The email newsletter is dead
Don’t panic yet. We may have a chance. There are some simple things you can do to restore health to your email communications with supporters. The good news is that if you do these simple things,
The Citizens Handbook: Practical assistance for those who want to make a difference
An excellent and extensive collection of resources on: planning and acting; getting noticed; evaluating; getting and keeping people; leading; meeting and deciding; facilitating; fundraising; group structure; door-knocking; conflict resolution; listening...
Readings on activism and campaigning
A great reading list crowdsourced by the members of the e-Campaigning Forum and research into UK community activism and organising. The list focuses on campaigning and advocacy, values and frames, communication, online activism, community organising, networks, social...
Periodic table of visualisation methods
The systematic use of complementary visual representations in the analysis, development, formulation, communication and implementation of strategies.
Learning from Obama: Lessons for online communicators
A six part series examining aspects of the Obama election campaign, with particular focus on online communications. Barack Obama declared his candidacy in 2007, not in 1991, and his two-year campaign for the White House could rely on the internet to an unprecedented...
Intelligent measurement
Great collection of resources and links on advocacy evaluation. Check out, especially: “The Challenge of Assessing Policy and Advocacy Activities: Strategies for a Prospective Evaluation Approach” and downloadable resources on communications and...
Changing advocacy: The movement fragments
Building network capacity is not magic. Powering networks for social action are constructed around seven key enabling attributes. The challenge to grassroots organizers and advocacy communication strategists is to match mobilizing and advocacy efforts with these new...
Book review: ‘What Makes People Tick?’
If you want to communicate effectively with people – especially if you want to persuade them to act – you need to start from where they are, not from where you are. The failure to do this lies at the root of many communications damp squibs, disasters and...
Australasian Facilitators Network
The Australasian Facilitators Network (AFN) is a self-organising community of practitioners based in Australia, New Zealand, South-East Asia and the Pacific. Our focus is on working, learning and sharing with each other. We share a passion for facilitation and...
James Whelan’s publications
Edited texts Whelan, J. ed. (2006) Partnership-Based Social Research for Sustainable Natural Resource Management in Queensland, State of Queensland Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Water, Brisbane. Monographs Whelan, J. (2012) Big Society and Australia: How...
Confronting Power: The practice of policy advocacy
Confronting Power provides an academically rigorous, yet practical and comprehensive framework and concepts for planning, implementing and evaluating policy advocacy. Based on the author’s experiences both as teacher and activist, the framework is general enough...
anticipating and avoiding demoblisation (June/July 2009)
De-mobilisation: Avoiding the post COP doldrums The Australian grassroots climate movement, like its counterparts in other parts of the world, risks a period of serious and substantial de-mobilisation of energy, resources, momentum and strategic direction following...
SmartMeme
SmartMeme is a non-profit collective of long term organisers, strategists, trainers and communications professionals.
Sierra Club Training Academy
Would you like to become a more effective advocate on an issue? Ever wondered about the best way to organize a campaign? Would you like to increase your communication skills? If so there is a great resource available to you: The Sierra Club Grassroots Organizing...
Protest Net Activists handbook
This handbook is a useful practical introduction to being politically active and features tips and tactics on communication, organising and protest.
Climate action: a campaign manual for greenhouse solutions
“The word academic is synonymous for irrelevant”, declared Saul Alinsky, the influential Chicago activist-educator. A notable exception to Alinsky’s rule is Mark Diesendorf, author of ‘Climate Action: A campaign manual for greenhouse...
Conflict resolution skills & techniques
Presentation by Claudia Baldwin covering the skills (communication and listening) and techniques (reframes, transitions, role reversals, paraphrases and roundups) involved in effective conflict resolution.
Fundraising tips
Presentation covering advanced fundraising, including: communications, resources, membership, mail appeals, donations, merchandising and promotions, plus links to useful fundraising resources.