Campaigning in a time of coronavirus
As I continue to work with clients on developing and launching their campaigns, coronavirus has become a real factor to consider in our planning. Clearly, the spread and impact of COVID-19 is a rapidly developing situation. We all need to be aware of what this will mean for ourselves, our families and our colleagues. At the time of writing (10th March 2020), there are now 373 UK cases, with over 110,000 cases worldwide. I’m sure those numbers will soon look completely out of date.
The virus, and the efforts to contain or delay its spread, potentially have major impacts on how policy leads, campaigners and public affairs professionals will work to make social change happen. NCVO has already put out some general guidance, including with links to other charities’ specific guidance for their areas of interest. This is also being discussed in other disciplines like fundraising (for example, see Four Fundraisers).
I’ve been thinking about this specifically for its impacts on effective campaigning, and discussing it with a number of charities I’m working with at the moment. This is a new challenge to many of us. But here are a few recommendations about what charities and other campaigning organisations could consider:
First off, be safe. Listen to the official advice from health experts about protecting yourself and others.
Be extra careful and sensitive on messaging. Obviously people can do more than one thing at a time. While different health services, government bodies, businesses and individuals may have their attention and capacity captivated by the coronavirus to an extent, working life still goes on. So it’s entirely legitimate to still push for the changes you feel are necessary, and against some ‘well, I’m too busy right now’ pushback. I recall a lot of ‘but Brexit!’ objections last year when attempting to campaign on ‘non-Brexit’ issues – but lo and behold, other work continued.
But…let’s also be sensible. Health campaigns in particular may need to re-consider their messaging. Particularly in the UK, we’re fairly used to campaigns emphasising how stretched health and social care services are, but at the same time asking for more or different support from those same services. If the spread of COVID-19 does meet the more serious projections, then you’ll need to think about how messages like that sound.
Taking an example out of the air, let’s say you’re campaigning for lower waiting times for elective surgeries like hip replacements. That’s really important – as much as a hip replacement might be termed as ‘elective’, anyone waiting months for one can tell you how ‘essential’ the operation actually is to their daily life and wellbeing. But if the health service is bracing for, or (by the time you launch) possibly overwhelmed with life-threatening virus cases, how likely is it that (a) your targets will be listening to your message and (b) be able to do much about it? It might still make sense for you to launch your campaign soon, but think about how and when to run it in these circumstances.
You also need to reflect on the fact that this virus has already caused deaths in the UK, and around the world. It’s important to reflect on how your message will be perceived in light of the latest Covid-19 mortality figures, and adjust accordingly.
Plan for the impact on your own team. Recognise that not only might your campaign targets be affected by the condition, but your team as well. Your team, your supporters, or indeed your campaign targets might be directly affected by becoming ill themselves. Equally, their time or capacity might be compromised by knock-on effects of the measures and behaviours taken in reaction to the virus – slowed supply chains, reduction in public events, ability to participate publicly, and so on. Your own team might have additional caring responsibilities if schools in your area close.
Think about how you can campaign at a distance. Depending on your campaign, a lot of the activity you deliver, and which is delivered by your supporters will already be virtual. Clearly, e-actions for supporters or volunteers, and indeed could be reassuring that your organisation is still pushing ahead with the key campaigning issues of interest to them.
However, it’s worth considering new ways of doing other activities. Meeting with an MP? Set up a phonecall or videoconference – this will take less time out of your day anyway. Organising a rally or march? At a minimum, keep an eye on the health advice, and make sure your decisions are based on the best interests of those attending. Does your event need to take place now, or can it be rescheduled? Or could you hold this virtually – or change the format completely, to still focus on your core goal? Serious situations like this can force us to innovate, which is no bad thing in of itself. Though on balance, I'd prefer to innovate without the threat of a pandemic.
Fundamentally, having considered the most up to date health advice on Covid-19 first, your decisions on whether to postpone or rejig your approach is going to come down to:
(a) your intended actions,
(b) who your targets are, and
(c) what you would be asking of your supporters.
I’d be really interested to hear what others think – are there any other changes we should consider to how we work? Or do you think we should carry on campaigning as normal?