Certificate in Campaigning
'The Certificate should be essential training for all voluntary and community sector organisations – regardless of whether they currently undertake campaigning or advocacy or not.'
Mark Reedman, Chief Executive LGBT Consortium
Series 8 Applications closed
We are delighted to announce new dates for the refreshed and updated Certificate in Campaigning training course. Run by NCVO the course covers all aspects of good practice campaigning.
NCVO members receive 25% discount.
Series 8 runs from January to July 2012. Deadline for applications closed on 16 December 2011. Email campaigning@ncvo-vol.org.uk to register your interest for the next series.
About the course
Learn how to make a greater impact with your campaigning with the support of expert tuition tailored to today’s campaigning environment. The course now features:
- Seven full days of up to date learning over seven months
- Learning from leading campaigners and experts.
The course is delivered through seven core one-day seminar-based modules. Teaching areas include:
- Developing a winning campaign strategy
- Influencing the coalition government
- Campaigning within the law
- Using the Localism Agenda to create change
- Digital campaigning and working with the media.
The benefits for you include:
- Learning based around the current political and economic environment
- Online and face to face networking with other campaigners
- Expert tuition, speakers and group work-based learning
- Learning from successes and failures of other campaigns.
Read more on how the Certificate has helped previous students.
What does the course cover?
- An introduction to effective campaigning and campaign planning: Understanding the key strategy decisions in campaign planning, how the campaigning world is changing and how change happens.
- Developing your campaign strategy and creating an impact: Including using tools to help you develop a successful campaign strategy, and understanding the difference your campaign is making.
- Ethics, the law and campaigning: Including understanding key guidelines for campaigning and political activities for charities and the ethical context for your campaigning.
- UK and EU institutions and how to influence them: Including understanding the UK and EU institutions, insights into how to influence key decision-making processes and influencing coalition governments.
- Local campaigning: Including understanding the local political landscape and how this is changing, knowledge about the Localism Agenda and identifying opportunities to influence decision-making locally.
- Communicating your campaign Part 1: Including developing a communications plan, understanding the structure and agenda of media in the UK and effective techniques for getting media coverage for your campaign.
- Communicating your campaign Part 2: Including developing your campaign communications plan, using digital media to create an impact, and mobilising campaign supporters.
The sessions will be highly interactive with activities, examples from other campaigns and presentations. This course offers plenty of opportunities to engage with speakers and other delegates through Q&A, debate and discussion, in class and online.
You will be expected to undertake reading and reflection prior to each session and will gain most from the course if you fully involve yourself in exercises and engage in workshop activities, discussion and group work throughout the programme.
Find out more from previous participants on how the course can support you.
Speakers from previous series have included:
- Brian Lamb, formerly Director of Communications, RNID
- Mark Lattimer, Director, Minority Rights Group International
- Michael Meacher MP
- Dame Sally Powell
- Lance Price (former special adviser to Tony Blair)
- Bruce Wylie, Head of Activism, Amnesty International UK
- Liz Snook, Plane Stupid
- Jonathan Ellis, the Refugee Council
- Hannah Lownsbrough, 38 Degrees
Dates for modules in 2012
Module 1 25 January
Module 2 22 Feburary
Module 3: 21 March
Module 4: 25 April
Module 5: 16 May
Module 6 13 June
Module 7: 4 July
Course Fees
- Self funded individuals/NCVO Member Organisation £1440
(25% saving on full price) - Non NCVO Member Organisations (full price) £1920
NCVO members receive a 25% discount
If your organisation is not an NCVO member, you may wish to join us and enjoy the discount on this course fee plus access to ongoing support and benefits from NCVO. Membership fees are set on a sliding scale – the smaller your organisation the less you pay. To find out more please visit our membership page.
This training course is VAT exempt.
Application form
To apply for a place on the Certificate please fill out the online application form for "Certificate in Campaigning - Series 8".
Applications closed on 16 December 2011.
You will be notified if you have received a place by 20 December 2011.
Contact
If you have any further question contact:
Ewelina Kolaczek at campaigning@ncvo-vol.org.uk or call 020 7520 2449.
Please note: application does not guarantee a place on the course. Applications will be assessed for suitability.
Cancellation and payment policy
All cancellations and changes need to be sent in writing no later than 30 working days prior to the date of the event. Half of the agreed fee per place must be paid on cancellation. If cancellation is received 30 days prior to the start date of the programme there will be no refund, however a substitute may be sent.
All fees paid through organisations must be paid by 31 January 2012. All fees from individuals must be paid by March 28 2012. Individuals can pay in three instalments in January, February and March.
Hear from previous participants
Find out from previous participants how they have found the course.
How the course could change your campaigning.
Read an external evaluation summary of the Certificate in Campaigning report (PDF 267KB) from our Campaigning and Advocacy workstream impact report (April 2008 - March 2011).
'I have no doubt that NCVO's ground-breaking Certificate in Campaigning will be producing many, if not all, of the coming generation of top-flight campaign managers. If you intend to change the world, this is the course for you.'
Participant, series one
'The Campaigning Effectiveness Certificate should be essential training for all voluntary and community sector organisations – regardless of whether they currently undertake campaigning or advocacy or not. The insights one gets from the course helps to de-mystify the common assumptions so often made in the voluntary sector. Just having one’s eyes opened to the systems and processes one should (or could) use is worth its weight in gold.'
Mark Reedman, Chief Executive Consortium of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Voluntary and Community Organisations
'The course combines theory with practical examples to encourage us to apply what we have learnt to our own situation. We are learning the specific skills and techniques to help develop a successful campaign. Being able to deploy those techniques saves time and other resources, but most importantly helps to identify the quickest route to achieving change.'
Andrew Campbell, Development Manager Voluntary Norfolk
