Better Transport

The most important thing that you can do at the start of your campaign is to plan. Doing the first thing that comes into your head may seem like it will save time, but it’s usually not very effective!

Planning doesn’t have to be a very formal process and the campaign plan doesn’t have to be a huge document. When you start the campaign, talk through the issues and the possibilities for doing something. Put your agreed ideas on paper and there’s your campaign plan. You don’t have to work everything out in minute detail and cover every possible eventuality – indeed, it’s best to allow for flexibility so that you can react to events.

The photo above, courtesy of Five Roads Forum, shows a new planter in the Five Roads Home Zone in London. See more Home Zone photos.

Campaign plan checklist
Objective: What exactly are you trying to achieve? By when? Have you done the necessary research to establish that your objective is viable?
Targets: Who has the power to make that change happen? What will persuade those people to act?
Allies: Who can help you to influence your campaign targets?
Timeline: Have you created a timeline, covering the next 6-12 months and including external events that you will need to influence, like council meetings and public consultations, as well as events whose timing you control, like meetings and press work?

And then get busy.