It may not be easy

Divestment may not come easily, and you may need to keep the pressure on your organisation for a long time before you win. But remember why this work is important: it is morally wrong to support and profit from the fossil fuel industry which is driving climate change.

Remember that building your team and growing public support are important, even if you think your campaign isn’t going anywhere the creativity of a group and the power of people united behind a morally just cause will surprise you. Hold regular meetings and build pressure on your decision makers by collecting more signatures on your petition to show that you are not going to give up.

Tips for running an effective meeting

There is an art to running an effective, dynamic meeting. Here are a few tips that will help you get the job done:

• Have an agenda with approximate times for each item. Leave enough time to circulate the agenda before the meeting, and ask for input.
• Assign a facilitator and a note-taker.
• Listen, understand and share ideas with others with awareness that understanding is different than agreeing.
• Circulate the notes after the meeting, with action items delegated and clearly highlighted so that people on your team will know exactly what they need to do before the next meeting. Decide on a next meeting time.

There are other people all over the world working on divestment, and it’s good to stay connected and share stories and best practice. Make sure you join the Fossil Free and 350.org mailing lists, as well as follow us on Facebook and Twitter so that you can stay up to date with the latest developments in climate change and divestment.

If you have any other questions you can contact us and we will be happy to try and answer your questions and connect you with others who can help.