Influencing change

Policy can be an elusive concept. We talk about government policy, organisational policy, even health and safety policy. We talk about how we want to influence policy and how we can help shape it to meet our needs and the needs of the people we work with, we talk about social policy.

It is often said that social policy is not easy to define, but when we talk about fixing up a community park or challenging welfare reform and dealing with issues like poverty, equality, social justice, general wellbeing and how society can tackle these issues, then it becomes easier to understand social policy. Social policy refers to almost everything affecting our welfare and the welfare of others around us.
 
We often talk about how things could be better if only we can change this or that; our ideas are based on our experiences and turning our vision of a better society into a reality. There is no single concept for social policy only an understanding that we, by working with others, can enact change for the better. 

2 Influencing change: defining your issue or idea

5 And action!

Over the past few weeks we have looked at the steps involved in planning your campaign. Now that all the groundwork has been done you should know:

• What you want to achieve
• Who you want to influence
• What you want them to do
• How you will communicate your message to them

And now is the time to put the plan into action! If you are going to work in partnership with others ensure they are fully on board with what you want to achieve and also how you want to apply your plan.
 
Key checklist during your campaign

1. Stick to your strategy
2. Have a Plan B, especially if there is opposition to your campaign
3. Communicate with your team and partners
4. Keep good records (targets/milestones achieved meetings etc)
5. Stick to your set timelines (within reason)
6. Regular updates (social media, web articles, case studies, newsletters, and media)
7. Grab attention (take any opportunity to positively promote your campaign if that’s what your campaign needs)
8. Don’t do it all by yourself!

Remember that lobbying and campaigning is a dynamic process. Things happen, sometimes unexpectedly, so it is vital that you have considered what could go wrong.
 
And finally…be careful with your language!
Think about how you frame your issues and the language you use because we all know the key is saying the right thing to the right person at the right time.  

6 And now the end is near!

Most campaigns come to a natural conclusion (road safety, stop smoking, etc the exceptions) and how they conclude is probably the most important part of campaigning. You may have achieved what you were lobbying for or perhaps had little success, but at least you started the debate. However, at this stage it is crucial that you reflect on what you have or have not achieved. 

"If you learn from a loss you have not lost." Austin O'Malley, Keystones of Thought.

I have been a part of a number of campaigns (albeit mostly ones that did not succeed) and those I reflect on most are the campaigns that did not end well. This could be for various reasons: people lost interest, I didn’t participate fully, I didn’t communicate what I wanted to achieve as well as I could have, I didn’t share tasks with others or I didn’t carry through with what I was meant to do. Yet hindsight is a wonderful thing, if I had, maybe if, if only. These negative thoughts will of course go through your mind after an unsuccessful campaign, but dispel them and move on to evaluating the campaign:

• Did we achieve our objectives?
• How strong were the communication channels?
• Did we stick to the plan?  If not why not?
• How were other involved and what this successful?
• Did we influence or try to influence the right people?
• What next?

And even if you did succeed (congratulations!), you still need to evaluate! This will help to shape any future campaigns you may undertake. 

7 Campaign toolkit

• Getting to know the Assembly
• Making Policy Work for You
• Successful Lobbying and Campaigning
• How Government Department get and spend their Budgets

The topics in this series are covered in more detail in the Get to know the institutions training delivered as part of NICVA’s European Union PEACE III funded Vital Links project. 

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