Divestment is about hitting the fossil fuel industry where it hurts – its reputation. Getting institutions to pull investments – cutting ties with this immoral industry – is one way to do that.
Campaigns are most effective in achieving their immediate divestment aims and in building the bigger climate movement we need to win in the long-term, if they successfully build public support and increase the numbers of people actively involved.
When you run an action or an event, you can increase its impact massively if you use it to bring new people into your campaign team and onto your email list and social media channels.
We’ve made this step by step guide with tips on how to use campaign actions to grow – but it’s really best thought of as a cycle of: promoting > organising > updating > meeting > repeating.
If you want to get more people on board with your campaign through your actions, you’ll need to promote them!
Whatever event you’re running, whether it is a stall, a stunt, a rally, a talk or something else entirely – you’ll lose the people who come along and show an interest if you don’t have any way of contacting them again.
Use your email list and send regular emails to keep people engaged.
Bear in mind that this isn’t always appropriate. If you’re planning a direct action for example, you probably won’t want to tell everyone who has signed your petition! Think about your audience.
If you want people to get involved and join your core organising team, you’ll need to make space for this.
Don’t use up all your energy running an action and have no onward plans! Think ahead and make space to recharge.
If you’re only ever planning one action at a time, you can’t use it to promote your next activity. If you’re in a phase where you want to grow, try to plan a series of activities. Below is a suggestion of how this might work, but you’ll want to tailor this to your strategy. And don’t be daunted – you don’t need to plan a whole year in advance! Even thinking one or two actions ahead could really help you grow.