Campaigns to End Violence against Women and Girls - Virtual ...

audience so as to garner public support for a cause. Open letters are normally published
in some forum, e.g. a newspaper or an e-mail list. Letters to supporters inform
campaign supporters on progress in the campaign, and encourage them to continue
supporting it. See the section on campaign newsletters for general advice that can be
used to effectively inform and motivate supporters.
The rise of e-campaigning has led to letters and petitions being able to reach large
numbers of people in a short time span. The use of “new” communication technology,
such as the internet and mobile telephones, in campaigning can be a quick, cheap and
effective way of contacting, informing and mobilizing large numbers of people in
contexts where electronic tools are easily accessible and widely used.
Letter-writing
When to start a letter-writing or postcard campaign?
� If it is reasonably certain a sufficient number of people will write and send letters and
e-mail messages, or join a sign-on letter campaign. A stakeholder analysis could be
helpful in gauging the potential success of letter or postcard-writing activities.
� If there is a legal mechanism that obliges addressees to consider public letters –
e.g. in some countries, city councils must receive citizens’ comments on planned
infrastructure projects before implementing them – a useful entry point for
campaigners for Safe Cities.
Practical tips for letter writing
� Provide templates or text “building blocks” that contain the main points the letter
needs to include, so that supporters do not need to draft the entire letter. You may
also use a sample letter that supporters can copy and adapt. There are new ecampaigning
tools that allow online letters or petitions to be easily ‘signed’ by
supporters and transmitted instantly to decision-makers.
� In the letter, point out a goal that is important to the recipient(s) and that can be
attained by taking the action you call for.
� Encourage people in positions of authority to join the letter-writing campaign –
one well-argued letter from an influential person or group can have more impact than
hundreds of postcards.
� Make it explicit that you invite both women and men, and people from different
backgrounds to write letters, so as to increase the number of letters and
demonstrate that your cause is supported by a wide cross-section of society.
� If you use postcards, design them carefully so that they look appealing and convey
the message in few words and images. Use a single, simple design to convey the
message clearly. Again, e-campaigning tools have made e-postcards a useful way of
engaging large numbers of supporters with internet access.
� Detailed guidance on letter-writing campaigns or solidarity letters is available in
the form of a 2009 guide by Women Living under Muslim Laws (WLUML),
Solidarity Actions: The Letter-writing Campaign.
Open letters
Open letters are letters to decision-makers that are published through the media, so as
to emphasize the addressee’s responsibility in the matter and to provoke a public
debate. They are similar in structure to Open/Opinion Editorials. One can buy
advertisement space to publish an open letter, if none of the newspapers contacted is
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Campaigns December 2011