nine campaign tactics for charities to consider before the next election

7/22/2019 Nine Campaign Tactics for Charities to Consider Before the Next Election

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2-6 Tenter Ground Spitalfields London E1 7NH

T0207 426 8888 [email protected] Wwww.nfpsynergy.net

May 2014

Karen Barker, Andrea de Ruiter, Tim Harrison

Nine campaign tactics for charities to consider before

a General Election


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Nine Things For Charities to Consider Before a General Election

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Contents

Section I: Executive Summary

Section II: Three easy wins for charities campaigning at the national level1. Start talking to candidates early (like, yesterday)

2. MPs will only support campaigns that are credible

3. Be memorable

Section III: You may be thinking global, but MPs think local: Three ways to give

your campaign a local connection

4. Invite all candidates to local events or meetings

5. Make briefings relevant to constituency

6. Email and postcard campaigns from constituents can be effectiveif

done the right way

Section IV: Three things to watch out for

7. Dont overload or overcomplicate

8. Avoid being partisan

9. Lastly, remember: MPs are people too!

Section V: Summary and conclusions


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Section IExecutive Summary

We have combed through the comments we received from MPs in this years

Charity Parliamentary Monitor to get a sense of what campaigning tactics used by

charities are the most effective. From this data, we have compiled nine things for

charities to consider in their campaigns in the run-up to a General Election:

1. Talk to MPs early and often in the run-up to a General Election. If youwait until after the manifestos have been written, your chances of

influencing policy are greatly diminished.

2. MPs will only support credible campaigns. You demonstrate yourcredibility through the quality of your evidence, showing you have the

correct expertise to speak on a particular issue, and co-ordinating your

message with other organisations in your sector.

3. Make sure your campaigns are innovative and/or garner a great dealof media attention as these are more likely to get support.

4. Invite all candidates to events or meetings your charity runs in theirconstituency.

5. Make briefings you give to MPs relevant to their constituency. Thiscould be done by using local case studies, or including information

about services your organisation provides in their constituency.

6. If you ask your supporters to email or write a postcard to their MP,encourage the writer to personalise the message. The more

investment and connection a constituent displays in the campaign, the

more likely it is to grab an MPs attention.

7. Avoid overly long or complicated briefings.8. Avoid showing (or appearing to show) partisan bias.9. Avoid failing to respond to feedback or concern from the MPs you

reach out to.


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Section IIThree easy wins forcharities campaigning at the

national levelIn this section, we explore three key ingredients to effectively engage MPs with a

national campaign.

1. Start talking to policy makers early (like, yesterday)If your charity is not already talking to policy makers about their policy priorities

for the 2015 General Election, it should be. Work on the party manifestos is

already well underway, and will be ratified at the autumnal party conferences this

year. Feedback from MPs across all three main parties have made it very clearthe most effective time to lobby for future national policy is during the manifesto

drafting process. One Conservative MP summarised that charities should contact

[MPs] long before the general electionas lobbying should have been done a

long time before the GE at the policy formation stage. A Liberal Democrat MP

agreed that lobbying should be directed at those drafting manifestosas most

other campaigning is simply too late.

Another Conservative MP commented that manifesto commitments have the

best chance of action post-election. A Labour MP put it even more bluntly: If

its not in the manifesto[,] parties can ignore it. The window for influencing

manifesto policies is closing quickly, so the time to reach out is now.

2. MPs will only support campaigns that are credibleThe credibility of a campaign can be broken down in two main ways: how

credible is the charity (or ideally charities) presenting the campaign and how

credible is the evidence they are using to support the campaign?

The quality of your campaign and evidence is a top concern for MPs, with 20% of

our total sample of MPs citing it as an effective campaigning tactic.

You must have both solid and compelling evidence to support your campaign.

Depending on the campaign, this could include case studies to give a human face

to a campaign and/or robust statistics. One Conservative MP said statistics back

up campaign messageswhile a Labour MP said their use presents a context in

which to frame the campaign.

Another important factor in giving a campaign context involves demonstrating

clearly that you have the expertise required to be speaking on a particular issue.

This may involve demonstrating that the campaign grew out of your current work


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with beneficiaries or research you undertook as part of your core mission. One

Conservative MP explained the best way for charities to display authenticitywas

to do the job well, and not just campaign as well as demonstrate that their

organisation lives by the values they preach. Another Conservative MP also

highlighted the importance of showing your campaign connects to your charitys

expertise: Stick with the purpose for which it [your charity] was established. In

other words, for a campaign to have the most resonance with MPs, it must be

clear to them how it connects to, and strengthens, your core mission. Your

credibility with MPs is also clearly tied to demonstrating you are effective at

meeting your core mission, beyond campaigning.

An easy way to boost the credibility of a campaign (especially for smaller or

lesser known charities) may be to partner with other charities in your sector. One

Labour MP said charities should: co-ordinate with other charities on one

message as fragmentation weak[ens] message. The more charities you canrally to your cause, the more credibility your campaign will have in the eyes of

MPs.

Lastly, to be effective a campaign needs to make clear why you are targeting

MPs. This links closely with the need to have specific asks in a campaign, which

we will return to in section IV.

3. Be memorableMPs are constantly inundated with information and campaigns, so anything you

can do to make your campaign memorable will make it more likely to succeed.

This could be done several ways: through innovative campaigning, and/or

campaigning that reaches a wide audience. One Labour MP suggested that

imaginative campaigningis effective because it grabs attention.

MPs across all three major parties stressed that getting coverage in local or

national media could go a long way to garnering attention. Use of media, both

through news coverage and paid advertising was cited by 13% of MPs as an

effective tactic. This tactic was more popular with Labour MPs, with 18%

advocating media use and was additionally mentioned by several LiberalDemocrats.

One Conservative MP explained big media supportwas important as MPs are

so over bombarded with charity campaigns and surveys that they take more

notice of mainstream media coverage. As with any supporter, an MP is probably

more likely to remember a campaign if they see it multiple times, so media

coverage and advertising could be important supplements to more direct

campaigning. For smaller charities that lack the resources or profile for a national

campaign, getting local media coverage of your campaign can still help you get

the attention of MPsespecially in the run-up to an election, when they will bemonitoring local news closely.


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ConclusionThe three key things to remember with a national campaign are:

1. Talk to MPs early and often in the run-up to a general election.Realistically manifestos will be influenced by your work in parliament overthe last four years, but now is the time to hammer this home. If you wait

until after the manifestos have been written, your chances of influencing

policy are greatly diminished.

2. MPs will only support credible campaigns. You demonstrate yourcredibility through the quality of your evidence, demonstrating you have

the correct expertise to speak on a particular issue, and co-ordinating

your message with other organisations in your sector.

3. Innovative campaigns and/or ones which garner a great deal of mediaattention are more likely to get support.


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Section IIIYou might beacting global, but MPs think

localThe top choice tactic across all MPs was to ground issues in MPs and candidates

constituencies, with 30% of the total sample mentioning this tactic.

What does this mean, exactly, and how can your charity do this? In this section,

we consider three simple ways to ensure your charity has the local connection

which will make MPs and candidates take note.

4. Invite allcandidates to local events ormeetingsAn easy way to raise your profile with current and future MPs is to invite all

candidates to events in their constituency. This could be anything from inviting

them to visit a project or centre your charity runs in their constituency, or an

annual event you run in their local area. The key to securing candidates

attendance is communicating effectively that this event will be an opportunity for

them to meet constituents. Its important for you to remember, and convey, that

your charity is in contact with a large number of candidatesconstituents in the

form of your staff, supporters and beneficiaries. Inviting candidates to events is

therefore a win-win. Charities are able to showcase to candidates the great work

they do, and candidates gain an opportunity to meet constituents. Inviting every

candidate is important for several reasons:

Engaging with candidates is vital. As one MP put it: They will be the nextMPs. Candidates may have more time than sitting MPs, and will relish

any opportunity to meet constituents. Other candidates attending an

event may make it more likely an incumbent will make the time to attend,

especially in closely contested constituencies.

As explored in more detail in section IV, MPs dislike charities to appearpartisan. By inviting all candidates, charities can gain valuable face timewith present and potential MPs, without favouring one party over another.

If your charity is thinking of inviting candidates for a site visit or event, it is

important that you ensure this event will be well-attended. This displays both

that your charity is well supported by constituents, and also makes it more likely

MPs will accept invitations in the future. Moreover, knowing how many

constituents will attend, tells MPs exactly what influence their presence could

have. As one Conservative MP commented, Do not hold public meetings unless

they are going to be well attended. Because otherwise candidates will stop

bothering to take an interest.


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Events that provide a photo opportunity for candidates will be all the more

enticing to candidates on the campaign trail (or indeed at any time).

5. Make briefings relevant to constituency

There are several key things that MPs want from briefings from your charity.Many MPs stressed the importance of keeping briefings clear and concise (for

more on what that means see section IV). Secondly, MPs were keen to stress

that briefings that clearly connect the work of your charity with their constituency

are more likely to be well received. One Liberal Democrat MP explained that

charities need to find ways in constituencies to localise what they doas the

national picture can often seem distant but people become more aware if there

is a local angle. One Labour MP suggested including local case studies to

highlight campaigning issues, and to raise the profile of charities in the

community.

Another Labour MP suggested it was helpful for charities to provide specific local

information as MPs like to see and use information, examples and campaigns

that work locally. MPs surgeries can serve as key referral points for local

services, so make sure MPs (and their staff) know about programmes or

resources you offer in their area which may be of use to their constituents. This

gives your charity a vital referral route to potential beneficiaries, while also

reminding MPs of the important work you do.

Lastly, consider asking your supporters to act as ambassadors on behalf of your

charity when approaching an MP or candidate. Do you have supporters, staff or

beneficiaries in an MPs constituency who would be willing to brief their MP on a

specific campaign or even about your charitys local work generally? As one

Liberal Democrat succinctly explained it, the most effective communication

involves getting local members [of your charity] to talk to local candidatesas

they have [the] vote.

6. Email and postcard campaigns from constituents can

be effectiveif done the right wayEmail and postcard mailings from constituents can be an effective way to raise

the profile of a particular campaign. Letter, email and/or post card campaigns

were mentioned by MPs from all three political parties as an effective way to

campaign, with 18% of the total sample citing them as an effective tactic. This is

because, as one Labour MP put it, MPs cant ignore [the] postbag. Other MPs

from across all three major parties felt that a mailing campaign mounts

pressure (Conservative), brings attention (Conservative) and is always

noticed(Labour).

However, mailing campaigns were also one of the most often cited tactics toavoid across all parties. The difference between mailing campaigns that are seen


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as effective, and those which are seen as a nuisance, seems to be the level of

engagement required from constituents. The campaigns to avoid were ones

where the mailings were described with adjectives such as viral, template,

mailshots (Conservative), edm(Labour), mass and standardised (Liberal

Democrats). One Liberal Democrat MP explained that mailings that the

constituent had obviously not invested much time in were likely to be ignored: I

have had plenty of Dear [fill in name of MP]emails that go on to say that I am

desperately concerned by... You and your supporters are diminished by that

message of thoughtlessness. It makes it very easy for recipients to be

dismissive. In other words, MPs understandably feel that if your supporters

cannot be bothered to write in the MPs name on an email template, they may

not actually be that invested in the campaign.

The key to an effective mail campaign may rest on focusing on quality, not

quantity. While you obviously want to make the process as simple for yoursupporters as possible, try to find ways to encourage supporters to display their

engagement with the campaign. With postcard campaigns, this could be

encouraging supporters to write in their own short message of support, or

explaining why this campaign is important to them. In an email campaign,

explain to your supporters that the more personal a message to an MP is, the

more impact it will have. This could mean simply providing supporters with key

points which they can convey in their own words, rather than providing them

with a template.

ConclusionMPs and candidates with an eye on an election will be most concerned about

issues that affect their constituents. Showing your campaign both benefits and is

supported by voters in their constituencies is the simplest and best way to grab

an MPs attention and claim their support. It is therefore vital that your campaign

makes a local connection whenever possible. This can take many forms, from

recruiting local ambassadors to brief MPs on your behalf, to using regular events

as an opportunity to engage local candidates and MPs. It is also important to

consider the quality of the engagement with an MP over the quantity. One

constituent taking the time to attend an MPs surgery to explain why yourcampaign is important to them and other local people may have far more

resonance with an MP than a dozen template emails.

Three ways to make the local connection are:

4. Invite all candidates to local events or meetings.5. Make briefings you give to MPs relevant to their constituency. This could

be done by using local case studies, or including information about

services your organisation provides in their constituency.

6. If you ask your supporters to email or write a postcard to their MP,encourage the writer to personalise the message. The more investment


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and connection a constituent displays in the campaign, the more likely it

is to grab an MPs attention.


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Section IVThree things to

watch out for

7. Dont overload orovercomplicateMPs are very time-poor and have stakeholders constantly competing to barrage

them with information. Therefore, your charity accomplishes nothing by making

briefings and campaigns over-complicated or long. Keep briefings clear and

concise, both in explaining the issue and asking for specific next steps from the

MP. One Conservative MP explained it thus: Lots of information given during

election year. Contact needs to be short and pithy. Other MPs described effective

briefings as a few simple points,short relevantand one message. Many MPs

also highlighted the importance of having a clear ask. Your campaign may be

compelling, but will have limited impact if MPs are unsure of what concrete

actions they can take to support you. As one Labour MP explained, clear actions

points are vital, as No action points harder to implement. Vague discussion [is]

no use. Another Labour MP said that campaigns must be clear about what

[they] hope to achieveas this will feed into programme of next government.

One Liberal Democrat MP highlighted the importance of both brevity and clarity:

What outcome do you want? How many words will you take to say it? Your

charity needs to be crystal clear before you approach MPs about what next steps

you want them to take.

8. Avoid being partisanCampaigns that could be perceived as partisan were strongly advised against by

Conservative MPs, and were also mentioned by a Liberal Democrat. Interestingly,

this was not mentioned by any Labour MPs, which may mean this is more of a

concern for members of sitting governments than those in opposition. Amongst

Conservatives, partisan arguments or campaigns came out as one of the top

tactics to avoid with various MPs advising charities to not be politicalas it puts

people off or not be obviously politically biasedas it causes a great deal of

resentment. A Liberal Democrat MP was also concerned that engaging in partypolitics damages their [charitys] independence. These concerns may be yet

another reason for charities to ground campaigns in constituencies. By making it

clear that a campaign has grown from supporters concerns, not a partisan

agenda, charities can demonstrate their local connection to MPs without

damaging their independence. These concerns also highlight again the

importance of inviting all candidates in a local election to charity events or site

visits, as this is a simple way to demonstrate your cause is party-neutral.


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9. Lastly, remember: MPs are people too!An important thing to remember in any interactions with MPs is that in many

ways, they are like any other potential supporter. If they are going to lend

support to your charity or campaign, they need to know you are credible, reliable

and cost-effective. If a media story affects wider public perceptions of yourcharity or charities in general, MPs will also likely be aware of it. One example of

this is illustrated by a Conservative MPs concern that charities need to be

accountable: People generally appreciate charities aims, but many worry that

their money will be wasted on CEO salaries and bonuses. Charities need to be as

honest and accountable as they can to attract money.

Like supporters more generally, MPs were keen for charities to demonstrate they

were spending their money wisely. It is vital that charities understand that many

MPs perceive campaigning techniques that they feel are ineffective to also be a

waste of money, which further alienates them from the cause.

Some MPs were also keen to highlight the importance of matching the message

to the correct audience. As one Liberal Democrat MP explained it: MPs (and

candidates) are not all clones or drones, nor do they all have the same values.

They ARE all good at spotting dross, and, swamped by stuff, will weed ruthlessly

if material fails to engage. Show some sensitivity in your communications.

Another Conservative MP echoed the sentiment: Dont waste my time or their

money if I have no obvious interest/constituency issue. As with any supporter, it

is important for your charity to listen and respond to the feedback you receive

from MPs you engage with. This may sometimes mean recognising when an MP

is unlikely to ever support your campaign or cause, in order to focus your limited

resources where they will have the most impact.

ConclusionThree simple things to avoid are:

7. Overly long or complicated briefings.8. Showing (or appearing to show) partisan bias.9. Failing to respond to feedback or concern from the MPs you reach out to.


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Section VFinal thoughts

What do MPs think the ideal campaign would look like?From feedback from MPs, it is possible to imagine what their ideal campaign

looks like: a coalition of cost-effective, non-partisan charities asking MPs

to implement a particular policy that isnt going to cost anything, but

will benefit their constituents.If your charity currently has a campaign idea

that fits this profile, congratulations! More likely, your campaign will have some of

these characteristics, but not all. It is important to keep this ideal in mind, in

order to stress the aspects of your campaign MPs are likely to find the most

compelling to overcome the aspects they may find more worrying (in the current

climate, this may often be the cost of new policy interventions!).

Remember these tips beyond the General ElectionWhile this report has been tailored for charities considering their campaigning

strategy before the 2015 General Election, these tips are good to keep in mind

when engaging MPs at any point in the parliamentary cycle. Clear, concise,

credible briefings to MPs are good practice at any time, as is an emphasis on the

local connection of your work. Concerns raised by MPs about partisanship and

lack of transparency by charities will also endure past the election. All of our tips

are based on feedback from MPs across the three main parties, so no matter who

finds themselves in power after 2015, our advice should stand your campaigns in

good stead.

Focus on the localThe importance of stressing the local connection may not seem possible to some

charities, as tailoring the approach to every MP is obviously more time- and

resource-consuming. However, as we have attempted to highlight throughout this

report, there are low-cost ways to display your local connection. Inviting MPs and

candidates to events your charity would be doing anyway in their constituency is

probably the easiest and simplest way to do so. Charities should also not be

afraid to utilise the passion and first-hand experience of their volunteers andbeneficiaries as advocates on behalf of your campaign.

We feel all nine tips are important to keep in mind, but if you were to take away

only one point to remember from this report, it is the one summarised by a

Labour MP, echoing the sentiments of dozens of other MPs in the run-up to a

general election:All politics is local.


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About nfpSynergy

nfpSynergy is a research consultancy that aims to provide the ideas, the insights

and the information to help non-profits thrive.

We have over a decade of experience working exclusively with charities, helping

them develop evidence-based strategies and get the best for their beneficiaries. The

organisations we work with represent all sizes and areas of work and include one in

three of the top 100 fundraising charities in the UK.

We run cost effective, syndicated tracking surveys of stakeholder attitudes towards

charities and non-profit organisations. The audiences we reach include the general

public, young people, journalists, politicians and health professionals. We also work

with charities on bespoke projects, providing quantitative, qualitative and desk

research services.

In addition, we work to benefit the wider sector by creating and distributing regularfree reports, presentations and research on the issues that charities face.

Our size and our story: nfpSynergy was created in 2002 as a division of the

Future Foundation. Two years later, the founder Joe Saxton led a management buy-

out. We now have an annual turnover of 1.4 million and 18 staff members,

including a variable number of interns. We also own our own premises in

Spitalfields.

Tracking research: We run tracking surveys that monitor the attitudes and

opinions of key stakeholder groups relating to the not-for-profit sector. The researchis carried out on behalf of a syndicate of participating charities who share costs and

data. The aim of our tracking studies is to provide lower cost, more frequent and

more detailed research than any organisation could achieve by acting on its own.

Our monitors include:

Charity Awareness Monitor (CAM)the general public

Journalists Attitudes and Awareness Monitor(JAAM)journalists

Charity Parliamentary Monitor (CPM)MPs and Lords

Youth Engagement Monitor (YEM)young people

Brand Attributes (BA)brand awareness among the general public

In addition, we have developed syndicated tracking studies on local authorities,

politicians in the devolved bodies, the general public in the Republic of Ireland and

regional audiences across England.

Qualitative research and consultancy: Each year we deliver around 30 projects

for non-profit clients. We carry out focus groups, conduct face-to-face and

telephone depth interviews, run workshops and perform small and large scale desk

research projects. Our clients include charities, housing associations and public

bodies who use our research to inform their strategies and planning.


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Our consultancy work and projects cover a vast range. For example, we have

recently worked with The Scout Association to develop a new membership strategy

with current and former members, parents and Scout leaders. We have worked with

Macmillan Cancer Support on a number of projects enhancing their service provision

and delivery using qualitative research. Last year, we completed a piece of work for

Scope, evaluating their vital Face 2 Face befriending service for parents of disabled

children.

Some of our clients include:

Social investment: Our social investment programme runs as a thread through

every aspect of our business. At its core is the range of free research reports and

briefings we produce each year to benefit non-profit organisations, which can be

downloaded from our website. We use evidence from our research to campaign on

behalf of charities on key issues, such as reducing the costs charged by mobile

phone companies for charitable donations by SMS. We also support small non-

profits by providing free places at our seminars, giving talks to groups all over the

UK and through pro bono research assistance. In addition, we support

CharityComms (the sector body for communications) by providing them with freeoffice space. Our approach to business shows that even a small company can put

social investment at the heart of a business, contribute a huge amount to help

voluntary and community organisations and still be profitable.

Topics on which we have produced free reports include:

Understanding young peoples

help seeking behaviour

Branding

Fundraising

Volunteering

How charities use the internet

and new technology

Governance

By producing free reports, editorials and presentations we help small charities (with

little or no budget for research) to benefit from our wealth of data and knowledge of

the third sector. Please see descriptions of all of our free research at

www.nfpsynergy.net/freereports

As full members of the Market Research Society, we comply with their

code of conduct at all times, ensuring that research is carried out in a

professional and ethical manner. We also have high standards of data

protectionfind out more about on our website at

www.nfpsynergy.net/dataprotection


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