STEP 3:

Get active & build your power

Public support is important! There are more ideas about building and showcasing the support from your community here.

 

Overview The basics of divestment campaigns Step 1 Pick a Target & Build a Team Step 2 Start a Petition & Plan your Campaign Step 3 Get Active & Build Power Step 4 Engage your Decision Makers
Step 5 Turn up the Heat Step 6 Stay Connected Step 7 Win! Resources Tips, Guides, Factsheets and more Divestment Arguments Reasons to Divest

Public support and engagement are a key part of the campaign.

The more public your campaigning is, the more successful we can be in questioning the fossil fuel industry and pushing for climate action.

Building support from key organisations and individuals 

A petition is a useful way to show public support, as is identifying and showcasing support from key individuals, organisations or groups by asking them to sign the petition, an open letter or give a quote or statement.

University groups have worked to sign up groups of academics and alumni, and local government campaigns have worked with local businesses, unions and other ‘community leaders’.

Diversity, unlikely voices and key constituents can all help build support for your campaign.  Here’s how…

Public events and actions

There are a million and 1 things you could do to raise the profile of the campaign in the area and keep bringing new people in including:

  • Film screenings and speaker events (‘Do the Math’ is a brilliant and inspiring film all about taking action on climate change)
  • Presentations to key audiences
  • Parties, gigs, fundraisers and socials
  • Rallies and marches
  • Stalls and speaker slots at local events
  • Actions and stunts including banner drops and creative actions (check out the creative action manual for inspiration, and loads more ideas here)

Make sure you capture the contact details of everyone you can to help build the campaign. Always have sign-up sheets (which you can download from the Fossil Free petition tool)! And always send a follow up email with a thank you and next steps if you can.


 

Building your social media and online presence

Social media like Facebook and Twitter are a great way to get the message out.  Many Fossil Free groups set up their own Fossil Free XnameX social media accounts.

A Facebook page and Twitter account are a good place to start but use whatever works best for your group and your local audience.

Connect with the movement, and link up with others (groups, organisations and individuals) in your area.

350.org social media Guide


Working with the media

Working with the media to get your stories and messages out is useful for building public support and persuading decision makers. Local newspapers are often more widely read and trusted than nationals, and local radio or broadcast is gold dust.

Top tips:

    • Relationships with journalists are important, so keep track of who you’ve spoken to and keep building local lists (get in touch if you want our help to get that list started)
    • What’s the story? Think about why would a journalist want to cover your news – there’s some good tips on what makes a good story here.
    • Letters to the editor are another way to get your message out in more detail
    • Strong images are key, and may make it more likely to get your story covered
    • If you want a journalist to cover an event, let them know it’s happening before hand with a media advisory’ or ‘diary note’ and always follow up with a phone call if you can. Politely check if they’ve got the advisory, and encourage them to come. Make sure to do this for the picture desk too if you want them to take photos.
    • press release gets the story over (template here) and should lay out what’s happened (dry, factual) and add the colour and opinion in quotes from you (‘we think it’s very important that..’)
    • Prepare for interviews by knowing what the main point is that you want to get across and think about what difficult questions they might throw at you. Then lots of practise in the mirror.
    • share your media coverage with supporters and the network

350.org media toolkit

george monbiot’s activist guide to the media


 

← back to Step 2
                                          on to Step 4 →

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