A campaign is a planned series of actions over time, aimed at winning a specific demand from a specific target. A single rally is an event. A campaign links events into a strategy, building pressure step by step.

Strategy before tactics

Organizers warn against falling in love with a tactic (“Let's have a march!”) before deciding what it is for. Strategy is the overall plan for how you will win; tactics are the specific actions that carry it out. The Midwest Academy's strategy chart asks a group to work through, in order: its goals; its own resources and what it wants to gain organizationally; its constituents, allies and opponents; its targets; and only then its tactics.

Choosing targets

A target is a person with the power to grant your demand, not an institution or an abstraction. “The school district” cannot say yes; the superintendent or the board members can. A secondary target is someone with influence over the primary target, such as a major donor or a respected community figure. Organizers choose targets carefully, since a campaign aimed at someone who lacks power to grant the demand will fail however strong it is. Research matters here: organizers read budgets, minutes and organizational charts, because the official with the impressive title is not always the one who actually decides.

Escalation ladders

Campaigns usually start with mild tactics and increase pressure if the target does not respond. This sequence is called an escalation ladder. A typical ladder might run:

1. A letter or request for a meeting.
2. A petition with many signatures.
3. A delegation visiting the target's office.
4. A public meeting or press conference.
5. A larger public action, such as a march or vigil.
6. Economic pressure, such as a boycott.

Escalation gives the target chances to agree at each step, shows the public that the group tried reasonable approaches first, and lets the group grow along the way. Skipping straight to the top can look unreasonable and leaves nowhere to go.

Common tactics

• Petitions show numbers and gather contact information for later organizing. Their effect is limited on their own; delivering them in person helps.
• Boycotts withdraw purchases to apply economic pressure. They work best with a clear demand, a target sensitive to its reputation, an easy alternative for supporters, and a clear end point when the demand is met.
• Public actions: marches, vigils, rallies, creative events. They show strength, attract attention and build members' confidence.
• Accountability sessions: large meetings where officials are asked to commit publicly, often with yes or no answers.

Good tactics are within the experience of your members, enjoyable, and aimed at the target. They should also stay nonviolent and lawful (or, in the rare cases of deliberate civil disobedience, be openly accepted with their consequences).

Working with media

Media coverage can multiply a campaign's reach. Practical tips:

• Have one clear message that fits in a sentence.
• Put affected people forward as spokespeople; their stories carry more weight than an organizer's.
• Give reporters accurate facts and never exaggerate; credibility lost is hard to regain.
• Offer good visuals: people, places, symbols.
• Build relationships with local reporters before you need them.

Timing

Good campaigns pay attention to the target's calendar: budget deadlines, elections, board meetings. Pressure applied just before a decision is made is worth far more than pressure applied after.

Worked example: the grocery store campaign

The only supermarket in a low-income neighborhood has been selling spoiled meat and expired dairy. Residents form a committee and plan a campaign.

Strategy chart. Goal: the store adopts a freshness policy with weekly checks and refunds. Organizational gain: recruit a hundred new members. Constituents: shoppers, especially seniors and parents. Allies: a local clinic concerned about food safety. Opponents: none open yet.

Target. Not “the store” but the regional manager, who sets policy for all branches. A secondary target is the chain's head of community relations.

The escalation ladder.

1. A letter requesting a meeting. No reply.
2. A petition with 900 signatures, gathered outside the store over two weekends. The petition also builds a contact list.
3. A delegation of twelve shoppers, including two seniors, delivers the petition to the regional office. The manager agrees to “look into it.”
4. A public “expired food display” outside the store, with dated receipts and photographs. Local TV covers it, featuring a grandmother's story.
5. A plan for a boycott, announced but not yet started, with a list of alternative stores and a carpool for seniors.

Media. One message: “Our neighborhood deserves fresh food too.” Shoppers, not organizers, speak to reporters. Every claim is documented.

Timing. The committee learns that the chain's annual community report is due next month and the regional manager is up for review.

Before the boycott begins, the community relations head calls. The company agrees to a meeting. Each step gave the target a chance to agree, and each step grew the group, from twelve members to over a hundred.