Digital Revolution Toolkit

You cannot cut your way to growth. Sometimes communications and digital tools lead to limited or undesirable results, thus bringing decision makers to the conclusion that these tools are ineffective. The truth is, it is important to invest in digital organising, because that leads to more members who are able to put in more resources that can then turn into better communications which will result in more members, which leads to better communications and on and on.

Convincing leadership that this is important is crucial. Trade unionists have shared experiences of finding it difficult to show the value of these tools for different generations of workers. However, it is simple to explain that the tools do not replace existing efforts, rather it enhances them. The hardest part, as explained by union activists, has been convincing leadership to continue despite digital actions not taking off right away. The most successful digital campaigns can take years of organising and planning before ever bearing fruit.

When you are low on resources, you need to be creative in maximising the impact of a campaign. This means generating content from those on the ground and telling a good story. A good story comes from
examples of real people and how they have been affected by certain policies and, importantly, their stories of resistance.

When telling a story without a lot of human resources you can automate your communications by scheduling when they will be sent. It is like meal planning, get all your ingredients together and then plan out your week so you are not always struggling to post things in time.

Lithuanian colleagues share a story of not having a lot of resources in their campaign to raise pay and fight corruption. Activists created simple slogans and graphics based on campaigns in North America and Italy. Images of a black swan with the words ‘’work to rule’’ were sent digitally and printed physically so that workers who were taking part in the campaign felt they were included. Activists bought mirrors and placed them outside politicians’ workplaces to show politicians that they were the problem holding up progress. Ministers had to step down as the protests ramped up. This was a creative action that did not cost a lot of money but turned out to be very effective.

Now that you have made your campaigning and communications a priority and you have taken stock of the resources that you have (or do not have), it is time to be strategic and work within your means to create a successful campaign.

This starts with setting a clear goal.  Often “awareness raising” is given as a goal to digital teams, or to “go viral”. These are not goals! The difference between a vague hope and a digital goal, is about focusing on what digital tools can actually achieve in and of themselves, specific and measurable, and then finding the tactics to do that.

This goal must be achievable in real world conditions and has to be specific. There is no sense in trying to fight for ‘’change’’, ‘’better’’, or ‘’mobilise workers’’ because these ideas are too abstract. You could try: ‘’increase social media following by 20%’’, ‘’ensure five amendments are included in new legislation’’, ‘’mobilise 2.500 workers for a demonstration’’.

Make a conscious decision to hire communicators and to choose the right channels that you can communicate with. It is impossible to do everything, so find out where your members are and then reach out to them. Do not create a TikTok or send email newsletters if these are not deemed effective.

The best campaigns do not come from working in one office building. The key is to share leadership. Leaders from other affiliates, workplaces, or even allies can be empowered to help share and lead messaging on your campaign.

An example: A European citizen’s initiative that pushed the Right2Water campaign aimed to ensure that the right to water and sanitation was enshrined in Member States of the European Union. This was the first ever European initiative to gain one million signatures and it can be said that it is because it was done with allies. It was supported by the Austrian and German trade union federations as well as the sectoral federation EPSU but also 120 different NGOs. 

We can also learn from the example of the Fight for 15 campaign that was led by American Unions. This campaign started as an attempt to raise wages to a decent level in fast food restaurants. The campaign was interesting as it was not claimed by any one trade union which made sharing leadership with civil society and political parties possible. The movement spiralled to dazzling success where there were protests in places like the United Kingdom, Japan and Brazil. Insisting on owning the branding of a campaign is usually not the most effective way for it to grow.

Every campaign should be easy to join. There must be tools that leaders and activists can use to share your material. Consider creating:

• Talking points
• Stock posts for social media
• Shareable graphics
• Petitions
• Infographics
• And contact information for anyone to get involved.

Identify the opposition. Just like for your campaign goals, you need to be specific. Who is your opposition here in this campaign: Is it local management? Is it far-right political forces? The European Council? This group is the one you either need to convince or to get out of the way for you to achieve your goals.

The final part of building a successful campaign is to adapt from lessons learned. Sometimes campaigns and the use of digital tools are more successful than even you expected, but that is a rare case. Oftentimes, when you launch a shiny new digital tool, it does not reach the numbers that you had imagined in your head. Successful change takes time. Giving up too soon is a mistake, you need to adapt, not stop. Successful change takes time.

The ETUC is a good example of adapting to new realities. With its new petitioning tool, workers and supporters were able to engage digitally with European issues, sometimes for the first time. Numbers in the database went up but there were still some wrinkles to smooth out to get the most out of this new tool. There have since been discussions to add different mailing and social media services to the tool in order to help deal with certain deficiencies and become more effective in the long run.