Application to Establish a Chapter Conservation Priority Campaign

The purpose of this form is to setyour team up for success on your Chapter Conservation Priority Campaign.By answering these questions, your team willhave the information needed to develop a team charge and a clear strategy for accomplishing itsgoal(s). Your campaign application answers will seed the start of a campaign plan and team-building. The Executive Committee (ExCom) will decide which proposals willbe approved as Chapterpriorities.

(Note: Chapter Conservation Priority Campaigns are a prioritized set of campaigns that are distinguished from the Conservation Advisory Committee’s (ConsCom’s) on-going, non-priority campaigns and efforts. Designated chapter priority campaigns work within an approved budget allotment, separate from the ConsCom’s budget for other ongoing, non-priority efforts.)

Criteria for Establishing a Campaign Priority

  1. Is conceived in positive and solution-oriented terms;
  2. Will make a significant difference in measurable real-world outcomes*;
  3. Can actively appeal to the membership and the public;
  4. Will help build chapter capacity of members and leaders;
  5. Has significant existing or potential volunteer recruitment, organizing capacity and activism;
  6. Is aligned with Sierra Club’s mission and has significant potential to benefit Colorado’s public health and environment, and, when applicable to the proposed campaign topic, aligns with national Sierra Club’s priorities**.

*The definition of “outcomes” is intended to coincide with the national Sierra Club Conservation Department’s definition of “External Outcomes: The ultimate, measurable changes in the world we intend to achieve through a given set of activities.”

** If a national campaign or program has funded a staff organizer in a particular chapter’s territory, it is smart for that chapter to formally establish this work as a chapter priority in order to fully leverage the work of staff (paid for by their campaign) to achieve shared goals and build the chapter’s visibility and organizational capacity through that campaign work.

Application annual timelines:

The Executive Committee will consider applications mid-year in rare necessary circumstances, but funding for approved mid-year applications will only be 1/3 of that available at the beginning of the year (unless there are additional unallocated funds in the priority campaigns budget).

2015 application cycle begins with discussion at the October 2014 ExCom meeting.

10/11/2014 – Application window opens, but you can get started on a draft earlier.

12/1/2014-1stdraft optional application review deadline, for friendly coaching to make improvements to the application so it has the best chance of being approved. Submit this to Matt Reed at .

1/2/2015- Final applications due. Submit this to the RMC Executive Committee: .

[ExCom reviews applications between the due date and the ExCom meeting.]

1/17/2015- January ExCom meeting: final decisions on 2015 chapter conservation priorities.

[Helpful hint: Take advantage of the associated tutorials linked within the application.]
Name of the team:

Name of the person completing this form:

Email address:

Phone:

  1. What is the outcome* you seek for this campaign?*The definition of “outcome” is intended to coincide with the national Sierra Club Conservation Department’s definition of “External Outcomes: The ultimate, measurable changes in the world we intend to achieve through a given set of activities.” For instance, an outcome is not a policy or bill passed, but is what the policy accomplishes when it is finally implemented/enforced, such as number of acres protected, number of drilling rigs prevented from drilling, et cetera.
  1. What goal(s)is your teamtrying to achieve?The goal is the tangible thing you’ve accomplished. You’ve passed a bill that, when implemented/enforced, causes the world to change (or not, if protection is the desired outcome). Or you’ve successfully influenced a decision-maker to decide in the campaign’s interest.
  1. What strategy(ies) will the team use to reach the goal(s)?For instance: with the goal of “to get the Forest Service to make at least 50% of roadless areas as top-tier protection,” is the team’s strategy to get it protected through legislation, is it trying to enforce existing law protections, or is it just to flood them with public comments that overwhelmingly support top-tier protections? Who/what are your targets? How will you leverage your potential influence to shift the decision-makers in your favor? Is media strategy a necessary consideration, and how will media influence your target(s)? Describe these separately in the context of to which goal they correspond, if you have more than one goal, and use additional space/paper if needed:

A) General strategy(ies)

B) Name your target(s)

C) “Power-map” your target(s) and list the most-influential people/organizations- this is how your target(s) is likely to be influenced to decide in the campaign’s favor. Here is a quick tutorial on what power-mapping is and how to do it:

D) Media strategy- this is the type of media and how media hits will influence your target(s). You can generalize on the application, but when applications are approved, we will develop a complete media strategy, if this campaign needs one. Template for a complete media strategy:

  1. What tactics will the team employ to achieve the strategy(ies) in #3? For instance: petitions, events, direct-lobbying, house parties, earned media)? These tactics should be creative and have measurable results that carry-out the strategy outlined in question #3, and move the team toward the goal(s). Describe yours, and to which strategy they apply if you have more than one goal and strategy:
  1. What are the team’s deliverables?List the work products that will result from this campaign (e.g. fact sheets, testimony, white papers, activist toolkits, videos, events, PowerPoint presentations, guidelines).
  1. What is the campaign timeline?List the key dates and benchmarks that will be used to measure team progress. The easiest way to do this is to set your goal date (question #2), then work backwards with all of the tactics on that timeline (a.k.a. “benchmarks”). Your strategy(ies) inform you about where on the timeline these tactics should be placed. If your timeline extends beyond one year, you may be requested to provide updates to the ExCom, or to revise your application annually.

Win/achieve the campaign goal(s) by this date:

Benchmarks leading backward from the above date:

  1. Who is currently on the core-team?Who has committed to share leadership on this campaign, and see it through to completion?List their names and the role(s)for which the team needs them for success.These are the four to seven people who are “on the core-team” as team leaders, sharing responsibility/accountability (see graphic). The extended team can have advisors, issue specialists, “helpers,” et cetera, and further out than that there are local organizers, local activists, “helpers,” et cetera, but all of those are not these core-team leaders. If you ask the core team leaders if they are on the core-team, they’ll tell you, “yes, and here’s what I do…” Examples are: Team Coordinator, RecruitmentTraining Specialist, Media/Spokesperson Specialist, Community Organizer, Issue Expert, Researcher, et cetera. If there currently is just the applicant, then question #9 will explain how you will recruit the rest of the team with support from the chapter. For additional details about team-building, see:

NameRole(s)

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  1. What additional people/roles/skills does the core-team need to succeed? What is the applicant’s plan to recruit these additional leaders, if needed? The chapter can offer additional resources, such as a list of names of people who are interested in your issue, or something close to it, which you can use to interview candidates. You should also outline any additional expertise or advisors you think will be important to access as resources available on your extended team (see graphic). For additional details about recruitment and leadership, see:

Core Team:

Extended Team, if any needed:

  1. How can additional volunteers get involved? How will the campaign engage new volunteers, experienced volunteers, and volunteer organizers? Examples: writing letters or action alerts, commenting on news and blog sites, writing news summaries, hosting online discussions, organizing local events, recruiting and training volunteers; think of it as help wanted list. These are the “taskable” and “askable” volunteers (see graphic). Match these things to the level of the volunteer, with the strategic tactics in question #4.

Tasks/opportunities for new volunteers:

Tasks/opportunities for experienced volunteers:

Tasks/opportunities for volunteer organizers:

  1. By working on this campaign, what local resources will it build(local volunteer organizers, local activists, community partners, local donors, et cetera), and how will the team accomplish this organizational capacity-building?
  1. What other resources willthe team bring to this effort?
  1. What resources (e.g. funding, staff time, or communications tools) is the team seeking from the Chapter?
  1. Additional information you would like to provide

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Application to Set a Chapter Conservation Priority

10/5/2018