In this chapter, we discuss how you can create a strategy for your movement. This chapter is especially useful for building new movements.
This chapter is an adaptation of an article by The Change Agency.
¶ What is a strategy?
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¶ Writing a strategy together
We have written several articles to help you write a strategy for your movement. We have added step-by-step guides for organising workshop sessions to start writing a strategy together with fellow rebels.
¶ Strategy components
Write your own strategy by putting together the following elements:
- Scope and goals: What primary objective to you focus on?
- Vision What does the situation you are working towards look like?
- Situational analysis: What is the context? What are the root causes?
- Critical path analysis: What changes need to take place along the way?
- Stakeholders: Who your allies, constituents and targets?
- Objectives: What specific or tangible outcomes do you aim to achieve to further the campaign goals?
- Evaluation: What will success look like and how will you know when it’s happening?
Also make sure to check out our related chapters:
- Organisation: getting organised as movement
- Tactics: actions you can take to achieve your goals
¶ Templates & workgroup guides
There is no “one right way” to capture and communicate all the elements of strategy. Some organisations have a preference for simple one-page tables. Others use longly narrative formats or complex documents that extend to 20 pages or more. Some templates we’ve seen used effectively are:
- tCA strategy chart: The anatomy of a campaign strategy: a chart illustrating elements of strategy and processes your group can use to develop them.
- tCA campaign strategy template: a template incorporating elements of strategy and suggested processes to develop each element with members of your group
- Basic strategy grid: An adapted version of the Midwest Academy’s community organising grid, this simple table provides one way of developing and integrating key pieces of a strategy in a logical sequence.
- tCA strategy grid
- Strategic planning template: This format has been used by medium-sized environment groups in their annual planning cycle. A simple table requiring vision, objectives, resources and performance indicators. The table is also useful for evaluation purposes.
¶ Background: Strategy models
This is a background section: At Activist Handbook, we focus on writing a practical guides for activists. Sometimes, theory gets in the way of that.
- Want to take action now? Skip this part.
- Want to deepen your knowledge about activism? This is the right place to start.
To improve this section, answer the following questions:
- What are the various aspects of strategy models? (e.g. ideals, goals, theory of change, differentiation between allies/opponents)
- What model does Activist Handbook follow? Make sure to make clear that there is not one single model that should be used by activists.
¶ Unorganised articles
The following articles need to be integrated in a coherent manner with the rest of this chapter.
- How does social and political change happen? -Theories of Change ecosystem
- Choosing and defining your strategy / tactics
- Levels and types of non-violent civil disobedience
- Information & intelligence gathering -including PESTLE
- Meta-strategy for a movement of movements (MoM)
- Collaborating with other organisations / MoM
- Your local context
- Tactics listed
- Case studies from history (including recent)
¶ Related resources
- Gene Sharp, The Politics of Nonviolent Action [Book].
- Strategy by The Change Agency