Campaigning and working with Campaign Groups
Camden Federation of Private Tenants will support private tenants' campaigns and help with resources as long as the aims of the campaign are within our remit - we hope equally that private tenants will join and support the campaigns our members want us to pursue.
If you are thinking about mounting a campaign you should consider the seven Cs, and by ensuring your campaign is C-worthy you will avoid shipwreck and shoals:
Be Clear
Learn to communicate clearly what the aim of your group is.
Be Communicative
Talk to as many people as possible who might be interested in the outcome you want to achieve. A key thing you need to find out is; "is anyone already campaigning for this?" If they are, seriously consider swallowing your pride and joining them. Two campaigns for one thing will generally weaken each other and give their opponents the chance to fudge the outcomes. If there are good reasons for having two campaigns, for instance if you live at different ends of the country, then set up close communication with them.
Be Collaborative
Get as many people to join you as possible. This is where the clarity pays off - you all need to be saying the same thing, and understanding it the same way. At this stage you need to ORGANISE. This means going through a very similar process to setting up an association: agreeing and writing down exactly what you want to achieve and the sorts of things you will do in order to do so. If you are handling money, think whose it is and how it will be managed. How democratic processes will work and how decisions will be taken. This may seem tedious but it will save huge amounts of trouble later if your campaign develops mission creep, and it will give you legitimate tools to change direction if you need to. By now you should have got yourself a campaign group.
Be Creative
Campaigns need to get noticed. Brent Private Tenants' Rights Group once tied a huge luggage label to a house - it made an eye-catching picture. Think of things to do which will be fun and exciting as well effective (provided they are also appropriate to your campaign outcome).
Be Cumulative
Each phase of your campaign should build on the last one. To maintain and build interest in what you are trying to achieve you need to tell a story. People like to build links and every time you help them build a link they will understand more of your story and what you are trying to achieve more clearly in their heads.
Be Careful
If you think abseiling down a Council tower block would be good for your campaign, make sure that the people doing it are trained and competent. Check whether you need to cover yourself for any claims, or operate any disclaimers.
Be Courageous
Assess the effectiveness of what you are doing regularly - this should be part of how you ORGANISE. The courage is needed for times when you have achieved what you set out to achieve; (even if it is your pet project it might be time to say goodbye), or times when you have to acknowledge that something is simply not working. You also need courage, even cheek, to accost the movers and shakers who can help your campaign.
