strategy
Vision gallery
Stretches people’s imaginations in envision and articulate the kind of society they would like to create, going beyond vague values to specific features.
The practical strategist
Abstract from Bill Moyer (1989) The Practical Strategist: Movement Action Plan strategic theories for Evaluating, Planning and Conducting Social Movements. Social Movement Empowerment Project.
What is strategy
An experiential exercise to clarify the difference between goals, tactics and strategy.
Movement Action Plan
U.S. activist-educator Bill Moyer conceived Movement Action Plan (MAP) to explain and explore the stages and advocacy roles evident in successful social movements.
The role of strategy in advancing nonviolent resistance in West Papua
Jason MacLeod’s case study analyses the West Papuan struggle from the perspective of the theory and dynamics of nonviolent resistance and the strategic principles of nonviolent conflict. He begins by discussing the historical background, root causes of the...
Rules of power tactics
This resource outlines Saul Alinksy’s guidelines for selecting tactics (source: Rules for Radicals).
Strategy board game
This people-sized board game developed by Karen Ridd (Training for Change) is useful to introduce a strategic framework, review issues and practice creative brainstorming.
Influencing climate policy: The effectiveness of Australian NGO campaigns
Nina Lansbury Hall and Ros Taplin (2006) evaluate the effectiveness of Australian environmental non-government organisations’ (ENGO) campaigns on climate change, and examines their influence on climate-related policies in Australia. This research clarifies the role of...
Tactical timeline
This activity guides groups to develop their strategy by sequencing tactics.
SMART objective writing
An exercise to turn your group’s desired changes into objectives that are Specific and Strategic, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound.
Cutting the issue
It’s next to impossible to make a difference on a huge problem. How you ‘cut’ the problem into issues will influence your prospects of success, and the consequent impact. What parts of the problem (and the solution) are amenable to your...
Mechanisms of change
We each have our own understandings and assumptions about how we’re most likely to achieve our campaign objective. These theories of change guide what we do and what we don’t do. How we spend our time and what we’re most strongly motivated to do. Often, our...
SWOT analysis
An activity to examine internal and external factors that hinder or facilitate a group’s advocacy strategy. This is a useful activity to help you refine goals, objectives, and activities.
Elements of strategy
A set of considerations to critically appraise strategic decisions.
Doing democracy: The MAP model for organizing social movements
Citizen activism has achieved many positive results. But the road to success for social move-ments is often complex, usually lasting many years, with few guides for evaluating the precise stage of a movement’s evolution to determine the best way forward. Doing...
Rules for radicals: a practical primer for realistic radicals
“What follows is for those who want to change the world from what it is to what they believe it should be. The Prince was written by Machiavelli for the Haves on how to hold power. Rules for Radicals is written for the Have-Nots on how to take it away. In this book we...
What makes people tick
What makes people tick: the three hidden worlds of settlers, prospectors and pioneers Chris Rose’ powerful guide to values mapping is a ‘must-read’ for campaigners. If you want to communicate effectively with people – especially if you want to...