Involving beneficiaries in campaigning

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Background to involving beneficiaries in campaigns

The idea that services in the voluntary sector can be delivered exclusively by ‘experts’ and ‘professionals’ is beginning to look increasingly out-of-date. More and more organisations are involving people in the programmes that directly affect them (beneficiaries). Examples include youth services, disability care provision, care for the elderly and refugee support and advice.

'Top-down’, non-participatory methods of service delivery are still widely practised, but there is a growing awareness and acceptance that this is not always the right approach. Organisations now recognise that people need to be involved in shaping the services they receive.

This view has yet to be widely applied to the delivery of campaigns, however. There is still a common assumption that those who are campaigned ‘for’, are unable – for reasons of personal safety, lack of political access, or physical inability – to campaign on their own behalf. As with services in an earlier time, this is being proven untrue through pioneering campaigns run with or by those they represent. These NCVO case studies offer examples of campaigns that involve beneficiaries and users.

There are a range of reasons why this shift is taking place. It represents something that campaigning organisations need to consider and potentially apply and embed in their campaigns.

There are legitimate reasons why user involvement in campaigning may be inappropriate in certain contexts, (for example, threats of political persecution in non-democratic countries). However, it is crucial that this is not the assumed ‘starting point’ for any campaign. Campaigns that are not led by users must be seen as a secondary option, rather than ‘the norm’.

Why involve beneficiaries in campaigns?

Here are some of the arguments for involving those you represent at each stage of campaigns which affect them:

Legitimacy of beneficiary involvement

Meaningful beneficiary involvement gives legitimacy and accountability that strengthens the moral case for your campaigns.  By involving those you represent in your campaign, you demonstrate that the cause or issue ‘really matters’ to those affected by it.

Ownership through involvement in campaigns

People are more likely to feel a result or outcome of a campaign is ‘theirs’, if they have been involved in making it happen. Many campaigns require buy-in from those they are representing if the change is to be sustainable in the longer-term. Even when a campaign win is clearly to the benefit of a particular group of people, the desired impact may never be achieved if those people are not invested in the change.

A new disability benefit, for example, may never achieve its goals, if the people who need it are not aware of it, their eligibility for it, or how to claim it. Beneficiary involvement can help to avoid such potential pitfalls.

Inspiration from beneficiaries

The image of a person making the change they need in the world is inspiring. The idea that people can improve their own and their community’s situation for the better, can strike an almost universal chord with potential supporters. Rather than relying on ‘professionals’ to convey the messages of your campaign, there is great value in providing the space for the people who ultimately benefit from your campaign to express its importance to the public.

Building confidence and empowering beneficieries

Many so-called ‘beneficiaries’ have been told, through various direct and indirect means, that other people are better suited than they are to speak on their behalf. The opportunity to ‘stand-up for yourself’ - which many take for granted - can be an empowering experience for those who have been regularly told it is ‘not their place’.

This can provide an important point of potential overlap between campaigning and service delivery, by involving those who benefit from a campaign in its delivery. In this sense, the process can actually become a stand-alone service.

A ‘pulse check’ for your campaign impact

If the people affected by your campaign are involved in a meaningful way, you will have the best expert monitoring knowledge at your disposal at all times. Ongoing meetings with beneficiaries can provide first-hand knowledge of the progress towards achieving your desired impact - and obstacles experienced - in a far more direct way than most traditional monitoring methods.

Types of campaign involvement

People can be involved in their services or campaigns in different ways. Not all types of involvement will be appropriate to all people or the organisations they work with. For meaningful participation, it's essential to discuss where you or your campaign would like to stand, what you would like to achieve and why, before taking action.

The Partnerships Online framework for participation shows different levels of participation appropriate for different situatons.

Ladder of participation

Once you have clarified your objectives around involving those you represent, a useful tool can be Roger Hart's ladder of young people's participation (Free Child Project). Variations of this tool are often used in youth, community development and disability organisations.

The ladder can be used to evaluate:

• the level of involvement your campaign has achieved
• the ideal level of involvement
• where you stand at any given point during the course of the campaign.

How to involve beneficiaries

There is no one-set approach to involving beneficiaries. It is important to think about why and where beneficiaries could be involved throughout your campaign. It could be useful to think in terms of the campaign cycle here, by:

• identifying problems and selecting the issue as well as collecting a firm evidence base for the campaign
• agreeing on the aims and signing off the objectives
• planning the strategy and deciding on the right tactics
• making it happen during the delivery stage
• monitoring and evaluation on an ongoing basis.

Useful links

• A ‘how to’ of involving beneficiaries in a campaign (NCVOGetting you started' guide to involving beneficiaries in campaigning (NCVO)
• Ladder of young people's participation (Free Child Project)

Further reading

Beneficiary voice in campaigning, EnviroWiki 

Beneficiary involvement, NCVO/Bond, 2010 downloadable from NCVO’s website

Have your say

How do you involve beneficiaries in your campaigns? What have you learnt through this process that you could pass on to others?

Have your say on the Campaigning and lobbying forum.