty politics, personal attacks and smears. We’re cautiously optimistic, and sceptical without being cynical. We are as firm and challenging as we need to be, but in a polite way. We recognise the humanity in everyone, including our adversaries – and say thank you when they do the right thing.
Jhatkaa (India)
Jhatkaa is a new campaigning organisation committed to building grassroots citizen power across India in effective and innovative ways. We help people take action collectively on issues that interest or affect them, and create change that would not be possible if they acted alone.
We collaborate with civil society to engage citizens to hold corporate, cultural and government leaders accountable in real time at key decision moments through various digital communication platforms.
Our Objectives:
Jhatkaa envisions an inclusive, sustainable and equitable India, built and maintained through the democratic power of an engaged citizenry. Our objectives are:
- To advocate solutions based on 21st century realities defining a development pathway to address the challenges of access to clean water, food and air, ensuring enforcement of existing human rights laws, supporting implementation of a new education system and ensuring sufficient checks and balances to tackle corruption.
- To mobilize millions of people from all over India to weigh in on decisions for different issues.
- To make the powerful accountable, targeting the behaviour of governments, political parties, corporations and cultural institutions.
- To transform the public narrative on citizenship and democracy so that people no longer accept corruption and our social problems as inevitable and instead understand their role in shifting systems to make our democracy functional.
How we work:
We look for moments where our members’ passion for justice in inclusivity, sustainability, and equality match a real opportunity to make a difference. It could be an urgent parliamentary vote on a land acquisition bill. It could be an outbreak of ethnic violence between native communities and immigrant refugees, or it could be a call for solidarity from a local community fasting to demand the cleaning of their river.
These moments can be wholly reactive. In such cases we will respond in the wake of breaking news and work around the clock to put meaningful action in front of our members as soon as possible. But these moments can also be part of a more proactive strategy. In such cases we may have been working with allies for weeks or months to prepare a response to an anticipated crisis — or to precipitate an opportunity. We will seek to cultivate these moments in accordance with the mid to long term strategic priorities of our membership. This combination of proactive and reactive enables us to strike the balance between taking timely, leveraged action and still making concerted progress towards strategically significant goals.
When the moment for action comes, we will use SMS, IVR, missed calls, email, cutting-edge web tools and social networks to rapidly inform our members about the risks and opportunity at hand — and give them the tools to engage and impact the outcome of the situation.
We will help members reach out to other citizens, online and offline, in living rooms and market squares, in community centres and on the phone — to educate voters, to recruit volunteers, and to spread the reach of our campaigns person to person.
Leadnow (Canada)
Leadnow envisions a just, sustainable, and equitable Canada, built and defended through the democratic power of an engaged public.
- Healthy Environment: We envision a Canada where the rights to clean water, land, and air are enjoyed by everyone. We envision a country 100% powered by renewable energy that respects ecological limits and helps ensure a safe climate for all generations.
- Just Society: We envision a Canada that guarantees human rights and dignity for all. We envision a country that respects, protects, and fulfills the rights of Indigenous peoples and marginalized populations, and strives for just relationships between all people who live here.
- Fair Economy: We envision a Canada with a strong economy that builds shared prosperity to serve everyone, not just a small elite. We envision a Canada that ensures equitable opportunity to live a safe and healthy life.
- Open Democracy: We envision a Canada where freedom, fairness, and integrity are central to our democracy. We envision a Canada where transparent and responsive public institutions enable people to shape decisions that affect their lives.
Leadnow organizes campaigns that build and defend a just, sustainable, and equitable Canada.
Leadnow’s power comes from our community. We use digital tools and proven organizing techniques to help hundreds of thousands of people take action at the times and in the places that matter most. We take direction from our community and look for moments to match their values with an opportunity to make a difference. We’re always striving to find new ways to have an impact.
We are independent from party politics. We know that smart ideas are necessary, and we need organized people-power to win lasting change. That’s why we strive to reach new people and create deep campaign journeys to unite a broad community around a shared vision.
Leadnow is driven by the belief that democracy is both an ends and a means. We want a more open, accountable, and representative democracy because decisions should be driven by the people whose lives they affect. We also believe that an engaged public can overcome the influence of corporate power and partisan self-interest, enabling us to thrive in a more just, sustainable, and equitable society.
MoveOn (USA)
MoveOn.org Political Action is a federal political action committee (PAC) which primarily helps members elect candidates who reflect our member’s values through a variety of activities aimed at influencing the outcome of elections. We are focused on running powerful progressive advocacy campaigns and demonstrating MoveOn members’ power at the ballot box.
Uplift (Ireland)
Our Mission is to make reliable information, state of the art technology and world class campaigning skills accessible to our members so they can take coordinated action to ensure decision making in Ireland reflects our values.
Uplift is a community of people taking coordinated action for progressive change in Ireland. We are a self-supporting independent organisation. We believe that when we work together towards a common goal we can create a better society.
We know that people are not apathetic but desire engagement in our democracy. People want to have a say in decisions that determine the type of society that we live in. By connecting with each other we will help to create a stronger, more powerful voice and have much broader impact.
Campaigns are informed by our shared values; to promote social justice, to defend fairness, protect our rights, preserve the planet and to deepen democracy. Using digital tools and a variety of campaigning strategies, our members participate and take action to advance Uplift campaigns.
Uplift is run by a small team of volunteers and staff experienced in social justice campaigning. The Board of Directors advises and supports the core team.
Uplift is completely independent and not aligned to any political or corporate interests.
OPEN (International)
Vision: OPEN envisions ordinary people pooling their voice, time and action to make their nations — and with them the world — more sustainable, inclusive, peaceful, democratic, equal and fair. We see purpose-built movement organisations dedicated to achieving this vision wherever there is demand for greater grassroots strength on behalf of justice. And we see these organisations becoming more powerful, efficient and wise by connecting, supporting and inspiring each other across borders.
Mission: The mission of the OPEN organisation is to advance this vision by connecting, serving and growing the unique sisterhood of people-powered progressive campaigning organizations that make up the OPEN network.