Be prepared and show that you've done your homework:

• When requesting a meeting, give the names of your delegates, a proposed agenda, and request the names and positions of the government participants.
• Make sufficient copies of your presentation materials, with one or two-page executive summaries and background information on your organization.
• Have important documents on hand for reference, if needed.

Know what you want to achieve:

• Keep your expectations reasonable and make them clear.
• Ensure that any promises and/or agreements are clearly understood by both delegations.
• If the minister or board chair does not appear, determine the authority and decision making power of the substituting official(s) and adjust your expectations accordingly.
• Maintain the objective of reasonable, on-going communications.

Conduct effective follow-up:

• Hold a debriefing meeting with the delegation and organization executive as soon as possible to discuss outcomes and next steps.
• Send copies of all requested and ensuing documents related to the campaign to the government delegates and other concerned officers.
• Write a letter thanking the minister, board, etc. for the meeting and list what you think was achieved. State clearly any promises received from the government delegation or agreements reached and request confirmation in writing.
• Inform your community of the results of the meeting.
• Where appropriate, issue a press release.

Nurture supporters among decision-makers:

• Identify supporters in the cabinet, the legislative assembly, the administration, and school boards.
• Keep these people informed and encourage them to promote the issues.
• Develop a sense of trust among supporters and where requested, honour confidentiality.
• Determine the major roadblocks to the success of your lobbying campaign and develop strategies to remove them.
• Build on your successes, inform decision-makers of your achievements and focus on positive solutions.

Petitions, Demonstrations, Strikes

To be successful, grassroots efforts to influence government and to effect change often require substantial evidence that the issues are critical and that change is essential to satisfy the demands of the people. Tangible evidence, such as petitions, demonstrations and strike actions can convince decision-makers to take steps to meet the expressed needs of the public.

A petition constitutes written evidence of the will of the signatories if enough people sign the petition. It can have significant impact on the government, the media and the public.