Before you consider the logistics of actually setting up a group it is important to consider how someone can go from being apathetic, to being a campaigner. Whilst the notion of apathy is itself a debatable term we should define it here as being “indolent of mind”, someone who is unaware and disinclined to join a campaign group. It is reasonable to assume that we all start this way, but there are four stages a person must go through before becoming an “activist.”
1. Experience The first step is experience, something that occurs or an understanding a person has of an event. For the sake of clarity we’ll use the example of a closing leisure centre. The initial step is the experience someone has of that leisure centre and their understanding of the role it plays in the local community.
2. Injustice The next stage is the sense of injustice related to the experience. In our leisure centre example it would be the sudden announcement that the local council are drawing up plans to close the centre and replace it with new homes. Ideally you’ll wish to recruit people who have reached this second stage, people who share the same experience as you and who feel the same sense of injustice. If your campaign focuses on a leisure centre or a hospital then who else has used these facilities and recognises its importance? Or if your campaign is centred on a new construction site, such as a motorway, who else will be effected by it? At this stage people may be angry, but they lack leadership or any avenue to channel their anger. As your campaign grows and as you start recruiting new activists you will have to instil this sense of injustice by sharing your experience. This will be addressed in more depth in the Campaign Communication chapter.
If you can talk to just six people, Who talk to six people … Who talk to six people … Who talk to six people … Who talk to six people … Who talk to six people … By the end you’ve reached … 279936 people
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3. Organisation The penultimate step provides the infrastructure and leadership people need if they are to transform their sense of injustice and anger into some practical, positive action. When establishing a group this is the stage you will start off at. At this stage an organisation is formed which allows people who have been through the previous stages to work together to coordinate their efforts
4. Action Action is the final outcome of the previous steps. Once people have shared experiences, have a shared sense of injustice and have come together in a group or organisation they can start to do something about it, they can take action. This is the final stage and is when somebody is deemed to be an “activist” or a campaigner.
This progression is often best described as an “apathy staircase”3, as it represents four steps that a person will travel, taking them from being “apathetic”, to being an “activist.” It is highly likely that you will have gone through this process yourself if you are considering joining or actively establishing a campaign group. This progression is important to consider from the outset, as you will have to recognise where your potential activists are on this scale and what you’ll have to do to take them the rest of the way.
Structure of a new group
Whilst every campaign group is slightly different there are a few set roles that have to be filled if it is to be coordinated effectively. These central roles should be run by a small committee who form the administrative hub of the group. When you first establish your group it is likely that you will only have enough activists to form a small committee. However, as your campaign grows and attracts new members the structure of your group should grow accordingly to ensure that the campaign can be effectively managed. A well managed group of activists are better organised, better motivated and therefore more likely to achieve their goals.
• The Committee
Every campaign group should have a central committee who fill the following roles. This is not a definitive list, you should consider adding more committee positions as the campaign grows and the amount of activists grows accordingly.
Chairman
The chairman is usually the founder of the group but this can also be an elected position. This person is responsible for the overall coordination of the committee. However, it is not wise to place total responsibility into the hands
3 The Apathy Staircase, National Union of Students, 2008
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of one individual, it is more effective to run your group democratically, this will be elaborated later. On a day-to-day basis the chairman chairs meetings of the committee and also acts as the group’s main representative to external bodies such as the media.
Secretary
The secretary’s main responsibility is to coordinate the committee and wider group meetings. The secretary will take minutes to ensure any decisions made are recorded and may organise an up to date contact list of campaigners and wider contacts. This will involve collecting contact details from activists who join your group. The Secretary plays an integral role in coordinating communication between members, ensuring that all activists are kept informed of developments.
Treasurer
The treasurer has one of the more challenging, but fundamentally important roles of the campaign team, responsibility for the groups’ finances. This may include organising fund raising drives and ensuring that budgets are created and upheld when organising campaign events and activities.
Media Coordinator
The media coordinator plays a vital role and may take the lead in organising a media strategy or managing a marketing team, both of which are described in later chapters. The media coordinator takes responsibility, potentially along with the secretary, for coordinating all communication, not only between the committee and campaigners but also between the group and external bodies such as the media. They may also manage any websites or newsletters run by the campaign group.
You may wish to consider adding an event coordinator, or even a social secretary who may be responsible for keeping team moral high. This can be significant to ensure activists do not become disillusioned over time. If your campaign is multi-faceted then you may wish to delegate specific areas of it to smaller teams who feed up to the central committee. For example, you may wish to add a student element to your campaign team if you’re based in an area with a large University. As your campaign committee grow it may start to look like this:
Committee
Media Coordinator
Chairman Secretary Treasurer
Activists
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As your campaign grows and your structure grows to accommodate it you may aim for a structure like this:
In this model you have specific teams of activists dedicated to activities within the group, such as a fundraising team and a media team. These teams work with their specified committee member who reports back at campaign meetings. Under these teams you have volunteers, these activists are not assigned to specific areas but are involved in logistically organising various events and actions the campaign group may undertake. Under these you have general activists and supporters who may make up the bulk of your support base but may also only turn up on the day of rallies, marches or action days rather than for the organisational meetings. Ideally this structure will allow the activists to dedicate their efforts according to their strengths. It also provides a sound model for transparent accountability and democracy, which should be two fundamental values of your campaign group as well as being key mechanisms for its management. (taken from Ben Norman book)