On its own, a petition rarely has the power to make change unless you can really secure enough signatures to convince (or scare) the person you are petitioning to make the change you are asking for. A school principal might only need a few dozen signatures from parents or more than half the student body to convince her that she needs to make a change. The CEO of a major corporation is probably going to want to see millions of signatures to convince her that not making this change could hurt her bottom line. There’s no magic number or guarantee that it’ll work. But, try it! Use a petition as one part of your campaign.
Here are some tips to make sure your petition is as successful and effective as it can possible be:
DO YOUR RESEARCH
Read and analyze everything you can about the issue, and include some of this research to support your statement. Make sure your research is from a peer-reviewed and well-respected source – or conduct your own study.
CREATE A SIMPLE, ‘WINNABLE’ ASK STATEMENT
Consider what you feel could actually and realistically change. Identify the specific person who has the power to make change and address the petition to that person (or people).
CONSIDER THE “HEART” OF THE ISSUE
Why is it important to you? How will a win or a loss impact you – or people you care about – personally. Share a real story about your life or about someone close to you who is impacted by this issue.
WHY NOW
What is urgent about the issue you are writing about? Did something happen recently that is getting a lot of media attention? How could this raise the visibility of your petition and inspire folks to take action and sign it?
ADDRESS YOUR OPPOSITION
Not everyone is going to agree with you (or you likely would have already “won” this campaign or the issue wouldn’t exist in the first place). Since the petition is just one document and not a conversation, make sure you address what the opposition might be, and then state why their position is wrong, all within the text of your petition.
INCLUDE DYNAMIC IMAGES OR VIDEO TO GET PEOPLE’S ATTENTION
Do you have a photo or a graphic that captures the meaning of the campaign? Can you make a video, in your voice that shows how much you care about the issue, makes it personal and puts a face and a voice to it? Or can you create a clever, funny or memorable video that illuminates something more about why this issue is so important?
SPREAD THE WORD
Who are your allies and potential partners? Are there local activists or organizations already working on this issue? Any reporters who might give it a boost? Celebrities connected to the cause? You are going to need a little help from your friends to make sure your petition is signed by as many folks as possible!