Does your campaign need support - or not?

It seems intuitive to try to build public support for your campaign. And while it is very useful, and indeed often essential, in meeting your campaign goals, you need to step back and assess what benefit (and potential drawbacks) it could actually bring.

Some of the things you need to ask yourself are:

• Will increased public support increase my influence on the decision-makers?

According to NCVO’s ‘The Good Campaigns Guide’

“...the extent of a positive correlation between mass opinion and institutional action can be hazy. The unprecedented size of the anti-war in Iraq march in February 2003 and the Government decision to act notwithstanding is just one, high profile...example”

• Are there other and more (cost) effective ways to achieve my goals?

For example, while the Campaign for Freedom of Information,  does try to mobilise support from the public (e.g. asking supporters to write to their MP), much more of their work goes on without any direct involvement from their supporters. One example of this is their consultation response to the ‘Access to Information in Local Government’ consultation paper.

• Could public support actually backfire against my campaign?

If you only get a small amount of support, it might be worse than having none at all! So, a handful of people on a demo, or a petition with only a few signatures – rather than demonstrating that you have got some level of support - might just evidence to others how little support there is for your position.

And even if you do manage to mobilise public opinion, there is a question about quality vs quantity. As with online petitions, getting 5,000 people to send pre-printed postcards to an MP in support of your campaign, might not be as effective as getting 50 people to write a letter in their own words to that same MP.