Why Hold an Event?

Style or Substance-do you have to pick?

Events should never be an end in an of themselves, but with some planning an event can be an easy way to bring people together to learn about issues they might not otherwise engage in. Events around progressive issues should serve one of these purposes:

• a kick off to a longer, more sustainable campaign
• a celebration at the end of a longer, more sustainable campaign
• to gain publicity for a particular cause or issue
• to fund raise for a particular cause or issue

Unless your event is a celebration, people attending should always have something active to plug into after the event, to sustain the energy you created.

What type of an event should you hold?

Be creative! Look to the purposes of the event to determine how flexible you can be. Events usually have at least one of the following three purposes, and sometimes all three:

1. To energize and mobilize
2. To inform people about issues
3. To raise funds for a particular cause

Even if your goal is to inform people about a particular issue, you do not necessarily need to have a panel discussion-instead, you can host a movie screening event, host a reading, an art exhibition, a concert, a poetry slam and contest, a potluck dinner and discussion, a tailgate party with a particular theme, the list is endless.

Setting Goals

Steps to planning a successful event:

1. Being organized is THE key to successful event planning. Use the tools in this LBB to help you keep track of all the pieces you will need to coordinate.
2. Set an attendance goal and be realistic
3. Find a suitable place, time and date. If you are hosting the event on campus, make sure you check with any restrictions or regulations your university may have. The student activities office is a good resource to help you find venues if you are having a difficult time.
4. Identify your coalition partners. It is good to have help when planning and holding event so coalition partners are often very helpful. Be careful however, to make sure that you do not have too many people to organize and manage.
5. Set your overall Goal. For example: “Host a party and film screening, and ask for donations instead of admission to bring awareness to our campaign around environmental justice, and to raise funds for our campaign against the power plant opening”.
6. You need to set smaller, more achievable goals along with a timeline of when you can meet them.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER

File any necessary paperwork early, but at least on-time. This can include: * Room reservations * Requests for student activities fees * Physical Plant requests for maintenance, staffing, table set up, electricity etc. * AV/Media services * Dining Services * Campus Security

Marketing Your Event

It’s Worth It

No matter how good an event may be, it will completely flop if no one knows about it. Advertising and marketing are a crucial component it helping to make any event a success-but it is likely to be labor intensive.

Naming Your Event

Although it may sound simple, naming your event is an important step in advertising. When naming your event, you want to be sure that anyone can hear the name and instantly understand the purpose and objective of the event. Be informative but not Boring. Depending on the nature of the event, you may also want to try to have a catchy or even controversial phrase just to spark public interest.

Necessary Information

Before you begin to do any marketing, be sure that you are providing people with all the information they need. Any marketing you do should include:

• Date
• Time
• Location
• Title
• Directions (If the place is not well known)
• Brief 1 or 2 line description if not implicit from the title

Following Guidelines and Regulations

Before you start spray painting every building on campus to market your event, be sure to check the schools regulations on student promotions. Most schools have guidelines that may affect how you market. For example, many schools require that all banners hanging from buildings be approved by the appropriate officials. Contact your schools administration office or Student government office to learn more about marketing and display guidelines and regulations.

Outreach Strategies

Meet People Where they Are

Student interests are diverse. Your approach to reaching them should be diverse, too. Set your marketing plan to reflect three different approaches: creative marketing, targeted marketing, and traditional marketing.

Creative Marketing: All of your marketing should be creative, but this approach simply means you should use new and unconventional methods to reach your audience. To employ this technique, brainstorm all the ways that you interact with people and media throughout the day and use them to your advantage. Some examples of creative marketing include:

• Messaging your facebook.com friends list
• Posting messages on facebook.com groups
• Using classroom space to market
• Using student cars and bikes to market
• Messaging your myspace.com friends
• Setting your instant message profiles and away messages to advertise the event
• Bringing your message to any popular student friendly social tool

Targeted Marketing: When marketing an event, it is important to know who your target audience is. Identifying your target audience will allow you to expend your resources where they will be most useful.

Some examples of target marketing include:

• Presenting and speaking to student groups who have a particular interest or are affected by the issue you are working on
• Sending an e-mail to different listservs that may be sympathetic to your cause
• Posting flyers and announcements in areas where the majority of the traffic through the area may be interested in your event.
• Asking professors who teach pertinent classes to make in class announcements or consider awarding extra credit to student attendees

Traditional Marketing: Although it may seem like a chore, traditional marketing methods have been around so long for only one reason, they work. When referring to traditional marketing methods, we are talking about the methods that should immediately come to mind when you are starting a marketing campaign. Posting flyers around your campus, handing out handbills, and setting up and information table may not sound glamorous, but they are effective. Traditionally marketing will be the most labor intensive part of your strategy, but also an important part. This type of marketing will allow you to reach a wide audience, reminding your base of the event, and hopefully bring in people who you may not have been targeting.

Traditional marketing methods include:

• Posting flyers around campus and in the community
• Starting a letter to the editor campaign
• Sidewalk chalking
• Hanging banners on buildings
• Word of Mouth

Timing is Everything

No one wants to hear about your fire safety seminar two months before it happens. Timing your marketing is important. Although your strategy may reach a lot of people, if your audience hears about the event too soon or too late to plan for it, no one will show up. When announcing and marketing for an event, give people time to think about an event, but not enough time to forget it.

Recommended Marketing Timeline:

• Letters to the editor, 1-3 weeks before an event
• Banners on buildings, 7-10 days before an event
• Posting flyers on campus, 4-5 days before an event
• Handbills and tabling, the day of to 2 days before an event

The Lead Up

What do the Superbowl, the Oscars and a Broadway show have in common? All are rehearsed! The behind-the-scenes operations are vital for the success of any event. Your event is no different.

Check List for the Week and Day Before

• Meet with your volunteers
• Advance the event space (Do you know where everything is? Is everything set? Do this with enough time to fix any problems that arise)
• Confirm food arrival time
• Set up event space, including AV needs
• Confirm materials and set up
• Do dry run of introductions/welcomes/speeches
• Review speakers and event schedule
• Send reminders/phone calls to speakers and volunteers
• Create a sign-in sheet for ALL attendees (name, e-mail, phone number, organization, etc)

The Big Day - Running Your Event

You created the event, you scheduled the event, you advertised the event, you organized your crew, and now it is time to run your event. Once started, your event is a moving train. You can’t stop it, but you can help it run as smoothly as possible.

On the day of the event, your crew is vital for smooth operations. The size of your event crew will vary with the size of the event. For small events you may only need one or two people, and larger events will need a greater number of volunteers.

Check List for Event Day Management

• Assign someone to set up and staff registration or organizational table (name badges, materials, pens, sign-in forms)
• Set up food stations
• Assign a speaker liaison (greet speakers, thank them)
• Assign a photographer
• Recruit volunteers
• Assigned one person to be logistics manager

Managing Volunteers

Volunteer timesheets are very useful for the smooth operation of an event. Break event into one or two hour shifts and ask volunteers to sign up as needed. Always assign a free-floater. The floater is the event trouble shooter, go-getter and alternate in case a volunteer doesn’t show.

VOLUNTEER DO’S:

• Delegate responsibility before the start of the event
• Create a time sheet with assignments for volunteers
• Gather contact information for all event volunteers

VOLUNTEER DONT’S:

• Show up to an event looking or acting unprofessional
• Assume a task has been completed, if in doubt, double check!
• Leave the event without notifying event coordinator

Wrapping Up

At the end of the event, you may want to ask participants to fill out and submit an evaluation. The evaluation will help determine how the students enjoyed the event; whether they want to stay involved in your campaign work; and what needs to be improved for future events.

Sample Evaluating Questions

1. Using a scale of 1-10, with 1 being “terrible” and 10 being “excellent,” how would you rate the following aspects of the event?
   • Overall organization of event?
   • Material covered in event sessions?
   • Speakers and trainers?
2. What was your favorite part of the event and why?
3. What was your least favorite part of the event and why?
4. Which speaker/trainer did you find most engaging?
5. What could be done to improve future events? (Different topics, other types of event structures)
6. How did you hear about this event?

End of the Day

Remember, when the event ends, leave the space clean! It’s good for your group’s image and it’s the right thing to do.

Thank You Notes and Coalition Building

Events are also a means to strengthen your networks and build stronger coalitions with student groups and outside coalitions. Keep your networks strong. Thank your speakers and your supporters.

Thank You Notes and Coalition Building

Events are also a means to strengthen your networks and build stronger coalitions with student groups and outside coalitions. Keep your networks strong. Thank your speakers and your supporters.

Follow Up, Follow Up, Follow Up

Why are you having this event? Never forget your campaign’s goals or your target audience. Are you trying to educate the student body about an issue? Are you trying to recruit students to support your campaign? What is the action component of your campaign? What comes next?

Case Study

How to throw a protest march with nothing but a cell phone

by Jon Hoadley YP4 Senior Fellow/Campaign Manager, South Dakotans Against Discrimination

Objective: In April 2005, our Stonewall Democrats group decided to participate in the annual Pride Week, a week long celebration of the lives of lesbian, bisexual, gay, trans gender, and other queer-identified people. Since the theme for the week was “Yes I am. Yes I do,” a tribute to marriage equality, we wanted to hold a political march.

Challenge: LBGT marches have not always been successful in the past. MSU students often find it pointless to march around a campus for attention when they routinely walk across the campus without so much as noticing the world beyond their iPods. As a result, the turnout is low, the impact is low, and people don’t really know why we’re marching.

Determined not to repeat the past, we identified the weakness of the previous event:

1. Low turnout
2. Lack of coherent message
3. Lack of visibility

We then brainstormed ideas to correct those problems.

What Worked:

1. How to increase turnout:

• [[Building Campus Coalitions|Coalition Building]]: We had to think beyond the usual suspects. Instead of advertising to a largely LBGT audience, we spent a lot of time focusing on allies. We worked with the women’s groups, the Democrats, the racial/ethnic groups, and the economic justice groups. Each wanted to help. Also, by including a broad range of people we actually increased participation from the LBGT groups because they thought it was a big event and they needed to be there.
• Multiple forms of advertising: We listed the march on everything from week long calendars of events to save the date emails to live announcements at the other events of the week. People need to see things multiple times to have it stick. Switching the medium also ensured we’d reach different audiences.
• CALL PEOPLE: The best way to increase turnout is to call people and ask them to come in person. I know this seems like common sense, but people get scared and don’t call for a number of reasons. Get over it. You’re an organizer!

2. How to have a coherent message:

• Keep it simple. We called the event, “March for Marriage Equality.” We didn’t try to think of the most clever name in the world. We didn’t go for the most elaborate stunts. We used simple chants and the pre-arranged speakers were given some of the talking points we had been using all week. This created an environment where people heard the same message in different ways.
• Create signage. Sometimes we would show up and throw a slogan or two on a poster board and call it good. This year we met the night before to paint signs in big, bold letters. This forced us to keep the message short and provided a coherent feel for the march. Sure, people brought their own signs, but this ensured that we could influence a large portion of the message.
• Free T-shirts. This is a luxury if you can find the money, but giving away free t-shirts for people to wear at the march made a huge difference. It served as an incentive to march (some people need more than just knowing they were doing a good thing to motivate them to action), and it also made us seem even bigger than we were. The “uniform” provided a coherent message and a sense of solidarity.

3. How to increase visibility:

• Go for bigger, shorter. Instead of marching all over campus and looking like a rainbow on parade, we choose a more direct route through a highly trafficked area and knew that if we had enough people, that would make the news itself.
• Contact the media. Sounds like another commonsense suggestion, but don’t assume a journalist will ever do the work for their job. We sent a press advisory about the week of events, one about the march specifically, and then we e-mailed the reporter covering the diversity beat the night before as well. We included information about where the route and potential speakers so make the story as easy as possible for the reporter.

What Didn’t Work:

Failure to recognize volunteers’ comfort level. We suggested that people wear bow ties and wedding veils to create that ‘til-death-do-us-part vibe. Our activists weren’t all comfortable with that, and not all of them went along with it. Having a few people doing one thing and others doing another made us look unorganized. We should have discussed things like this more with our team in order to get a sense of everyone’s comfort level.

Big Lesson:

Overall, we know that our event wasn’t planned significantly different than other marches in the past. What made this event draw 60 people instead of 20 was that we had followed through on our homework and we took the time to CALL PEOPLE. We live in an information world and the internet and e-mail are great tools, but never underestimate the power of your voice. It’s harder to say “no” to someone when you have to say it to them in person.

See Also

• [[Campus Organizing]]

Links

• [[http://www.youngpeoplefor.org|Young People For]]
• [[http://www.youngpeoplefor.org/pdf/LBBeventplan_proof3.pdf|YPF Little Black Book: Event Planning]]

A strong message and a good media plan are essential to the success of any campaign. In order to succeed, you must reach your target audiences with a compelling and convincing message that supports your campaign, brings in partners and allies, and helps you achieve your goals.

Here are some basic questions to get you started:

1. What are the goals of our campaign?
2. Who are we trying to reach? What are our target audiences?
3. What messages and ideas resonate with those audiences? Why should they care about the campaign?
4. Which media outlets reach those audiences?
5. Who are the people and institutions who have credibility with those audiences?
6. How will we measure our success?

Setting Goals

Your goals should drive your message and your media plan – not the other way around. Whether the scope of your campaign is local, state or national, setting clear goals is essential. Be specific and lay out achievable goals with clear measures for success.

Defining Targets

With clear goals in mind, you can determine your target audiences, and the media outlets and communications tools that will reach them. Target audiences fall into three general categories:

• Groups and individuals who can take action to achieve your goal- Sometimes they are legislators, school board members, or local activists
• Groups and individuals who already agree with your goal and will help you
• Groups and individuals who can be persuaded to support your goal- A story in the local newspaper or on a popular radio or TV news show can raise your visibility enormously, but do your research and don’t limit your thinking.

First Target: The People You Must Convince In Order To Achieve Your Goal

• Where do they get their information?
• What media outlets do they pay attention to?
• What newspapers, columnists and reporters do they respect?
• What blogs do they read; what web sites do they visit; where will they see ads, posters or fl yers?

Second Target: People Who Already Agree With You

• How do you get them to take action on your behalf?
• How do you broaden your appeal?
• Where do like-minded people get their information?

Third Target: People Who Would Agree If They Knew About Your Campaign

• Research: Polling data can help you identify “persuadables”.
• Think: Which groups in your area share your interests?

Example: If you are working on an education issue think about students, teachers, administrators, parents and the service clubs they belong to.

Crafting Your Message

A clear and compelling message is the heart of a successful campaign. Ideally, a message should encapsulate the problem and your solution in a phrase that is easy to understand, and easy to present visually. The top-level message can’t convey all the information of your campaign, but it should capture the essence. The worlds of politics, advocacy and advertising are full of great examples.

Remember, you’re already convinced. You’re trying to reach your target audience. Put yourself in their shoes. Think about the messages that will resonate with your target audience and build support.

• Why should your target audience care about this issue?
• What words and phrases do they f ind persuasive?
• Think about possible opposition or resistance to your campaign. If there are people and groups you know will oppose your campaign, think about their arguments.
• Do they have an existing message?
• Does your message effectively counter theirs?
• Do you have a response to their best arguments?

TIP: Be ready for opposition arguments, but don’t start on the defensive or anticipate a counterargument before it is made. Criticizing the opposition is fine – but make sure you have an attractive alternative.

DO’S and DONT’S

DO:

• Reach out to your target audience
• Think about the potential opposition
• Change your message only if it’s not working, or worse, having a negative eff ect

DON’T

• Assume your audience knows where you are coming from
• Preempt your opposition with a defensive message
• Change your message frequently

Organizing a Media Plan

A media plan will help you focus your efforts and follow through. The plan should include specific assignments and deadlines. Set a date for achieving your ultimate goal and work backwards to determine the steps along the way – what you need to accomplish and when. Include milestones that may affect your campaign: a primary election, a legislative recess, the anniversary of a key historic event, etc.

Elements of a media plan include:

• A statement of your goals
• A statement of your message
• Identification of your target audiences and target media
• A list of the documents and campaign items you need to produce, such as press kits, T-shirts, brochures, reports, fact sheets, fl yers, ads, etc.
• A calendar with a schedule of time lines, deadlines and milestones
• Plans for creative campaign events, including launches, rallies, news conferences, visual events, photo ops and message events.
• A list of media contacts, including the beat reporters and publications that cover your issue

Tools for Reaching the Media

There are standard formats for reaching the news media, described below. Don’t be afraid to be creative and try non-traditional means for reaching the media. A well-designed media event can bring attention to your campaign and tell your story, but beware of stunts that can backfire.

News Release – News releases are an easy way to disseminate information and the most common form of media outreach. For tips on how and when to write a press release, see the appendix “Press Releases Do’s and Don’ts” at the end of this course book.

Media Advisories - Media advisories inform reporters, news directors, editors, etc., of upcoming events. They should include a brief description of the event, the date, time, place and participants, and contact information for someone who can answer questions about the event. Advisories should be sent at least a week in advance or earlier for a major event such as a concert or rally. The advisory lets reporters and editors know the event is coming so they will cover it; ensures the event is listed in the daybooks that the wire services (e.g., Associated Press, Reuters) prepare for journalists; places public events in local community calendars and schedules; and may inspire pre-stories describing the event and the campaign.

Photos / Photo Ops – Reach out to photo editors at local papers and television stations when you’ve got a good visual. Even if you don’t get a full story, newspapers may run a picture and a caption. Take your own high-resolution photos, and post them on your website. News agencies may ask to use them. Have photos of your campaign leaders ready for news outlets who request them.

Press Packets – Create folders that include a summary of your campaign, information about the campaign principals and their biographies, and other information such as brochures, fact sheets, studies, reports, clips of news coverage, lists of partner organizations, and quotes from supporters and allies. Give each member of the media covering your campaign a folder.

Events – Creative, funny or dramatic events are an excellent way to attract media coverage. Create your own events, and scour campus and community calendars for events or activities that you can play off of to create a campaign event (for example, the “unemployment line” that stretched through Manhattan as a counter-event to the GOP political convention). Make sure the event has strong visuals and conveys your message.

News Conferences – News conferences and briefings should be called only when there is significant news. When possible, hold news conferences between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in a location convenient for reporters. It helps to hold a news conference in a place that supports your message visually – a park, a hospital, a factory — but it should not be hard to reach or too far from the reporter’s home base. Always make sure you have permission before holding an event in a public or private space; the story should be about the event, itself, or the fact that you were denied permission to use the space you wanted, not your failure to obtain needed permits.

News Briefings - Briefings are informal events designed to give reporters detailed background information about your issue. Have your experts and spokespeople available to make presentations, and have all the information available in written form for the reporters to take with them.

Editorial Boards – Special briefings for the editorial boards of local newspapers can introduce your campaign and your campaign leaders, and give you the opportunity to demonstrate why the newspaper should write an editorial supporting your issue. Research past editorials in the newspaper related to your issue and send your press packet to the appropriate editor before your meeting.

Op-Eds – Op-Eds are guest opinion articles in newspapers and other publications. They allow you to make your case on your terms and in your words. Submit the article to the appropriate editor (rules are usually listed on the publication’s web site) and follow up with a phone call. Be prepared to make the case as to why your article in newsworthy. It should be substantive, thorough, thoughtful and accurate. Off er your Op-Ed exclusively to one paper at a time. If your fi rst choice rejects it, then go to your next priority.

Letters to the Editor – Your campaign team and supporters should be encouraged to send letters to the editor to bring attention to your issue and demonstrate support. Each letter should be individual. Form letters or mass mailings will not be printed. Provide key policy and message points to your supporters, and urge them to write letters in their own words. For tips, see the appendix item “Writing a Letter to the Editor.”

Newsletters and E-mail – Consider sending out regular, brief e-mails or newsletters updating reporters and others on the progress of your campaign. These are designed not to engender immediate news coverage, but to keep journalists apprised of your progress and engaged with your issue. If your campaign leadership is addressing a campus group, you may want to send out an e-mail, or you might send interested reporters copies of news coverage or commentary that relates to your issue, whether your organization is mentioned or not.

Contacting the Media

Build a complete list of media contacts in your region. Include wire services, newspapers, television, radio stations, magazines, web publications, trade publications and newsletters, as well as individual reporters. List phone numbers, fax numbers, a general e-mail address for the newsroom, and e-mails and direct phone numbers for specific reporters.

Newswires: Wire services, such as the Associated Press, are largely invisible to news consumers, but play a key role. Include all local newswires in your contacts – AP, Reuters, Knight-Ridder, Gannett, Scripps-Howard, Dow Jones, Bloomberg, UPI, etc. Some states have news services organized to serve specific outlets, such as the Capital News TV service in Tallahassee, Florida, which prepares TV news reports for markets throughout the state.

Newspapers: Contact assignment editors with advisories and announcements. Establish relationships with reporters and columnists who cover your issues, and with the editorial or opinion editors in charge of op-Eds, letters to the editor and editorial board meetings. Don’t neglect weeklies, alternative papers and minority papers.

Television: Contact news directors, assignment editors and weekend assignment editors with events and announcements.

Radio: Contact assignment editors and bureau reporters for all-news radio stations; news directors for music-and-news format stations; and producers/bookers for talk radio shows. Pay particular attention to those contacts from stations that target the audiences you want to reach. Magazines: News stories should go to the editors in charge of specific departments. Look for features editors, political editors, minority outreach editors, columnists, etc. Be sure to allow for long lead times on magazines which appear only weekly, monthly or quarterly.

Campus Media

The media on your campus (college radio, student newspapers and publications, and television if you have it) should be prime targets for your campaign.

Build relationships with campus media outlets. Relationship building should start as soon as (or before) your campaign begins. You might want to begin with a campus newspaper, for example, by inviting the news editor to join you and other leaders of your campaign for coffee or lunch and then explain what your campaign is about and what you hope to accomplish.

Campus Newspapers: Talk with the newspaper’s opinion editor and ask if she or he will consider accepting an Op-Ed submission from people within your campaign. Write letters to the editor. And see if you can meet the editorial board and persuade them to write an editorial supporting your efforts.

Campus Radio Station: Ask the show’s producers if they’d have you on to talk about your campaign. Also make use of friends’ shows on the station. Better yet, see if you and others involved in your campaign can get your own radio show.

Finally, use the coverage you generate on campus to create coverage elsewhere. Forward stories that appear in the campus newspaper to other media outlets in your area. One of the best ways to convince outside reporters that something students are doing is newsworthy is to show them that this activity is being covered in campus publications.

Reinforce Your Message on Campus

Once you’ve determined what your message is, and once you’ve started working to generate coverage of your message in the media, you ought to consider employing some of the following message reinforcement techniques. Be sure you employ a consistent message throughout, regardless of the medium.

Ads: Often too expensive, but may be a good idea if you can aff ord them.

Posters: Learn what the rules are for putting up posters on your campus and in your community. The most affordable option is to copy a design on 8.5x11 paper, but larger posters attract more attention while allowing for more space to project your message.

Leafleting: You might want to consider producing a fl yer that communicates your message and provides information about your issue and how to get involved. You can distribute this flyer through dorms, as well as to houses and apartments in your community.

Tabling: Many campuses allow student groups to set up tables in highly trafficked areas. If you do this, make sure to have posters or visuals that clearly communicate your message to those walking by, as well as more detailed materials for people who stop and ask about your campaign.

Dining Hall Info Cards: Some campuses allow student groups to place informational cards on tables in their dining halls.

Chalking: Sidewalk chalk can be a fun and creative way to reinforce your campaign message. If a group of people are chalking, make sure they know what the key points that you want them to convey are so that they can remain on message.

Are there events already scheduled where your campaign can have a presence (e.g., board meetings, job fairs, candidate debates or other places where people with an interest in your campaign will gather)?

Tracking Coverage

Keep good records of media coverage, including copies of print and web coverage, and recordings of radio and TV stories. Good records will allow you to assess which strategies were most eff ective, and remind you of the ways key reporters, columnists and editorial writers view your issue. Good records also will give you good materials to show to funders, allies and new reporters.

The easiest and cheapest way to monitor coverage of your campaign is to track it online through daily searches – something you should be doing anyway to keep yourself informed.

Case Study: Brandeis University

Using the Campus Media to Your Advantage – Failure and Success

by Nicole Karlebach, former YP4 Program Associate

In early 2004, after having been respected for years as an active, effective student organization, the popularity of the Brandeis University Student Union Government (SUG) was on the decline. Student interest in its initiatives was decreasing and the sentiment on campus was one of general apathy toward its operations. In an effort to reverse this process, members of the government made the decision to hire a Director of Public Affairs and Communications.

This new position had three main objectives:

1. To restore a positive reputation to the SUG on campus
2. To utilize the campus media to the advantage of the SUG by framing its actions in a positive light
3. To ensure media coverage of its work and projects, which benefit students

The new Director laid the groundwork for communication between the government and the campus media – including the newspaper, and radio and television stations. First, the Director provided her personal contact information to each of these organizations so that she could be contacted when any story began to develop involving the SUG. Next, she collected the contact information for the SUG members so that she could easily refer media to specific people when necessary. Lastly, she set up meetings with representatives of each campus media organization to establish relationships and lines of communication. This later evolved into weekly radio spots and “press gaggles,” which were weekly meetings of the Director and SUG President with the editors of the campus paper, The Justice.

The Director was first put to the test when the SUG passed a resolution supporting the use of clean, renewable energy in all new construction on the Brandeis campus. The intention of the resolution was to inform students about the energy initiative and galvanize support for it. To ensure that this goal was met, the Director sent a press release to the campus newspaper and used her weekly radio spot to broadcast the passage of the resolution.

The release framed the issue in terms of the SUG’s role and included quotes from the group that had presented the clean energy proposal. The Justice responded well to this strategy and printed an article, “Student Union Senate approves environmental improvements, changes.” The framing was successful since the article focused on how the SUG had taken the lead on the issue. This gave the SUG more leverage in its negotiations with the administration – the only body with the power to commit the University to the energy policy – and increased awareness among students.

Another conflict for the director came in the midst of budgetary disagreements between the SUG and the administration. The administration had audited and confiscated student funds, and the SUG believed that the administration was wrongly refusing to grant them back a portion of their allocated money in a timely manner in the hopes of stalling until the end of the academic year, when the issue would be moot. To help prevent this, the SUG reached out to the media. The Director scheduled a meeting between the SUG’s top leaders and members of The Justice. The meeting took place before the disagreements between the SUG and the administration were made public. This afforded the SUG leaders a rare opportunity to frame their issue from the ground up. When reporters then questioned the administration, they did so largely from within the SUG’s frame (i.e., using the students’ information, terminology, and ideas). The resulting article gave voice to the issue, which until then had only been discussed in private, and did so in a way that reflected the SUG’s framing. Thanks in no small part to the article, the money issue was resolved before the school year came to a close.

See Also

• [[How to Write Press Releases]]
• [[How to Write an Op-Ed]]
• [[How to Write a Letter to the Editor]]
• [[Talking to the Media 101]]

Links

• [[Young People For]]
• [[http://www.youngpeoplefor.org/pdf/MEDIAMESSAGELBB.PDF|YPF Little Black Book: Media and Messaging]]
• [[http://www.fenton.com/pages/5resources/1bestpractices.htm| Fenton Communications Best Practices]]
• [[http://spinproject.org/article.php?list=type&type=22|The Spin Project: Online Tutorials]]

Why Organize a Coalition?

There are both practical and political reasons that may create a need for a coalition on your campus.

Practical Reasons to Form a Coalition

1. Strength in numbers. It almost speaks for itself. More people working together means more voices, more helping hands, more clout.
2. Solidarity. People often take notice when groups with very different purposes come together for a single cause. When choice groups join with LGBT groups and environmental groups and fair trade groups and Democrats, they unify their message, but they also expose individual members to different elements of the progressive community. If South Asian Students Society posts their political events on a coalition e-mail list, they’ll draw a larger crowd to that documentary screening on post-9/11 racial profiling. Whether between groups or among individuals, networking is essential, especially for the fragmented Left. If your campus does not already have a progressive network, stop wasting time and get on that now!
3. Spreading the costs. If your group needs a deep pocket, it’s easier to spread the burden over many than to strain your own small membership. As we will discuss later, a coalition may even serve as a communal war chest.

Coalition Why’s and When’s

Political Reasons to Form a Coalition

1. Bipartisanship. Bipartisanship (or the appearance of bipartisanship) depoliticizes an issue, draws in the moderate and apathetic crowds, and can even net funding from non-partisan sources. However, bipartisanship is rare these days. Bipartisanship or nonpartisanship may be a lofty goal, so it’s best to work toward solidarity (number 2 above) first.
2. Safety. Think of a coalition as an umbrella: effective for both poking somebody and protecting you from the rain. A coalition can either be a nebulous entity with limited liability, or an all-for-one and- one-for-all crusader with tremendous clout, but some frustrating limitations.

When to Form a Coalition

Sometimes even a progressive network can be expanded to include apolitical groups in ad hoc coalitions. Pursue an ad hoc coalition when: 1. Large, timely, controversial issues loom (i.e., the Patriot Act). 2. Small, local, or broadly-supported issues crop up (i.e., the firing of a beloved professor, wind energy, recycling program). 3. Your group wants to host a single or series of events that require funding and participants. You can never be too early, but you can easily be too late—if you anticipate needing an ad hoc coalition at some point, set the groundwork in place immediately. Pursuing a long-term coalition should always be a goal. Try to include apolitical groups as much as possible, but always have a core progressive network to serve as your base.

Coalition Partners

Identify Common Values and Goals

This is the most basic step. Literally, make a list and circulate it around to other members of your organization, friends, fellow activists, professors - anyone who can add some perspective or thoughts to the basis for your coalition idea.

Establishing the ideas, initial priorities and goals will make it easier to recruit participants and set the stage for the first meeting.

Identify and Recruit Participants

What key individuals or organizations should be involved? Who might serve as unlikely allies?

Consider meeting individually with leaders of organizations that you are targeting to present the idea for the coalition. Most organizations have a few key individuals who you can identify as contacts. Be sensitive to the possibility of conflicts or disagreements within organizations – some may be run by one or two strong leaders, others might have committees that need more time to work and make commitments.

Since every group will have different resources, providing the groups a specific list of action items will allow them to choose what work they are interested in pursuing, as well as what tasks they feel they can effectively accomplish. This strategy can prevent partner organizations from turning you down for fear of getting in over their heads.

Think outside the box!

Local unions, graduate or professional student organizations, community groups, theater or arts groups, student government, academic programs and departments can all be sources of support.

Be Strategic When Communicating:

Coordinating information, facilitating decisions and arranging meeting times can be difficult with large groups. In order to make this as efficient as possible, collect and distribute key contact information to all of the members of the coalition. Be aware that different people have different styles of communicating: some prefer e-mail, while others prefer telephone. Do not assume someone has received a message if you have sent an e-mail or left a voicemail – call or e-mail again. Also, some important communications should be saved for telephone or face-to-face meetings, especially if there is a risk of miscommunication.

Such a list could include: hosting phone banks, posting information to their listserv or on their website, organizing letter writing campaigns, writing and distributing leaflets, publishing stories in their magazine or newsletter, tabling for a cause or to spread information, getting names for petitions, sponsoring educational programs, helping with a speaker’s bureau, signing on to group letters, and talking with or writing to influential legislators.

Establishing the ideas and initial priorities and goals will make it easier to recruit participants and set the stage for the first meeting.

Create a set of action items for each group to look at and determine which resources they can make available to the coalition

Creating a Structure

Whether your individual organization is governed by an executive board, a board of directors or some other body, coalitions need a structure. If you do not clearly organize the coalition, you can run the risk of one person taking too much authority, or the converse – nobody doing anything because they do not feel as if they have the ability to act. Consider the possibilities below when attempting to develop an operational structure.

Deciding on the internal structure of a new coalition organization can be a challenging task. Your coalition should be rigid enough to be effective, yet flexible enough to accommodate each of the coalition members. Groups will differ on priorities, strategies and tactics; those differences can produce internal conflicts. They can also provide a fertile field of good ideas, different perspectives and important resources.

Spokescouncil

The loosest coalition structure. Each organization sends representatives to report their activity, any coordination or common action is voluntary and done as individual organizations.

Collaborative

A loose collection of organizations that may coordinate their activities and develop shared materials.

Campaign

The participating organizations will work and speak together, but on a limited range of issues.

Coalition

A full-fledged coalition will have its own internal leaders, committees, working groups, issue statements and take action with the approval of its members.

Warning:

Do not cripple your organization by equating equal representation with a lack of responsibility.

Hierarchical vs. Non-Hierarchical Structure:

Many groups struggle over this question, but whichever you choose, do not use a structure that will prevent the coalition from being effective. Every coalition needs designated individuals to facilitate meetings, create agendas, serve as spokespeople, or coordinate communication amongst members.

Your coalition should make sure these essential tasks are accomplished while encouraging full participation and equal roles in decision-making.

What is consensus decision-making?

A coalition generally operates on consensus—sometimes an elusive commodity. However, solutions are more likely to be found if the coalition discusses the potential advantages and disadvantages of a particular course of action and reaches a democratic resolution. One of the main functions of a coalition is to gather and share information and help all participants gain a clearer understanding of where the issue is and where it is going.

Whether your individual organization is governed by an executive board, a board of directors, or some other body, coalitions need a structure.

[[How to Run A Meeting|Organize Your Meetings]]

Be sure to set a firm agenda before each meeting to incorporate your goals for the meeting. Have an individual or a rotating individual responsible for taking notes at the meeting, and have a way to distribute those notes to members after the meeting – this encourages accountability to the responsibilities discussed during the meeting.

Rules to Live By

Whatever you decide, remember to clearly identify several key components: What are the goals of the coalition? Who can speak or act for the coalition, and how do they get approval? How often will the coalition meet, make decisions or coordinate action?

• Identify common values and goals
• Identify and recruit participants
• Create a clear coalition structure to facilitate making public statements and maintaining communication among member groups
• Clearly defi ne and assign coalition tasks: Consider financial and other resources: what can each organization provide? What sources of revenue are there on your campus?
• Recognize the accomplishments of your coalition members!

A GOOD RULE Create a clear coalition structure to facilitate making public statements and maintaining communication among member groups.

Sustaining the Coalition

So you’ve created a coalition and defeated your enemy. What now? There are a number of things you can do along the way to ensure that all the work you did to pull the coalition together doesn’t fall apart once the campaign is over.

1. Determine the length of the coalition early-on. Find out what every group within the coalition is interested in:

• Short-term or long-term involvement?

2. Install power-turnover and election procedures 3. Build working and personal relationships with coalition group leaders 4. Suggest other issues for coalition work 5. Apply for club status or offi cial recognition 6. Establish long-term goals and procedures

It may be the case that some groups will want to continue working within the coalition on other issues-this may be largely dependent on the basis for your working relationship in the first place. If sustainability is a concern for you, focus on the participants who share common values or goals at their core. You may have differences around specific issues, but if forwarding the progressive movement is something you share, then there is a reason for the coalition to exist.

Case Study: Florida State University

FORCE: Fighting for Our Rights Concerning Education

Objective: To increase student participation in civic/political action and pressure the state legislature to reverse its recent pattern of cutting the University budget and raising tuition.

Targets: The state legislature, the governor and students (in terms of engagement) Strategy: Present organizations with a simple and unifying issue to use the power built by the many different groups working together to pressure the state legislature to enact policy that promotes accessible and affordable higher education.

Tactics:

1. Create a coalition with the groups we had worked with in the past and new groups who found this issue pertinent
2. Hold educational events and create materials with well-researched information on the issue
3. Build an interactive website
4. Bring students to a statewide rally organized at the capitol in support of higher education

What Didn’t Work

There was a lack of a group ideology We had brought in a diverse group of people, but outside of those students who worked on previous campaigns, none were really thinking seriously about activist work beyond just participating in it. They didn’t tie education into race and class, into civil rights and corporate irresponsibility. Privatization was a concept most were not familiar with and we didn’t hold the workshops that were needed to convey these ideas.

No work on developing a public ideology We focused on the threat of students having to pay more money instead of tying the lack of funding in education to a lack of priority, inadequate government and institutionalized racism. Most people who attended the rally came out because friends or organizations asked them to do so. Thank goodness we had a huge “coalition”!

Leadership was not diverse Although we had a diverse base of students, the leadership (with few exceptions) were all part of an activist subculture. This proved harmful in many ways, including creating difficulties in mobilizing organizations as well as making it more difficult for students who wanted to take an active role to do so.

Groups in the coalition were not mobilized well Due to inexperience on our part, we were not able to effectively use the resources different organizations brought to the table.

What Worked

The issue was a unifying one and was easy to convey For the first time, we were able to bring a diverse group of students together in the form of a coalition because the issue was something that students were able to connect to as something that directly affects them. No one wanted their tuition raised and education cut. SGA became a 1st tier ally.

The ruling party of the student government association was, for the first time, heavily involved in “activist” work with this event. They worked to get the Greek councils mobilized for the rally and helped to add credibility to the coalition. It became almost impossible to marginalize the coalition because of their help.

A good relationship with the administration was formed Students sat down with the University president in order to find ways for students and the administration to work together. The president was on our side! Through this campaign, we began developing a working relationship with the administration — a relationship that would prove extremely beneficial through the course of the campaign.

Support from prominent figures One of the most powerful figures in the state legislature, Sen. Ken Pruitt, led the statewide effort on this campaign. The political force we were able to build on campus would not have had the power it did without Sen. Pruitt’s help.

Successful website and publicity We were able to put together a successful website that included educational materials and a petition for students to sign. We used the website as a way to reach out to those who cared about the issues, but didn’t have much time to participate and take a stand. This way, we were able to obtain over 800 signatures with minimal effort. We also were constantly flyering, chalking, tabling, and petitioning with well put-together documents outlining our findings and reasons why we were doing this.

Successful Student Rally The rally was the last big event the coalition put together. We gained significant media exposure, including the front page of campus papers devoted to it. We had approximately 600 students there, with various campus subcultures represented, including cultural organizations, student unions, student government and every Greek council at the university.

See Also

• [[How To Run an Event]]
• [[How To Run A Meeting]]

Links

• [[Young People For]]
• [[http://www.youngpeoplefor.org/pdf/COALITIONBUILDINGLBB.PDF|YPF Little Black Book: Coalition Building]]

Basic instructions for starting your own campus group/organization

Join With An Existing Group, or Start your Own?

First, find out if there are any existing organizations interested in peace work on your campus. Check with your Student Activities office, look for posters in the student union, and ask others if a peace and justice group has recently been active.

If a group of progressive students has already been formed at your school, talk to some key members and find out what kinds of issues they work on. If they seem politically compatible and open to your ideas it may be easier to join with them than to start a new group from scratch. If that group is very large you could start a spin-off group, or subcommittee. If there is no group that fits the bill, why not start your own?

Start Your Own Group

To start a group of your own, first try to find one or more like-minded people to share in the initial work. Then advertise by posting flyers around campus and writing in the school paper. If you know students in other organizations, have them announce your meeting at their own.

Choose a location for your [[How to Run a Meeting|meeting]] that is easily accessible, like a room in the student union, a café or a meeting hall. You can make the [[How to Run A Meeting|meeting]] open to all students, faculty, and members of the community. Or have your first [[How to Run a Meeting|meeting]] include a small group of people you know and your second one be an “open house” [[How to Run a Meeting|meeting]]that is built broadly. You may wish to choose a working name for the first [[How to Run a Meeting|meeting]] and then let the group decide on its permanent name.

See also: [[How to run a meeting]].

Know your Campus

Are students at your school used to taking part in political activities? Is your campus an elite private university, a residential public university, or a commuter school for part-time students? How strongly is your school linked to the military, and is there a strong right-wing presence there? Activities that go over well at one school may not work at another. Whatever your situation, it is helpful to talk to other activists to learn what has and has not worked. One suggestion is to invte activists from even as far back 10 or 20 years back to come to campus to discuss their experience with today’s activists. Not everything they say will still apply, but it’s likely that much will still be true.

Don’t Exclude Potential Allies

Many groups are started by people from similar backgrounds, and unknowingly may exclude people who do not come from the same background. For example, low-income students who work in addition to studying may not have time for four-hour meetings. Try to reduce the number of long meetings, and define smaller roles for students who may only have 30 minutes a week to help out.

Define Your Mission

The mission of your group should be located somewhere other than the inside of the founder’s head. The purpose should be articulated so that the initial members will be comfortable. It should be debated at your initial meetings to give group members a sense of ownership over group decisions. One way a group can foster this ownership is to discuss and revise its mission at the beginning of each academic year. A mission should say, in 1-2 paragraphs, who you represent, what you do, where you do it, and why you do it, and how you do it.

Prepare for the New Semester

Most campuses have an activities fair or orientation week where established activities can set up tables to recruit new members from the incoming class. Be sure that you make the deadline for reserving a table, that you prepare an inviting display, and that your core of active members is mobilized for this important recruitment opportunity.

Get Recognition and Submit a Budget

Once you have gained official university recognition, you ought to take their money. Always consult your student activities office for some advice and guidelines before seeking funding. Some schools may let you add $1,000 or more to pay an outside speaker. Be forewarned that some campus administrations, states, and student governments have imposed restrictions on funding “political” activity to limit the political expression of student groups. For instance, if you are starting a Campus Greens or other political party group - your funding might be limited.

See Also

• [[How to Run A Meeting]]
• [[How to Organize an Event]]

Links

• [[http://www.campusactivism.org/server-new/uploads/orgguide.pdf|Campus Organizing Guide]] (pdf)
• [[http://www.campusactivism.org|Campus Activism]]

• [[Build a Voter File with FaceBook]]
• [[Building Campus Coalitions]]
• [[Campus Cultural Organizing]]
• [[Dorm Storming]]
• [[How to Start a Campus Group]]
• [[How to Plan an Event]]
• [[Voting Regulations]]

See Also:

Links:

Campus Organizing Manual: produced by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force