Creating opportunities for activists to learn from winning campaigns by recording and sharing the strategies, stories, and passions of leading campaigners.

 

Note on the Case Studies:
To protect the work of activists, the full case studies created through this project are available only to other activists who have signed up with the Business Ethics Network, which provides education and other resources to campaigners. Membership in BEN is free. If you’re a campaigner who would like to join BEN and gain access to the case studies and other resources, or you want to learn more about BEN membership, please go here.

*These materials do not necessarily reflect the views of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, its trustees, or its staff.

Certain people are born wanting to change the world for the better. Others have something happen in their lives which makes them activists. But once they know they are activists, where do people learn how to win critical campaigns? learning spaces

Most experienced advocates have learned their skills on the job, but what if more training were available? What if there were more opportunities for activists to share their hard-earned knowledge with both experienced colleagues and new campaigners? What if there were also more opportunities for people to hear activists' stories, and be inspired to support and participate in changing the world for the better? More campaigns would be won. To meet this goal, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund is sponsoring the Campaign Stories video project, with organizing support from the Business Ethics Network. We are recording activists giving detailed cases studies of successful campaigns, capturing the strategies and tactics which led to the wins, so they can be studied and used by other activists. We are also interviewing the activists about what inspired them to do advocacy as a profession, what their work lives are like, and what sustains them through the long campaigns necessary to achieve change.

The project began with a 2009 retreat, honoring innovative campaigner Phil Clapp. As we organized the retreat, we were looking forward to Phil being one of the presenters. Phil was the perfect campaigners for the event because of his strategic and innovative environmental work and because of his dedication to sharing his successful approaches with other activists. As so many were, our team of retreat organizers and participants was deeply saddened by Phil's death in the fall of 2008. We dedicated the retreat to him in honor of his legacy as an advocate and as a teacher of others in this movement.

We look forward to continuing this effort, honoring Phil and all activists, and strengthening the movements which are changing the world for the better.