Civil society campaign

A civil society campaign specifically involves civil society, which is the part of society that actively interacts with critical reflection and public deliberation, in order to organize mechanisms like social movements and use democratic tools such as lobbying in order to instigate social change. These campaigns can seek local, national or international objectives. They can be run by dedicated single-issue groups such as Baby Milk Action, or by professional non-governmental organisations (NGOs), such as the World Development Movement, who may have several campaigns running at any one time. Larger coalition campaigns such as 2005's Make Poverty History may involve a combination of NGOs.

Most campaigns are small, such as improving park spaces, creating access for people with disabilities or changing work practices. Some tackle very big issues, like climate change, world poverty and injustice. Campaigning is increasingly recognised as an important way for NGOs to achieve their objectives. Many charities employ campaigners, produce campaigning materials and train their supporters to campaign. The Charity Commission for England and Wales says that “charities may undertake campaigning and political activity as a positive way of furthering or supporting their purposes.”

Campaigns are most successful when groups effectively use strategies that push them toward success. One of these strategies involves influencing public opinion with the intention of mobilizing and garnering support for the issues they advocate for. A successful example of this was the campaign against the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) organized by European civil society organizations which halted negotiations by tapping into public fears concerning food safety and corporate power.

Effective campaigning results in a multitude of different outcomes. The Jubilee 2000 debt campaign which persuaded G7 governments to cancel $100 billion of debt owned by poor countries, releasing more money for development than 1,000 years of Christian Aid in weeks. In the UK, ASH (Action on Smoking and Health)’s campaign for a ban on smoking in public places in 2006 saved over 2,000 lives and billions of pounds a year. The Empty Homes Agency in the UK works directly local authorities to bring thousands of properties into use as a result of a successful amendment to the UK Housing Act 2004.

It is also worth acknowledging that now campaigners can now use Freedom of Information legislation to request Government held information and receive it freely or at minimum cost. This allows for the effectiveness of campaigns to be based on tangible information thus increasing their likelihood of working efficiently and achieving their desired goal.