Introduction
A collection of templates, worksheets and checklists for changemakers collated by the Commons librarians on campaign strategy & planning, tactics and actions, organising, narrative, and more.
Download these templates, or make a copy of Google Docs, and fill them in with your own information. Use the checklists to work through processes or make sure you have what you need to progress. If you need more background before using a worksheet check out the topics in the Commons and our Start Here guides.
This is a living list so let us know what resources you are looking for or if you have one to share. Please note that some of the resources below could sit under multiple topic areas.
Templates, Worksheets and Checklists
Context
Campaign Strategy & Planning
- Critical Pathway Analysis, Campaign Strategy Worksheets, Training for Change, see slide 10
- The Campaign Canvas Template, Mobilisation Lab [Template]
- Simple Strategy Grid, The Change Agency
- Campaign Strategy Planning Template, James Whelan, Jason MacLeod
- Midwest Academy Strategy Chart
- The Midwest Academy Strategy Chart (Blank table), Education Support Professionals, Center for Organizing, see pgs 113-114, 124 – 126
- Campaign Planning Matrix Template, Sierra Club Movement Manual, see pgs 103 – 105
- Log Frame Matrix Template: Tool for Campaign Planning, Reece Proudfoot
- Campaign Scoping Template
- Building an Advocacy Campaign: A template for introducing the Basics of Strategy
- Campaign Flow Chart, ActionAid’s Global Platform NetwoNetworked Change Campaign Grid: Worksheets
- Mapping Campaign Health Table, Haiyya Campaigner’s Guide, see pg 19
- Making A Campaign Concept: Campaign Planning Star Diagram
- Campaign Overview Worksheet, Friends of the Earth
- Target Influence Analysis, Friends of the Earth
- Campaign Criteria Checklist, Friends of the Earth
- Prototyping Campaign Ideas, Mobilisation Lab
Choosing the Issue / Identifying the Problem
- Iceberg Worksheet: What’s the root cause of the problem? Mobilisation Lab
- Worksheet: Problem Tree Analysis, New Tactics in Human Rights
- Identifying the Problem, Campaign Starter Pack, Campaign Bootcamp, see pgs 4 – 6
- Checklist for Choosing an Issue, Midwest Academy/We Rise, see pg 6
- Problem Framing Canvas, Ingrid Burkett, Griffith Centre for Systems Innovation, Griffith University, see pg 2
- 5 Whys: Uncovering root causes behind a problem statement
- Scenario-Based Thinking Canvas:: Why settle for one future when you can explore four? ‘Design. Think. Make. Break. Repeat. A Handbook of Methods’ (BIS Publishers)
Communications, Media & Graphic Design
- Call to Action Worksheet, Mobilisation Lab
- Media Checklist for Actions
- How to Conduct Interviews: Tips and Checklist
- Digital Tools Assessment Template
- Writing a Media Release Template, Progress Network
- Email worksheet when writing to or asking something of your supporters, Australian Conservation Foundation
- Draft an Email Worksheet, New Organizing Institute, see pg 88
- Creating your Brand Identity: Tips and Checklist
- Creative Brief Form and Sample, A Stronger California
- Prebunking Checklist, A Practical Guide to Prebunking Misinformation, see pg. 32
Fundraising
- Fundraising Tracker Sheet: Template
- Strategy: Fundraising Tactics, Prosper Strategies
- Fundraising Checklist – How to win grants funding
- Checklist: Getting ready to apply for a grant
Goals, Objectives & Visions
- What is your goal, Campaign Starter Pack, Campaign Bootcamp, see pg 7
- Demands, Campaign Strategy Worksheets, Training for Change, see slide 9
- Campaign Objective with SMART Criteria, The Path of Most Resisance, see pg 44
- 30/60/90 Day Goal-Setting Template, The Management Center
- Impact Ripple Canvas
- Create a Vision Worksheet, New Tactics in Human Rights
- Future Workshops Template – Collectively envisioning future solutions, ‘Design. Think. Make. Break. Repeat. A Handbook of Methods’ (BIS Publishers)
Inclusivity & Accessibility
- Disability Action Plan: Template, Victoria ALIVE, Volunteering Victoria
- Is Your Organisation Accessible? Checklist, Volunteering Alive
- Making Protest Accessible: Tips and Checklists for Actions
Lobbying
- Who are your representatives? Campaign Starter Pack, Campaign Bootcamp, see pgs 47 – 48
- MP Engagement Checklist, Australian Parents for Climate Action
- Tips for Meeting MPs Checklist, OPEN
- Lobbying Recording Sheet, Coalition for a Strong Nebraska
Management
- Policy Bank: Policy and Procedure Templates for Not for Profit Organisations, Our Community
- Onboarding Checklist for Managers, The Management Center
- Project Plan Template, The Management Center
- Non-Profit Meeting Agenda Template, EForms
Organizing
- Building Relationships Worksheet: One on One Guide, She Decides, see pg 42
- Structuring Teams Worksheet: Developing Shared Purpose, She Decides, see pgs 53 -54
- Structuring Teams Worksheet: Developing Team Roles, She Decides, see pgs 56-57
- Organizing Statement, She Decides, see pg 70
- Who are your people, what is the change they need, who are the actors (Table), She Decides, see pgs 71 – 72
- Community Mapping Introduction and Worksheet
- Planning Your Community Mapping Effort Worksheet, Sierra Club Movement Manual, see pg 34
- General One-on-One Conversation Reporting Form, Education Support Professionals, Center for Organizing, see pg 30
- Gathering Organizing Data and Metrics. Education Support Professionals, Center for Organizing, see pg 92
- Online-To-Offline Recruiting Tactics, Sierra Club Movement Manual, see pg 81 – 83
- Six Building Blocks of Distributed Organizing Campaigns, Jason Mogus, Tom Liacas
- Worksheet 1: Establishing a people-powered theory of change
- Worksheet 2: Designing supporter paths and roles
- Worksheet 3: Establishing a recruitment and onboarding process
- Worksheet 4: Setting up coaching and support for distributed supporters
- Worksheet 5: Platforms and tools to support a distributed community
- Worksheet 6: Defining milestones and moments of a distributed campaign
Points of Intervention
- Points of Intervention Worksheet, Storybased Strategy (1pg PDF)
- Points of Intervention Worksheet, SNAP: Synergizing Nonviolent Action and Peacebuilding: An Action Guide, see pg. 131
- Points of Intervention Template, Online Monster Training Manual, 350.org, see slide 47
Protests
- Making Protest Accessible: Tips and Checklists for Actions
- Checklist for Affinity Groups
- Marshals Checklist
Power
- Power Analysis Grid, Influencing for Impact Guide: How to deliver effective influencing strategies, 2020, Oxfam International, see pg 32
- Power Framework Activity Sheet
- Draw your own Power Map, Campaign Bootcamp, see pgs 55 – 57
- Tracking Down the Power Worksheet, Organizing People, Power, Change, Guide, see pgs 47-49
- Power and Interest Chart, Organizing for Change
Research, Evaluation and Surveys
- Forming Survey Questions, Datacenter
- Research methodologies comparison sheet, Data Center
- Starting your research project worksheet, Data Center
- Interview Debrief Worksheet A4
Spectrum of Allies
- Spectrum of Allies, Online Training Monster Manual, 350.org, see slide 55
- Creating a Spectrum of Allies Worksheet, New Tactics for Human Rights
- Spectrum of Support, Campaign Strategy Worksheets, Training for Change, see slide 8
Stakeholder Mapping
- Pillars of Support, see pgs 4-5
- Pillars of Support, Campaign Strategy Worksheets, Training for Change, see slide 5
- Stakeholders and Audiences, Campaign Strategy Worksheets, Training for Change, see slide 4
- Identify Points of Leverage, Campaign Strategy Worksheets, Training for Change, see slide 6
- Establishing A Recruitment And Onboarding Process Worksheets, NetChange Consulting, see pg 7 and 9
- Movement Building Canvas
- Campaign Scoping Template
- Stakeholder Mapping, Building a Resiliency Network: Toolkit, OverZero, see pgs 18-20
- Outreach Strategy, Building a Resilience Network Toolkit, OverZero, see pgs 22-23
- Community Leadership Growth Assessment Campaign User Journey, Haiyya Campaigner’s Guide, see pg 10
Storytelling & Narrative
- Messages That Move People, Campaign Strategy Worksheets, Training for Change, see slide 7
- How to Change the Narrative / Story: Guides, Worksheets and Templates
- The Story Canvas Template, Digital Storytellers
- Mapping Story Archetypes Worksheet, Center for Story Based Strategy
- Exercise: Audience Understanding
- Worksheet – Who What How: Narrative Strategy for Issue Campaigns
- Story of Self, Us and Now Worksheets, Organizing People, Power, Change Guide, pgs 42 – 25
- Story of Self Handout: My Boundaries
- Checklist – Telling a New Story: A Collaborative Checklist for Social Justice Leaders Using Narrative Strategies for Change
- Persona Worksheet A4, Mobilisation Lab
- Framing Worksheet A4, Mobilisation Lab
- Questioning Worksheet A4, Mobilisation Lab
- Leaderful Organizing Tool: Race Class Narrative Checklist
- Narrative Pyramid Worksheet, Race Forward
- Audience Worksheet, Race Forward
- Narrative Goals Worksheet, Race Forward
- What Form will your project take, Race Forward
- Design Star Strategy Alignment Worksheet, Race Forward
- Narrative Hypothesis & Impact Measurement, Race Forward
- Step-by-Step Narrative Project Design Guide, Race Forward
- Narrative System and Ecosystem, Race Forward
- Rapid Response Worksheet: A framework for advancing narrative strategy in the face of a crisis or breaking news development
- Story Template, Greenpeace
- Characters of the Story, Greenpeace
- Checklist for roll out a Narrative Change Campaign, International Center for Policy Advocacy
Tactics & Actions
- Tactics Checklist, Organizing for Social Change, Midwest Academy
- Tactics: Selecting Scenes and Stages, Campaign Strategy Worksheets, Training for Change, see slide 11
- Tactics That Motivate Our People, Campaign Strategy Worksheets, Training for Change, see slide 12
- Tactics That Set the Tone, Campaign Strategy Worksheets, Training for Change, see slide 13
- The Tactic Star for planning and evaluating tactics, Beyond the Choir
- Identifying Targets and Tactics to Move SMART Goal Forward New Tactics in Human Rights
- Worksheet – Preparing for the Plan to Take Action: Review of Sun Tzu’s Three Sources of Knowledge, New Tactics in Human Rights
- Plan to Take Action, New Tactics in Human Rights
- Worksheet: Strategy and Tactic Summary, New Tactics in Human Rights
- Worksheet: Tactic Case Study Discussion & Presentation Guide, New Tactics in Human Rights
- List your tactic ideas, Campaign Starter Pack, Campaign Bootcamp, see pg 63
- Tactics Chart, Friends of the Earth
- Activity Checklist for Campaign Planning, Friends of the Earth
- Tactical Planning Session, ICNC, see pgs 104 – 107
- Tactic Review, Online Training Monster Manual, 350.org, see slide 33
- Worksheet: Chart Your Engagement Tactics, Sierra Club Movement Manual, see pg 78
- Action Planning Template, Organizing for Change
- Pre/During/Post Action Checklist, Beautiful Trouble
- Before Action Reviews (BARs) and After Action Reviews (AARs), Randall Smith, ReThink Health, see pgs 5 – 9
Tactics Calendars / Timelines
- Tactics Timeline, Campaign Bootcamp
- Tactic Calendar, ICNC, see pg 101
- Tactic Calendar, The Path of Most Resistance, ICNC, pg 101
- Sequencing Tactics, Campaign Strategy Worksheets, Training for Change, see slide 14
Theory of Change
- Developing your Theory of Change [Table], She Decides, See pg. 73
- Theory of Change Canvas
- Where’s the Power? Developing Your Theory of Change [Template]
- Developing a Theory of Change Worksheet, Education Support Professionals, Center for Organizing, see ps 61-62
- Campaign Theory of Change Statement, Campaign Strategy Worksheets, Training for Change, see slides 15 – 16
- Establishing a People Powered Theory of Change TOC, NetChange Consulting, see pg. 3
- Where’s the Power? Developing Your Theory of Change [Template]
- Developing your Theory of Change [Table], She Decides, See pg. 73
Trainings and Workshops
- Training Checklist, Beautiful Trouble
- Workshop Design Template, Plan to Win
- Checklist for Non-violent Direct Action Trainings
Volunteers & Recruitment
- Sample Position Description, Volunteering Australia, see pg 27
- Designing a Volunteer Role Description, Volunteer Ireland
- New Volunteer Checklist
- Sample Roles Worksheet, Sierra Club Movement Manual, see pg 89
- Welcome Interview Template
- Conversation Worksheet, Volunteer Plain Talk [Difficult Conversations with Volunteers]
- Inclusive Volunteering Checklist, Volunteerability
- Worksafe Health and Safety Checklist, Safe Work Australia, see pgs 19-20
- Volunteering Resource Hub Templates, Volunteering Australia
Wellbeing & Selfcare
- Tree of Resilience, see pgs 16 – 17
- Activist End of Year Review worksheet
- Activist Wellbeing Worksheet, Plan to Thrive
Working in Groups
- Communication within your group, Campaign Starter Pack, Campaign Bootcamp, see pgs 19 – 20
- Creating a Team Culture: Worksheet
- DARCI Grid to Clarify Roles and Responsibilities, Leaderful Organizing
- Delegation Worksheet, The Management Center
- Getting Aligned Worksheet, The Management Center
- Check-in Meeting Agenda Template, The Management Center
- Decision-Making: Pros, Cons, and Mitigations, The Management Center
- Memorandum of Understanding MOU Template, Justice Connect
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