What can you do when face a campaign from an NGO – a checklist

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I find checklists helpful. I reason if conference planners, surgeons and pilots use checklists, political consultants can use them as well.
I have a pile of checklists filed away on most legislative and regulatory procedures and campaign models.
How to Deal with an NGO Campaign
From time to time, you may be targeted by an NGO campaign. This is part of the checklist I go through with a client when this happens. It is a list that’s grown over 25 plus years working for both NGOs on campaigns and industry.
  1. Does anyone know they are? If they don’t have any impact, and they amount to wailing banshees is at the wind, there’s nothing really to worry about.
  2. Do the Commission/Member States/EP take them seriously? A good rule of thumb is to check with experienced officials working on the file and to see whether they have met them. If they have, but they think of her specifically do they have any influence. If they don’t, I’m not and that’s a lot more common than you may think, you don’t have so much to worry about.
  3. Do they have a successful track record of bringing about change? If they do, you have something to worry about.
  4. Do they membership base in Europe? At the moment, there seems to be an ever-growing set up of NGOs in Brussels, promoting new and sometimes exotic issues. If they don’t have a base, a core constituency of members, from which they derive their authority to act, you have less to worry about.
  5. Do they have a good network of offices across Europe. This will help them to activate any pan-European campaign.
  6. Do they have good political access in Brussels and national capitals? From my time at WWF, I was always impressed at the direct access the network had at the ministerial and PM/President level.
  7. Is bringing about policy/political change in their DNA? Most NGOs are conservation and scientific organisations. They don’t do much on bringing about policy change. Some worked out a long time ago that the only way to deliver their conservation goals is to bring about policy change. Which one are you dealing with?
  8.  Are they are in the business of campaigning or management consultancy? Many NGOs got out of the business of campaigning and switched their business model to one that looks like a management consultancy.  If you’re dealing with an NGO copying the McKinsey/BCG model, you don’t have so much to worry about.
  9. Is their campaign getting pick up? Is the Mail, FT and local news picking up the story?
  10. Do you start to see the issue get picked up by popular TV and radio?
  11. Do friends, family, and dinner party guests talking about it?
  12. Are politicians raising the issue in Parliamentary Questions, debates, and speeches?
  13.  Are they one of the big beast NGOs? If you are dealing with one of the big beasts like Greeneenpace or the Panda, it is time to wake up.
  14. Do they have a good and experienced campaign leading on the issue? There are few players who if they are organising or advising on the campaign should give you sleepless nights.
  15.  Are they respected? If they are, take notice. NGOs in most of Europe are more trusted by the public than companies.
  16. Did you ignore their previous requests to meet? It is staringly how often requests to discuss an issue got ignored or lost, and firms wake up when they find their name in the press. It tends to ignore many requests to meet.
  17. Is there any truth to what they are saying? In my experience, they probably know your supply chain better than you. Do you really have all the evidence at hand?
  18. Do you have some legacy/current issues you don’t want going public?
  19. Does your firm have a consistent record on the issue?
  20. Can you provide the evidence that vindicates you publically?
  21. Can you solve the issue quickly? If there is an issue, you may well be able to solve it quietly and effortlessly.
  22. If you want to solve the issue, speak with them.  They are likely going to bring in the world’s leading scientist or expert on the issue to talk about the issue.
  23. If it is a major campaign, it is likely that you are going to be outspent and won’t have the time commitment to deal with the issue.
  24. Check if the NGO is being consistent? Do they have an Achilles heel? Are the anti-meat campaigners dining out on steak at team retreats?
  25. Who is funding them? If the major players, you are going to be unspent.
  26. Do you have the real funds on hand to deal with being targeted by a campaign?
  27. Do you have a team of people able to deal with a campaign? If you don’t, get one.
  28. Do you have a team of people able to talk with the NGO? If you don’t, get one.
  29. Can you deal with emotional campaigns, or do you respond in public with the emotional range of a Klingon?
  30. If you don’t mind the political and social vilification, you can choose to ignore the NGO campaign. Some firms do this.
  31. If you want to broker a peaceful settlement, will your own staff and allies try and sabotage you?
  32. Co-opt them into endless public dialogue.
  33. Divert them by sending them down a social media rabbit warren.
This is part of a much longer operational checklist.

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