How to Win Campaigns

Fomenting Change

Nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) or special interest groups focused on specific causes, such as environmentalism or civil rights, often sponsor campaigns to benefit the public interest. In fact, voters consider NGO campaigns trustworthier than similar efforts by politicians or commercial organizations.

Whatever their philosophical points of view, campaigns are really about power and control over some objective. The word "campaign" originally applied to military efforts, but its usage has expanded to include public policy reform. Like military actions, campaigns require personal involvement from many people - that is the only way to muster the impact of public opinion and achieve real change. The required level of personal participation makes advocacy and campaigning very challenging. Advocacy groups can function through lobbying and the media without significant member participation, but members are the lifeblood of any public campaign. People join campaigns to correct perceived injustices and promote change. When large groups participate, campaigns can provoke fast, dramatic action. Successful campaigns resurrect interest in the democratic...