"Never doubt that a small group of engaged people can change the world - indeed it is the only way the world has ever changed."
Margaret Mead
How to build up an organisation - experiences of Mehr Demokratie
- The report is written by Roman Huber.
This paper offers an overview about the development and structure of Mehr Demokratie. We learnt a lot about conducting campaigns for direct democracy within the past decades. We describe the basic principles of our collaboration. Our experiences are based on the German background. Please see this paper as a suggestion for organising your work. You have to go your own way.
Download the report (pdf 108 kB)
We help with words and deeds...
Don't hesitate to contact members of the Democracy International team. We will assist you to promote direct democracy in your country.
Carsten Berg: lobbying (especially in Brussels)
Michael Efler: lobbying, legal issues
Roman Huber: fundraising, (budget) planing
Arjen Nijeboer: making project plans with budgets, and
fundraising with governments and institutional donors
Ronald Pabst: campaign planning, website
campaigning experiences
1
a) Our most successful campaigns run on the basis of official regulations. This is very important for the motivation of activists. We were able to promise, when we manage to reach one aim, we can enforce the next step. And at the end citizens, not parliamentarians, decide about our motion.
b) Look where you can act on the existing regulations for direct democracy and motivate people to use it. Appetite goes with eating. The local level is a good start.
c) You appeal to the people / citizens, not to the politicians.
2
Decide: You can organize campaigns where direct democracy is connected to a special issue (e.g. referendum on nuclear power) or a pure campaign (people demand only referendums). There are advantages and disadvantages for both strategies.
3
Make projects with a defined beginning and a defined end. People want to do something, but they also want to get out again.
4
Build strong networks and coalitions.
5
Work from inside to the outside: first train yourself, then your best activists, then care for the next bigger circle and so on.
6
Use central coordination (strategy, press, material, advertisements), but decentralized organisation. Deliver a good service for the activist, care for people who want to do something. This costs time, but is worth it, you can’t do everything yourself. Delegate, don’t try to control everything yourself. Your task is to make it possible for other people to work.
7
Motivation: Don't forget to care for your activists when they are frustrated. Spread good news, the bad things they know already themselves. They want to hear from you why their work has a value although you often see only little results. This is hard work for you, (especially when you are not in a good mood) but it has to be done.
