Sierra Club's presentation at the OEC's 2013 Legislative Summit.

1. Campaign
Planning 101
Jed Thorp, Manager
Sierra Club, Ohio Chapter
Jed.thorp@SierraClub.org
614-461-0734 x303

2. Sierra Club
 Founded in 1892 (Ohio 1968)
 17,000 members statewide
 Work on wide variety of
issues
(energy, water, fracking, tran
sportation)
 Member-led, member-driven
 www.sierraclub.org
Sierra Club: Campaign Planning 101

3. What is the secret to success in
organizing?
Sierra Club: Campaign Planning 101

4. Grassroots Organizing
 Win real, immediate and concrete
improvements in people‟s lives
 Re-align power relationships by building
strong and effective organizations
 Empower people to
become active and
effective in the political
process, and in their
communities
Sierra Club: Campaign Planning 101

5. A note on organization
building…
 Ask
 Thank
 Inform
 Involve
Sierra Club: Campaign Planning 101

6. Campaign Planning Matrix
 1. Issue Focus
 2. Campaign Goals
 3. Lay of the Land
 4. Strategy
 5. Campaign Communication
 6. Tactics and Timeline
 7. Resource Management
Sierra Club: Campaign Planning 101

7. 1. Issue Focus
 What problem are you seeking to
address?
 How does it relate to your community?
 Will working on this issue strengthen your
organization?
 Is this winnable?
Sierra Club: Campaign Planning 101

8. 2. Campaign Goals
 Conservation Goals:
Example…
Immediate: Stop the toxic waste incinerator
Interim: Inform public that such facilities
endanger public health
Long-Term: Eliminate all toxic waste
incinerators from the state
- Realistic, achievable and quantifiable
Sierra Club: Campaign Planning 101

9. 2. Campaign Goals (cont.)
 Organizational Goals:
- How will our organization be larger and
stronger because of this campaign?
- Example:
- Recruit 20 new members
- Create Facebook page
- Raise $2,000
Sierra Club: Campaign Planning 101

10. 3. Lay of the Land
 Organizational Strengths and Weaknesses
 How much money do you have?
Volunteers? Skills? Workspace? Experience?
Relationships with decision-makers and
media?
 Allies and Opponents
 Who else has a stake in this issue? What
resources could allies bring to the
campaign? Who can we neutralize?
 Know your opposition!
Sierra Club: Campaign Planning 101

11. 4. Strategy
 “Strategic Vehicle”
 Legislation
 Regulation
 Pressure manufacturer
 Ballot initiative
 Consider: political climate; existing
relationships; resources
Sierra Club: Campaign Planning 101

12. 4. Strategy (cont.)
 Targets
 Who can give you the outcome you want?
 Strategy: as much about what you WON‟T
be doing as hat you WILL be doing.
 The more resources you can focus on your
primary target, the better
 Name names: (John Kasich, Scott Nally, the
CEO of company X, etc.)
Sierra Club: Campaign Planning 101

13. 4. Strategy (cont.)
A Note about legislative bodies…
 Divide into 3 groups
 Our Base (for us)
 Their base (against us)
 Persuadables (up for grabs)
 Dothe Math!
 Don‟t take your base for granted
Sierra Club: Campaign Planning 101

14. 4. Strategy (cont.)
 Primary vs Secondary Targets
 Who can influence your primary target?
 Community leaders? Other groups?
 Public audience - don‟t forget that you are also
trying to win over the public. Make them a
“tertiary” target
Sierra Club: Campaign Planning 101

15. 5. Campaign Communication
Seven „C‟s of effective Campaign Communication
 Clear  Contrasting
 Concise  Credible
 Connected  Consistent
 Compelling
Sierra Club: Campaign Planning 101

16. 5. Campaign Communication
 “Startwhere they are”
 Don‟t just “preach to the choir”
 Focus your argument on what will be most
meaningful to them
 Use understandable language:
 “Particulate matter” vs “soot”
 “ecosystem” vs “habitat”
Sierra Club: Campaign Planning 101

17. 5. Campaign Communication
 Message
 Short: “Protect America‟s Environment – For
Our Families, For Our Future”
 Story (short paragraph)
 Problem
 Victim (person or place)
 Villain (best to individualize)
 Hero (public)
 Resolution (way to solve the problem)
Sierra Club: Campaign Planning 101

18. 5. Campaign
Communications
 Media
 Practice message discipline
 “When the campaign staff and reporters
become physically ill over the repetition of
the message, only then have you begun to
penetrate the public consciousness”
 Which media outlets will reach your
targets?
Sierra Club: Campaign Planning 101

19. 6. Tactics and Timeline
 Note: this is step 6, NOT step 1
 Create Demand (Build base)
 Direct contact; Visibility
 Make Leaders Accountable
(for, against, persuadables)
 Use media
 Take Delivery
Sierra Club: Campaign Planning 101

20. 6. Tactics and Timeline
 Media, can be used to…
 Influence decision-makers
 Generate activism
 Verify the record
 Force a position to be taken
 Reveal motives
 Note: Media is a tactic, not a goal in-and-
of itself
Sierra Club: Campaign Planning 101

21. Tactic Checklist
 What is our goal of this activity?
 Who is our target for this tactic?
 How will this communicate our message?
 Will this alienate our partners or hurt our
credibility?
 Do we have the time, money, and people to
pull this off?
 Is this “newsworthy?”
 How will our partners contribute to this effort?
 Will this be fun?
 Is this simple, achievable and effective?
 How will this set us up for our NEXT tactic?
Sierra Club: Campaign Planning 101

22. 7. Resource Management
 Know what you need
 Have a fundraising plan
 Know who to ask
 Know WHAT to ask
 Have a campaign budget
 KNOW how much things cost
 Spend wisely!
Sierra Club: Campaign Planning 101

23. Sierra Club: Campaign Planning 101

24. Sierra Club: Campaign Planning 101