Community Engagement Toolkit: Creating a Campaign …powershift.org/.../resources/1.31.12_Creating_a_Campaign_Plan.pdf · Community Engagement Toolkit: Creating a ... our experience

Groundswell | 1850 M Street NW, Suite 1150 | Washington, D.C. 20036

202.505.3051 | www.groundswell.org | @grndswell

Community Engagement Toolkit:

Creating a Campaign Plan



Building Demand through Community Engagement

This toolkit is designed for individuals and organizations implementing local community engagement

campaigns. These resources provide a framework for organizing community demand for energy services.

These successful tactics emerged from our experience implementing a local community engagement

program in Washington, D.C. Over the past two years, we have tested and refined these tools, which

emphasize cultivating long-term relationships with individual community members.

The Creating a Campaign Plan section helps organizers plan a direction for their initiative. This section

guides organizers through the key steps of establishing goals and a timeline, undertaking a community

assessment and more.



1. Program Outputs

Purpose: To clearly establish which outputs the program must produce to define

success

Time: 30 minutes

Modules Activities Outcomes Program Outputs • Revisit existing goals and

timeline

• Agree on program goals

that will be the basis for

the campaign plan

The first step in constructing a campaign plan is to define program outputs. The outputs

are the goals, which program staff and volunteers are continually striving to reach to

achieve success. In most energy efficiency programs, the key top-level output is the

number of homes that invest in energy upgrades.

There are several stages in the customer engagement pathway before the energy

upgrade process is complete. The following outputs are connected to stages of the

pathway. To judge inefficiencies in our process, we will include the outputs of:

1. Commitments

2. Energy Assessments

3. Energy Efficiency Upgrades

4. Reengaged customers

Timeline: In designing this campaign, we will plan on a 12-month timeline. As we set

program output goals and create timelines, we will schedule for one year out. This plan

is not set in stone. Though it is important to strive to reach program outputs, a

campaign plan should be revisited regularly and evolve throughout the year during

implementation.

Past Outputs: During one of our first planning sessions as an organization, Groundswell

defined metrics for our residential weatherization program. Below, we organize these

outcomes (e.g. Interested, Upgrades) and conversion rates, the percentage of

customers moving forward from one stage to another, from the output areas listed

above. These are columns to estimate the conversion rates for each year that the

program has been operating. There is also a column to estimate the average conversion

rate across all years.



Metric 2009 2010 2011 Average Conversion

Rate

Interest to

Commitment

%

Commitment to

Assessment

%

Assessment to

Upgrades

%

With these conversion rates in mind, we can set a goal for the total number of energy

efficiency upgrades that the program needs to complete and work backwards to set

goals for the metrics that must be met.

Metric 2010 2011 2012 Average 12 month

output

Upgrades

Assessments

Commitments

Interests

Changes to past conversion rates: Before we finalize the 12 months of outputs, we will

take time to have a discussion about the past conversion rates and outputs, assess the

accuracy of your estimates, and other factors that may affect these outputs.

• Are there changes in the conditions in your community that will affect your past

conversion rates? Are there any changes in local policy changes or economic

changes that could affect past conversion rates?

• How do you feel that this community-focused/homeowner re-engagement strategy

may impact outputs and conversion rates?

• Are there other factors that may affect current conversion rates or outputs?

Complete Outputs: Take time as a team and establish the program’s Conversion Rate

goals for the period of your campaign, commonly 12 months. It will be important to

revisit the previous year’s conversion rates as a benchmark:



Metric Conversion Rate

Interest to Commitment %

Commitment to Assessment %

Assessment to Upgrades %

With these conversion rates in mind, we can set a goal for the total number of energy

efficiency upgrades that the program needs to complete and work backwards to set

goals for the metrics that need to be met based on the conversion rates above.

Metric Output Goal

Upgrades

Assessments

Commitments

Interests

Reflection:

• How did you decide on your new conversion rate goals?

• What is the percent increase for each metric from past performance?

• Are there any other places along the customer engagement pathway that lead to

energy efficiency upgrades?



2. Community Timeline

Purpose: To create a 12-month framework for campaign phases based on existing

community events and themes

Time: 2 hours

Modules Activities Outcomes Community Assessment • Community timeline

• Community spaces

mapping

• Community partner

mapping revisited

• A map of where

community events take

place and when; where

community members

congregate; and

potential partners from

which campaign

milestones and turfs

will be built

1. List all of the community events that occur within the city or state that are

benchmark dates within the community throughout the year. (Example: a

community fair)

2. Think about the types of events that not only bring large numbers of people out into

community spaces, but events that define the narrative and identity of the city or

state. (Example: a community fair celebrating the town winning the state little

league championship)



3. Are any of these community events likely to have attendees who self-identify with

your interests? (Example: an Earth Day festival)

4. List the community traditions that exist within your city or state. Is there a theme for

each season? Are there historical events that are part of the DNA of your

community?



Timeline: Build the 12-month timeline on the line below:

• Add dates to your 12-month timeline below

• Take the events that you listed in the last exercise and add them to the timeline below

Timeline Questions and Discussion:

Are there certain themes that emerge for specific periods of time during the year? How do the seasons affect these themes?

Are there clusters of activity that could create a narrative for a period of time? Do similar activities fall within one part of the year?

Identify large or important gatherings. Are there events that everyone in the town attends? Or events that may be on the front page

of the newspaper for a week leading up to the event?



Campaign Phases

Purpose: To create a rhythm within your campaign around which goals are set with specific start and end dates

• Phases are an important tool for organizers - especially those working on long-running initiatives. If there is no clear end

date, it can be difficult to create a sense of urgency among volunteers. Campaign phases offer a solution.

o If a volunteer says, “I will help the campaign later,” the organizer can respond, “This is the last event in our summer

campaign. To reach our goal of X, we need you help now,” or “This is your last chance to help the campaign in this

important phase.”

• Phases also create the space for a campaign to clearly delineate different tactics by the time of year. A linear strategy where

the same tactics are employed throughout the year is not advisable. Phase 1 should have a different tactical approach from

Phase 2.

• There are a few important suggestions for creating effective campaign phases:

o Campaign phases should have clear start and end date (example: July 4th

– September 1st

).

o Campaign phases should have specific kick-off and culmination points (example: Independence Day volunteer

training, Labor Day canvass).

o Campaign phases should have distinct identities (example: Beat the heat efficiency drive).

In the chart below, build out the phases of your campaign.

ACTIVITY: Campaign Phase Timeline



• Using the community timeline that you built, define your campaign phases in the table below.

• Draw lines vertically along the timeline below to mark the separation of campaign phases. Ideally, within a year, a campaign

has between three and five phases.

• To incorporate the idea of community identity for each event, name each phase. Insert a brief description of the phase

identity.

Phase name

Phase

identity



Community Assessment

When selecting partner organizations, it is important to map the entire landscape of

who holds power and influence within each community. Seek advice from others

through one-on-one meetings. Consolidate their responses in the framework below.

1. Brainstorm: List the potential partner organizations in your community based on the

categories listed below. Using butcher paper or a white board, take notes on the groups

that are brought up in the brainstorm.

• Specific faith institutions

• Faith networks (ex. Industrial Areas Foundation or Catholic Bishops)

• Community organizations (ex. homeless service provider)

• Environmental organizations

• Labor organizations

• Educational institutions

2. Influence: For each organization, describe and assign a numeric value from one to ten

(low to high) for each:

• Trust within the community

• People power within target community

o Who are their typical members?

o Where are their members from?

o What was their largest display of people power?

o How active are their members?

• Resources within the organization

• Diversity within the organization

3. Values: Campaigns are rooted in key values of building community power, creating

jobs and reducing poverty, and helping the environment. For each organization listed in

section 1, assign a numeric value from 1-10 (low to high):

• Building community power

• Jobs / Poverty

• Environment



4. Power Mapping: Plot each organization from section 1 as they fit on the chart.

Reflection

• Which organizations landed in the top-right quadrant?

• Are there issues that would prevent organizations in the top-right quadrant from

becoming program partners?

• Who would you like to partner with?

10

10

Influence

Values

5



Energy Efficiency Engagement Pathway

Purpose: To build a streamlined tactics model for engaging with volunteers and

homeowners throughout the Customer Pathway

Time: 2 hours

Modules Activities Outcomes Customer Engagement

Pathway

• Energy efficiency

homeowner and

volunteer engagement

pathways

• Completed customer

and volunteer

Engagement Pathway

During the early stages of the Community Efficiency Initiative, formerly known as

WeatherizeDC, we assumed that volunteers could simply knock on a homeowner’s door,

tell the individual what we were trying to do and they would decide to weatherize their

home. It became clear that individuals were most likely to complete the weatherization

process and volunteer if they were engaged on a deeper level.

We have deconstructed our process of interaction with homeowners and volunteers

into multiple stages. This pathway, made up of program tactics, is a map of

homeowners’ and volunteers’ experience with the program.

For both the volunteer and homeowner, there are stages of interaction that occur along

the energy efficiency pathway that are specific to the business process of your program.

Commonly these stages can be broken down into three stage types for volunteers and

homeowners:

Homeowner Pathway:

Identify: Use demographic

data and existing

community networks to

target households and

neighborhoods

Outreach: Use online and

offline organizing tactics,

volunteers gauge targeted

homeowners’ interest

Engagement: Volunteers

educate on the benefits of

participation and facilitate

a deeper commitment

Volunteer Pathway:

Identify: Assess existing

networks to identify local

volunteers

Training: Use online and

offline organizing tactics,

organizers recruit local

volunteers

Action: Volunteers run the

homeowner outreach and

engagement process



These stages are an important aspect of an effective engagement program. They will

become the lists that are generated for organizers to call, email or visit. Volunteer and

homeowner movement through these stages are key benchmarks of program progress.

ACTIVITY: The Energy Efficiency Pathway Shuffle

Materials: Index cards, markers and a white board or butcher paper

This is an activity to help construct a volunteer and homeowner pathway. This game is

designed to get the creative juices flowing and make some decisions around designing

an energy efficiency pathway.

Step 1 – Program Process Mapping

As stated earlier, the customer pathway should directly map to the program’s business

processes. To define the stages within the pathway, we will map the process that a

homeowner would usually undergo from their first contact with the program to

completion.

Step 2 – Energy Efficiency Customer Pathway Stages

Now that we have laid out the entire program process, we need to distill this

complicated process into the four or six stages in which a homeowner lives. The goal of

this process is not to capture every detail of the stages from a program administrator

perspective, but to think as an organizer. What are the key steps that homeowners and

volunteers pass through as they interact with the program?

Step 3 - Tactics Brainstorm

Imagine any and all tactics that you can think of and write one tactic on each notecard.

What have you done for campaigns in the past? What has worked within your

community? What creative new ideas would you like to try?

Step 4 – Populate the Pathway

Place each of the note cards onto the homeowner and volunteer pathway stages listed

above (Homeowner: Identify, Outreach, Engagement | Volunteer: Identify, Outreach,

Action). Which tactics target? Which tactics outreach? Which tactics engage?

Step 5 – Refine the Pathways

While the stages of your pathway will not change depending on the phase of your

campaign, the tactics that populate each stage will. This is how your strategy can change

to meet the need of that phase. First, draw blank stage diagrams on the board for each

phase. Next, create engagement pathways for each phase by choosing tactics for each

stage.



Campaign Phases review: Before we dive into creating these pathways, we will dive a

little deeper into the purpose of campaign phases. We have already discussed how

campaign phases should match the rhythm of the community. Campaign phases should

have different identities based on the season or time of year, but they also should have

different strategies based on the campaign’s development.

The model below demonstrates an ideal for growing capacity in a campaign:

* Image courtesy of the New Organizing Institute

Taking this approach, your campaign might need to prioritize certain tactics within your

energy efficiency customer pathway at different times in your campaign.

The table below outlines ideas for structuring capacity building into campaign phases:



Phase Focus Tactics?

1 – Building Building relationships and team

capacity by holding 1 on 1

meetings with as many potential

leaders as possible and hold team

strategy meetings where more

collective planning and training can

occur

- 1 on 1s

- Strategy meetings

- Team members

- Team members

trained

2 – Outreach Working in the field to spread the

word about the weatherization

program and building a list of

potential program participants who

are interested in weatherization

- Volunteer shifts

- Doors knocked

- Phone calls

- Weatherization

interests

3 – Engagement Working in the field to engage

those identified as interested in

weatherization in homes and

community spaces to build a list of

program participants who would

like to weatherize with partner

contractors

- Energy meetings

- Weatherization leads

generated

Based on this information, choose two or three tactics for each phase that will work

best for your community. Add theses notecards to the phase specific pathways on the

board. If there are stages that lack tactic cards, re-enter the creative brainstorm section

and create cards to fill in the tactics. After you have filled in the tactics, you have

completed your engagement pathways.



Reflection:

What are the stages of your engagement pathway? How were these constructed?

What impact will this have on the program?

How will this help the program track its progress?

What will be the experience of a homeowner and volunteer in each phase?

How will these pathways affect the activity of the program?



4. Campaign Plan:

Purpose: To build a roadmap for phased campaign activity

Time: 2 hours

Modules Activities Outcomes Phased Timeline • Creating detailed

campaign phases

• Completing the

campaign plan template

• A roadmap for

engagement: goals,

objectives and activities

clearly laid out by phase

1. Intro - Before entering the campaign-planning phase, it is important to recognize how

far we have come. We have many pieces of the puzzle figured out! Now comes the fun

part where we put it all together. Here is what we have in place already:

• Program Model – Highlights that community is the entity that holds the power

within energy efficiency programs by illustrating who is a part of this campaign

and outlining their responsibilities.

• Organizing Theory – The theory of how to build the power (relationships and

volunteer network) to run an effective engagement program.

• Program Outputs – Clear output goals defined by the program, typically around

weatherization commitments.

• Campaign Phases – Defined periods of time within a campaign, which reflect the

rhythms of the community.

• Community Assessment through Power Analysis – An understanding of when

and where to focus with the community timeline and power analysis.

• Energy Efficiency Pathways – A detailed pathway made up of organizing tactics

customized to your neighborhoods.

The campaign plan will serve as the roadmap for how the campaign will grow its

capacity to implement engagement tactics - within specific communities, by certain

dates - to reach its output goals.

For each phase, we will work to clearly define the:

• Output goals

• Objectives

• Activities within the phase

• Key dates within the phase

• Launch events and culmination events



Campaign Plan Template

Overall

In this campaign we will: [Insert Strategy Statement]

In this campaign we will work with: [Insert results of power mapping]

In this campaign we will accomplish: [Insert Top Line Outputs]

Conversion Rate Goals:

Metric Conversion Rate Goals

Interests to Commitments %

Commitments to Assessments %

Assessments to Upgrades %

Output Goals:

Metric Output Goal

Energy Efficiency Upgrades

Assessments

Commitments

Interests

Other input [Insert other input on the overall campaign]



Campaign Phases [Phase 1]

Output Goals:

Metric Output Goal


Assessments

Commitments

Interests

Phase Objectives [We will do what, with whom, and by whom]:

Phase Timeline:

Date Event

[mm/dd/yy] Launch event:

Culmination event:

Prioritized tactics within the phase:

Tactic Goal How will this tactic help you reach your

output goals?




Output Goals:

Metric Output Goal


Assessments

Commitments

Interests

Phase Objectives [We will do what, with whom]:

Phase Timeline:

Date Event


Culmination event:



output goals?




Output Goals:

Metric Output Goal


Assessments

Commitments

Interests


Phase Timeline:

Date Event


Culmination event:



output goals?




Output Goals:

Metric Output Goal


Assessments

Commitments

Interests


Phase Timeline:

Date Event


Culmination event:



output goals?

Documents

Community Engagement Toolkit: Creating a Campaign …powershift.org/.../resources/1.31.12_Creating_a_Campaign_Plan.pdf · Community Engagement Toolkit: Creating a ... our experience