Campaigning and influencing resources
We have a range of free resources to support you in your campaigning and influencing work.
Tips on good practice in campaigning
This practical guide identifies ten key principles to successful campaigns drawing out lessons for campaigners to consider in enhancing the impact of their campaigns. It is illustrated throughout with practical case studies from organisations across the sector, including Shelter, Amnesty International, Rethink, Lydd Airport Campaign and Which?.
Download the pdf guide Tips on Good Practice in Campaigning (PDF, 632KB)
Free Dave
Completely new to campaigning? Want to explain the core principles of effective campaigns to new campaign groups? These five short and amusing films explain five key principles of campaigning through a fictitious campaign to Free Dave.
Building an evidence base
A strong and compelling evidence base should form the foundation of your campaign. VCOs have unique access to knowledge about their beneficiaries, the communities in which they work and the services they provide which will need turning from anecdotal insight into a strong evidence.
In Focus guide: Building your evidence base
Explores why building your evidence base is important and what it involves and guides you through the various stages of embedding an evidence-based approach to your campaigning and policy work and provides a list of further reading and online resources.
Download Building your evidence base (PDF, 283KB)
In Focus guide: Commissioning research
Explores the commissioning process from developing a research brief to appointing a provider, and guides you to sample research tenders and commissioning documents as well as a list of further reading.
Download Commissioning research (PDF, 305KB)
In Focus guide: Policy Development
Policy development is the process through which an organisation identifies and articulates the changes it wants to see in the world. The process plays a central role in developing the vision, aims and objectives of any strategy to bring about change. This guide takes you through the process from identifying an issue to policy analysis to developing your positions, then communicating your position.
Download Policy Development (PDF, 283KB)
Voicing your right to know: A guide to using Freedom of Information in campaigning
This guide explores how the Freedom of Information Act has been used as a powerful and versatile campaigning tool from the local to the national level. It shares learning from many organisations and explores the process of submitting FOI requests which has been proven to achieve significant campaign gains and open up government, through something as simple as writing a letter.
Find out more and download the free guide.
Campaigning and the private sector
Influencing the private sector
Our free guide explores the best routes to do so by exploring analysing power and routes of influence, choosing the right mixture of tactics from persuasion to pressure. It's full of real life examples including the Living Wage campaign, Sexism and the City, Tar Sands counting the cost campaign and Trafigura.
Download persuasion or pressure? Campaigning and the private sector (PDF 615KB)
Collaboration
Change cannot happen without the active support and cooperation of others. Collaboration of some form therefore lies at the heart of successful campaigning and influencing. This free guide covers the principles of effective collaboration such as deciding on your approach, agreeing a share vision and processes for communication and coordination and indicators to evaluate if you are collaborating effectively.
Download Working in collaboration (PDF, 199KB)
Influencing devolved government
Engaging with and influencing devolved governments form a critical part of any UK-wide campaign influencing strategy. This free guide explores devolved powers and influencing opportunities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Download the In Focus guide to Influencing devolved governments (PDF, 155KB)
Integrating social media
Our In Focus guide to integrating social media sets out some steps you can take to successfully incorporate social media into your strategy for change by exploring the stages of a campaign - from analysing the issue and gathering an evidence base, to developing and planning your strategy, delivering and monitoring progress to evaluation. It also explores ways in which amongst others RSS feeds, Google alerts, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube can be utilised in campaigns. Packed with examples from recent campaigns such as the Children's Food Campaign, Colalife and the British Heart Foundation.
Download Integrating social media (PDF 288 KB)
Involving people
By definition campaigning and influencing can not exist without the involvement and active engagement of people, whether they are citizens, consumers, service users or specific communities. They provide the force and motivation for change as well as the means by which to achieve it. Participation is therefore a key foundation of any campaigning or influencing strategy enabling people to influence the decisions that make an impact on their lives.
In Focus guide: Involving people that matter
Explores why participation is important in campaigning and influencing work, what it involves, methods to decide who to involve and some of the key principles for good participation. A list of further reading is also included.
Download Involving people that matter (PDF, 551KB)
Beneficiary Voice
This guide produced jointly by Bond and NCVO looks in detail at how to fully involve beneficiaries in all stages of a campaign from: selecting the issue, deciding how the campaign should be implemented, involved in the delivery and have the power to hold the campaign to account.
Download the free guide
(PDF, 199KB)
Inspiring Supporter Action
Mobilising popular support behind your campaign can be a powerful way to achieve change. Working with supporters is not confined to mass mobilisation it can range from hundreds of thousands marching in support of a major global issue to small letter writing campaigns directed at organisations not used to being targets of lobbying.
This guide considers the why, when and how to mobilse supporters into action looking in detail at recruiting supporters, sustaining activism, empowering the grass roots and addressing some of the challenges and risks.
Download the free guide (PDF, 620KB)
Trustee guide to campaigning and influencing 
Are you a trustee and want to know more about effective campaigning and influencing?
Are you working to influencing change and want a resource to explain effective campaigning to your board?
This short guide outlines both what is required by the law and what is good practice in the development and implementation of effective campaigns. It’s relevant whether you are involved in a large organisation looking at the strategic overview or in a small organisation and are more directly involved in the day-to-day delivery of activities.
"I would encourage all trustees to read this accessible guide which demystifies the law and gives helpful examples. Written by a long in the tooth campaigner whose wisdom and hands – on experience shines through. After reading this, not only will you stay the right side of the law but you will also have fun. The guide inspires you to campaign and gives you the confidence and tools to deliver maximum impact."
Rosamund McCarthy, Partner Bates Wells and Braithwaite
Download Trustee guide to campaigning and influencing (PDF, 650KB)
Hard copies available
Understanding power and social change
To bring about social change you need understand power and power relations. This comprehensive PDF guide focuses on helping you think strategically about how to bring about change through a series of chapters that can either be read on their own or as a whole. It seeks to complement existing practical guides and resources and is aimed at people who want to think more deeply and tactically about the issues of power and change.
Download the Understnading power and social change (PDF, 2.2MB)
Understanding the external environment
In Focus guide: External environment
Your work will not happen within a vacuum, analysis of both the internal and external context will help in shaping the direction of the campaign. This guide explores why analysing the external environment is important, guiding you through some of the key tools and approaches you can use to help make sense of the external policy enrvironment and the implications for your policy and campaigning work. It also points you towards useful further reading and resources.
Download making sense of the external environment (PDF, 225KB)
Working with Whitehall
Building relationships with civil servants is often a key component of influencing public policy and achieving legislative change. This guide looks into the how and who to make initial contact with, how to develop and maintain relationships, and a trouble shooting guide including tried and tested ways of working with civil servants. It’s full of real life tips. It's illustrated througout with helpful tips from Forum members
Download Working with Whitehall (PDF, 221KB)
After more resources? Have a look at the full range of resources we offer.
Want to join a free network of people influencing policy and campaigning for change across the voluntary and community sector? find out more about the Forum for Change.
