Campaigning Forum 2024 Oxford

March 19-21

Meet and learn with top and upcoming campaigners

Apply now

Key information

  1. Who: Campaigners, fundraisers, media officers, volunteer managers, digital experts, managers, etc.
  2. Where: St Anne’s College, Oxford, United Kingdowm
  3. Capacity: 100
  4. Cost: £550 until Feb 18, then £650 + optionals (£80/115 per night on-site accommodation, £50/dinner)

Testimonials

“The Campaigning Forum is the most useful event in my calendar. If you’re interested in learning from passionate, informed, dedicated people, then you shouldn’t miss it!”

Jean O’Brien
Digital Charity Labs & Digital Consultant

Testimonials

It has made my everyday job easier. I have a place to go to for ideas, advice, and experience.

Andrew Khan-Gordon

Testimonials

This is a great gathering of campaigners that gives you a very comprehensive idea of emerging trends, as well as common problems and possible solutions. It’s a very interesting event that is also very effective for networking.

Anastasia Kavada
University of Westminster

The Campaigning Forum is different: participants set the agenda

At the Campaigning Forum, you set your agenda and we help you find others who share it. Speakers and workshops are there to provoke thought. Result: you learn more and connect with more people. This is the way events should be.

Persuade your boss to send you…

  1. Making the case for joining the Campaigning Forum event by Anya Pearson (Contentious)
  2. How I (and my staff) benefited from the Campaigning Forum event by Alison Goldsworthy (Which?)
  3. The best piece of advice I ever ignored by Rachel Collinson
  4. How to make the most of Campaigning Forum events by Duane Raymond
Questions? Get in touch

Campaigning Forum, March 19-21. Oxford, UK

The Agenda

In 2024, there will be a dedicated slot for presentations and open space sessions about having a campaigning impact, specifically:

  1. Deepening and building political engagement amongst supporters
  2. Effective influencing strategies
  3. Getting supportive media coverage
  4. Developing and sustaining local influencer communities

Tue March 19
Oxford

Event Arrivals
18:00-19:30

‘Open Space Leadership’ briefing

This informal pre-dinner session will offer the chance to get the ball rolling and start to gather ideas and proposals for Open Space sessions. Join us to:

  • share ideas and tips on successful Open Space groups
  • review the potential agenda topics and themes that emerge from the participant questionnaires with a fun topic-sorting exercise
  • help start to shape the Campaigning Forum agenda, working in groups to start developing session proposals.

Open to all, though a working knowledge ofOpen Space methodologywill be assumed.
19:30-20:30 Dinner: Kick-start connections and conversations with Campaigning Forum participants
21:00+ Connect to kick-start connections and conversations

Wed Mar 20
Oxford

Campaigning Forum 2023 – Day One
TIME SESSION
08:30 Registration, coffee/tea, informal discussions
09:00 Welcome, introduction and agenda review
09:15 Warm-up activities and speed networking
10:00

Introduction to Open Space
10:15

Open Space knowledge exchange A

  1. To be confirmed based on participant contributions

Examples from 2023 event include:

  1. Election strategies and election agenda
  2. Campaign tactics for impact
  3. Is Just Stop Oil et. al. helpful or counterproductive?
11.15 Coffee/tea break
11:45

Plenary: keynote speaker to be confirmed

Examples from past events include:

  • 2019: State of the nation – Just how divided are we, and how do we build bridges? Rosie Carter, HOPE not Hate
  • 2018: Reaching beyond the choir, Léane de Laigue is Head of Communications at Climate Outreach
12:30 Lunch
13:30

Peer presentations

  1. Podcasting workshop: Exploring how we at the Transnationals Institute (TNI) put together our podcast, share experiences and brainstorm other ways to make a podcast successful. (Denis Burke, Transnationals Institute) 
  2. Graphic design secrets (Jean O’Brien, Digital Charity Labs)
14:30

Open Space knowledge exchange B

  1. To be confirmed based on participant contributions

Examples from 2023 event include:

  1. Going beyond petitions to convert leads into supporters
  2. Disinformation: how to tackle it and communicate in a polarised society
  3. Artificial Intelligence
15:30 Coffee/tea break
16:15

Open Space knowledge exchange C

  1. To be confirmed based on participant contributions

Examples from 2023 event include:

  1. Creating positive, solution-oriented campaigns in a world of crisis fatigue
  2. How to measure success when trying to reach people’s hearts and minds?
17:15

Ignite talks (7 min each)

  1. To be confirmed based on participant contributions
  2. See what it takes to deliver an ignite-style talk.

Examples from 2023 event include:

  1. The Peat-za box: ‘It’s pizza, but not as we know it’ which is an engagement tool to get people interested in peatlands! (Sara Booth-Card, Wildlife Trusts)
  2. The Rooftop News: a news site which aims to platform positive news stories, to amplify maligned voices and offer an alternative to the constantly negative mainstream news cycle (Lizzie Lewis, Campaign Collective)
  3. How to get rid of your website’s consent banner (Juri Maier, wegewerk)
  4. UK Online Safety Bill, and the implications of its proposals for campaigners (Pam Cowburn, Open Rights Group)
18:15

Speed pitching & social

Service providers and consultants tell you what they offer, answer your questions and/or take your feedback. 5 minutes per table then rotate. Free drinks (wine, beer, soft drinks)

  1. PostBug.com (Duane Raymond)
  2. TBA: more contributors as applications are confirmed

Examples from 2023 event include:

  1. Campaign Collective (Lizzie Lewis and Ian Morton)
  2. PostBug.com (Duane Raymond)
  3. Nick Chowdrey (WaterAid): I’m going freelance!
  4. Care2, Rhiannan Sullivan
19:30 Dinner
21:00+ Social

Thu Mar 21

Campaigning Forum 2023 – Day Two
TIME SESSION
08:30 Registration, coffee/tea, informal discussions
09:00 Day two agenda review, pulse check and agenda setting
09:30

Open Space knowledge exchange D

  1. To be confirmed based on participant contributions

Examples from 2023 event include:

  1. How to counter the alt-right: appropriating and twisting of progressive causes?
  2. How to engage Western European audiences in Eastern European naure conservation campaigns?
10:15

Open Space knowledge exchange E

  1. To be confirmed based on participant contributions

Examples from 2023 event include:

  1. How do you evaluate the success of a campaign? e.g social media, going beyond numbers
  2. How to push for change despite being blocked by more conservative parties and media? 
11:15 Coffee/tea break
11:45

Plenary: keynote speaker to be confirmed

Examples from past events include:

  • 2023: A personal journey, practical steps to how we’re re-building the agency to shift power (Alex Kent and Kate Muhwezi, co-CEO of Restless Development)
12:30 Lunch
13:30

Open Space knowledge exchange F

  1. To be confirmed based on participant contributions

Examples from 2023 event include:

  1. Fail tales: confidential sharing of cringeworthy yet amusing failure stories
  2. Newsletters: how, why, when
14:30 Coffee/tea break
15:00

Teach-in: share skills or knowledge with others

  1. To be confirmed based on participant contributions (participants propose a presentation in the application or later)

Examples from 2023 event include:

  1. Social storytelling method workshop (Jean O’Brien, Digital Charity Labs)
  2. Adventures with AI: Using ChatGPT and other AI tools in your day (Duane Raymond, FairSay).
16:30

Ignite Talks (7 min each)

  1. TBC based on applicants’ proposals
  2. See what it takes to deliver an ignite-style talk.

Examples from 2023 event include:

  1. The case for reuse (Keira Roth, The Developer Society)
17:30 Event formally ends
19:00+ Ad-hoc dinner and drinks in near venue – self-organised for those staying around
Get in touch

Confirmed participants

Contact FairSay

Do you have questions about the Campaigning Forum? We’d love to hear from you

Tel: +44 207 993 4200

Email:

Skype: fairsay

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