Part II: Fundamentals of planning and running a campaign
Forming a Group
Getting our fellow students and greater universities to take concrete steps—such as providing fair trade produced coffee in our dining services—to foster global development is within our reach, but we have to organize and build support together. The first step is forming a group of students in order to work collaboratively toward this goal.
Begin by discussing the issue with your friends, colleagues, or professors--essentially with those who you think will be most interested in the issue. In many cases, Americans for Informed Democracy may have affiliate groups, chapters, or interested individuals on your campus or in your community with whom you can collaborate. If no such organization exists, you can begin your own group with your friends and other students who want to organize events around this campaign. Click here to get information about starting a AID chapter.
Starting a group often requires that the chapter or group register with the university—typically by becoming a student-government-recognized group. Contact your student government for help with this process or more information.
As a student-government-recognized group, you can reserve a room on campus and begin to have weekly meetings to coordinate your campaign.
Group Health:
The heart of any campaign is its members: The passion, energy, and dedication that students give to their cause are fundamental to the success of the campaign. These commendable and desirable characteristics, unfortunately, can be undermined by personality conflicts, racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination. Thus, just as important as the issue we are working on, is the way in which students organize themselves. We must not be complacent; we must build, bolster, and maintain our groups’ health at all times. A few guiding aphorisms and questions can help you think of ways to make your group dynamic, egalitarian, and above-all, healthy.
Questions:
• Does the whole group make decisions, or just certain individuals? Is there a group hierarchy? How are decisions made: voting (with some form of majority), consensus (all members in agreement), or some other way?
• Do some group members’ opinions carry more weight when making decisions? Is this because they have excellent ideas, or because the group is deferring to someone who is of a certain sex, ethnicity, class, or sexual preference?
• Does everyone in the group feel comfortable speaking? Are all group members encouraged to speak, share, and weigh-in when making decisions?
• How are tasks delegated? Do a few people do all of the work? Who does what work? Are tasks based on skills and preferences or by gender, race, or ethnic stereotypes?
• If someone discriminates against another group member, how does the group respond?
Some General Advice:
• Step up if you have not spoken; step back and permit others to speak if you have dominated the conversation.
• Delegate tasks evenly and broadly: Groups can accomplish incredible amounts, but only if all group members are participating. Allow everyone to do both desirable tasks and less-enjoyable work.
• Have a different person facilitate each meeting. The facilitator can keep the meeting moving, encourage everyone to participate, and, if several people want to speak at once, is responsible for keeping track of who is next to speak. By rotating this position, each person in the group can build leadership and communication skills, while simultaneously ensuring that one person does not dominate the discussion.
• Greet new members when they arrive, make them feel as part of the group, and encourage them to get involved with small tasks. This is a way to hook them into the group and enfranchise them.
• HAVE FUN!!! Group members should, hopefully, be friends; meetings should be a space for work as well as jokes, food, and a time to spend learning from other intelligent, passionate students. You are doing great work, and you should enjoy doing it together.
Sample Meeting Agenda:
Meetings should, ideally, be short and sweet: plans are made, updates are presented, tasks are delegated, and we can all have a good time and hang out together. Below is a sample agenda that can be used as a guiding example of how to structure the meetings:
Intros with beginning question (favorite quote, flavor of ice cream, travel plans?)
Announcements
Most pressing business to discuss: updates, report backs from previous events or meetings, etc.
Events to plan—delegation of tasks
Anything else
Evaluation: This is a way to make everyone feel comfortable and offer a space for analyzing the meeting: What worked, what should be changed, and any other commendations, concerns, or thoughts.
Resources, Allies, and $
A. Student Groups
There are a myriad of sympathetic student groups on campus that will support your campaign. It is important to reach out to them, to ask for their support, and to reciprocate by attending their events and/or endorsing their campaigns. Initially, do not ask too much of other groups until you have established a foundational relationship. Attend their meetings and events, build relationships with their members, invite them to your meetings to present their group, and hang out together. Much of this type of coalition building is informal; it is about building and deepening relationships—both personal and working ones.
Once you feel these relationships are sufficiently developed and strong, you can ask them to cosponsor an event (see events section for more on this) or sign on to a letter that formally proclaims their group’s support for your campaign. This type of sign-on letter—an explicit and public endorsement of your campaign by other student groups demonstrates to your primary target that you are not a parochial, isolated, or small group of students, but rather, a coalition and a movement. It carries great weight.
Potential allies include: Amnesty International, and Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), Student Global AIDS Campaign (SGAC), American Medical Student Association (AMSA), The Global AIDS Alliance, and medical and/or pharmaceutical student groups, and Greek life groups.
B. Community and Religious Organizations
These can be approached in much the same way as student groups. Often students in your group are already members of these groups, and can address these organizations and ask for their support. These organizations are often more amenable to writing individual letters on behalf of their organization to the primary target rather than sign onto a form letter. This method is persuasive and effective as well.
These organizations often can provide financial support and are willing to cosponsor events with student organizations. Take advantage of their resources, contacts, advice, and support!
C. Student Government
Student governments can be a boon to any campaign. Beyond having funds that students can access to underwrite a campaign, their resolutions are powerfully symbolic and have far-reaching effects. Discuss your campaign with interested student government representatives to take the pulse of the student government. Are they interested in introducing, sponsoring, or supporting a resolution exhorting your university to adopt the policy you want? Do not, however, try to push through a resolution that will not pass; it will be detrimental to your campaign. If it is possible, pass the resolution, but also take advantage of the resources, influence, and contacts of your student government.
Student governments usually grant money to student groups in the form of an operating budget. They also, usually, have an special allocation request process, which is simply a mechanism for obtaining funds to put on an event—for example, to cover the costs of renting a room, sound equipment, or other materials.
D. Faculty and Staff Governments
Often faculty and staff have representative associations, such as a senate. These bodies can be approached and utilized in the same way as the student government: Establish contact with a supportive representative, discuss the issue, and how the representative body can support your campaign. Also, academic departments often have funds available to help finance speaking events. Finally, at schools where the faculty and staff are unionized, you can ask these associations to endorse your campaign.
E. Americans for Informed Democracy (AID): Network and $
AID has a vast network of students with whom you can collaborate. These students often have insights and experience with organizing events—what worked, what was unsuccessful, and a ton of other info.
In addition to that invaluable resource, AID has something more quantifiable: mini grants. You can apply for a mini grant for your event by registering your event (see ideas below). Also, here is an example of a sample mini grant budget. Although not massive, these mini-grants will give you the financial means to buy the materials that will get you going, or augment and enhance your campaign.
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