BREAZE

Planning is very important. What does your group want to achieve? What are your objectives? If half of your members want to lobby politicians for political change, choose a couple of key issues and focus on them. If others want to work with the local community raising awareness about climate change, map out a plan for how you want to start doing this (and stick to it).

New opportunities and campaigns will come up. Other Climate Action Groups or environmental groups might ask you to help them out with an activity in your area. You might hear through the networks of a national event you want to be a part of that will take up much of your time. The government might introduce a new policy or make a decision you want to campaign on. Whatever the case, if you have a clear plan and objectives, you will find it much easier to compare and weigh up priorities for your group.

The main benefits of having a (strategic) plan for your group include:

• clearly defining your group's purpose
• communicating those goals to your members and others
• ensuring ownership of the group's direction
• focusing the use of precious resources (money and volunteer efforts) on key priorities
• providing a base line to measure your progress
• allowing contributions and consensus about where you are heading.

As your group grows in membership, volunteers or even staff, it is even more crucial to have an agreed Strategic Plan to help everyone coordinate their efforts and acheive the group's goals.

Developing and reviewing your plan every 12 months is recommended to keep your group focused, and to make sure you are active on the most important issues to your community. Other key times to think about planning or reviewing your existing plan:

• when you are getting started
• when you are thinking about taking on a new focus / activity / enterprise
• when planning the year's budget/finances

For more information about planning for your advocacy  campaigns click here.