Campaigning - Strategy - The Commons Social Change Library

How to Create a Campaign

How do you start a campaign for social change? Learn how to create a campaign using tools such as the Spectrum of Allies.

A sign board on a street in Atlanta with people riding past on bicycles. On the board is a black and white photo of a woman called Ella Baker. On the board it reads '"Legendary leader Ella Baker moved to Atlanta in 1957 to help form the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with Bayard Rastin and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. She departed from the organization in 1960 and devoted herself to the student-led organization, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. (Library of Congress, Prints and Photograph Division, NAACP Papers.)'.

Building Movement Capacity and Structure: Ella Baker and the Civil Rights Movement

Take inspiration from this Civil Rights Movement story about how to build movement capacity and structure. Learn about Ella Baker and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee SNCC.

The Horizon of Possibility: Tectonica’s Method for Social Change Strategy

How do you Develop a Social Change Strategy? Explore and learn from Tectonica’s method for social change strategy.

An Arrow pointing up features a person by themselves and as the arrow moves up the person gathers more and more people and at the end there is a group of people holding barbells up in the air representing there is strength and power in numbers.

Replace Endless Actions with Campaigns

Keep doing the same actions and not getting anywhere? Learn about replacing endless actions with campaigns and have a bigger impact.

A diagram of the 'The Upside-down triangle'. An upside down triangle is held up by 3 logs on each side coming out of the ground. With out the logs holding it up it would fall.

Pillars Of Support – The Upside Down Triangle

Learn about movements, power and the Pillars of Support also known as the Upside-Down Triangle from Daniel Hunter.

How to Win Campaigns: Communications for Change

How to Win Campaigns is a practical guide for creating & running successful campaigns. Written for the new campaigner and the experienced.

Magic Boxes: Campaign Planning Tool

Magic Boxes is a simple campaign planning tool, especially useful for new campaigning groups, shared by Chris Rose.

Making A Campaign Concept: Campaign Planning Star Diagram

Stuck with how to start your campaign? Here is a tool by Chris Rose called the Campaign Planning Star Diagram to get you started.

I don’t really have a ‘Theory of Change’ but these things will help

Developing a theory of change for your campaign? Here are 8 pieces of advice from Chris Rose that may help to think about for your campaign.

12 Basic Guidelines for Campaign Strategy

12 basic guidelines and ideas about campaign strategy by Chris Rose. These guidelines are so fundamental that they are often overlooked.

Large group of climate protesters at a climate rally holding various signs and placards. Text over the top of image reads: "Climate Activism: Start Here"

Climate Activism: Start Here

A strong climate movement means meaningful change. Here’s a list of resources to help you on your climate activism journey.

icon of a dart board with an arrow on the bullseye

Campaign Strategy: Start Here

Looking to start a campaign or improve your campaign strategy? Here is a list of manuals, templates, tools and other resources to get you started.

Slide presentation - Title reads How France Fought to Keep it in the Ground. Protestors are holding a large red banner that reads Keep it in the ground.

How France Fought to Keep it in the Ground: Lessons from 350 Campaigns

Rukiya, a 350.org organiser in Kenya, shares stories of how they recruited people for the African DeCOALinise Campaign.

A group of protestors, including people in wheelchairs, gather at a tram stop where a tram has stopped and people are getting on and off. Two people are holding a sign that reads 'Public Transport Should be for Everyone'.

Lessons from the Transport for All Campaign

The Transport for All campaign, coordinated by DRC Advocacy, is fighting for accessible public transport in Victoria, Australia. An interview with Ally Scott and Greg Ferrington about the campaign.

Portrait photograph of Rochelle Porteous who is wearing a red jacket with a yellow scarf and has curly brown hair. There are wavy yellow lines on the top and bottom and yellow and red circles on the top of the image. Text reads Learn from Rochelle Porteous Disability Advocate

Insights from Disability Campaigning from Rochelle Porteous

Interview with Rochelle Porteous, experienced campaigner on a range of issues and the Advocacy Manager at the Council for Intellectual Disability.

Image of a woman in Egypt standing in front of a crowd and holding a small placard with a bag of money over crossbones

Decoding Injustice: Shedding new light on how economic policies harm people’s human rights

This article provides a powerful way to use research to advance a range of economic, environmental, and social issues.

Screenshot of the homepage of the activist handbook. Heading reads Activist Handbook: Campaigning guides for activists. There is an illustration of an abstract loudspeaker in a circle with different colours and small writing.

The Activist Handbook: Campaigning Guides for Activists

The Activist Handbook is a ‘wikipedia’ style website that provides guides and resources for people to become effective activists.

SNAP: Synergizing Nonviolent Action and Peacebuilding: An Action Guide

A strategic framework for activists, peacebuilders, and organizers working to transform violent conflict and advance a just peace.

Beautiful Action Trainer Modules (BATMo): Resources for Nonviolent Action Trainers

People Power, Civil Resistance and Nonviolent Action NVA Trainers and Facilitators – Lists of training activities from Beautiful Trouble.

Introduction to Campaigning and Social Movements (Online Courses)

Three courses by 350.org about how to campaign and social movements. The courses are very user friendly, easy to follow and accessible.

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