Timeline
Sep. 20-26:Contact potential coalition partners. Attend their meetings, try to feel out interest, and invite them to the planning meeting.
Sep. 30: Meeting with Pinko. Representatives from each group in the
coalition are invited.
Oct. 7: Deadline for Pinko. If he does it, celebrate. If not continue with your plans.
Oct. 10: Send out press statements from the coalition expressing dismay at Pinko’s policies. Each group in the coalition should send out their own statement, but it should refer to or be signed by all of the others. Announce the beginning of a new study on neighborhood utility costs.
Oct. 14-21:While others are working on the study, go door-to-door to all of Pinko’s apartments and explain the issue to the tenants. Ask them to request insulation from him.
Oct. 24: Announce the results of the study. Mention Pinkerton by name as the worst renter in town.
Oct. 31: Halloween! Have someone dress as Pinko and walk through the streets burning Monopoly money.
Nov. 3: Town Council meeting. Raise the issue and talk to sympathetic members afterward. Get on the agenda for the next meeting.
Nov. 4: Draft a bill with coalition partners.
Nov. 10: Bring the bill to the meeting and present it. Ask for a vote within two weeks.
Nov. 14: Have the coalition write letters and call town council members. Get endorsements from school officials, friendly legislators and small businesses. Publicize the endorsements you receive.
Nov. 24: The Vote. Hopefully you’ve won and can hold a big party.
Regrouping
What if you didn’t win? You have several options. You might want to escalate your tactics so as to put enough pressure on your target for them to give in. By broadening the issue, you can build a stronger coalition on your side. You might want to try changing your main and / or secondary targets. Alternatively, you could choose an easier goal that would be a step towards getting your original one. Don’t be discouraged if you lose (it happens). At least you’ve learned about the issue and about how to organize, and will be better prepared for the next campaign. Maybe you can use the voting power of the students to elect your own candidates to the town council.