Organizing Kit

7 Steps for Organizing a "Dear Sudan" Campaign

1. Create an ad hoc committee. Draw upon local congregations in forming a campaign committee. Include clergy and laypersons. Choose a chairperson who can be easily contacted by interested individuals and media. Assign tasks and roles, such as community outreach or spokesperson, according to the talents and interests of members.



2. Create a realistic goal. The Darfur crisis is overwhelming. It’s difficult to look at photographs of suffering people; and the huge numbers make our response seem insignificant. By framing a response in terms of the size of our community’s population, we set reasonable goals for success that encouraged participation and commitment. Since Petaluma is a small town we included the whole community in our campaign. But the size of a city like Los Angeles would make it difficult to launch a citywide campaign. In larger communities, it may work better to focus on a single or a group of congregations in setting fundraising goals.



3. Contact Church World Service to let them know your plans. Staff in CWS Regional Offices across the U.S. can be helpful in providing information and resources to support your efforts. Call 1-888-297-2767.
   
   For information on the work of Church World Service visit their website at www.churchworldservice.org.
   
   For information on the work of American Jewish World Service visit their website at http://www.ajws.org/dafur.



4. Create a sense of local commitment. The campaign has built on our community’s sense of service. People want to respond but don’t know how to do it, and we discovered that it is much easier to face such an awesome problem together rather than as individuals. Efforts include:
   
   
   • inviting local clergy and political leaders to participate in public events
   • distributing posters and fliers at local congregations and other key sites
   • reaching out to junior high and high school students through an essay contest: "Why Should I Help the Hungry?"
   • enlisting the support of local businesses
   
   Find a way to include a broad spectrum of groups and organizations.



5. Create awareness about the Sudan crisis. We organized educational events on the Sudan crisis as part of a community forum series. Scholars and political leaders in the area are eager to inform us about the Sudan crisis. They have offered new opportunities for involvement. Offer informational materials at local community gathering places, such as bookstores. Give people a wide range of options for participation, such as making donations, writing letters to political leaders, reading books and articles, and hosting house parties. Also, in many regions it is important to include local Sudanese residents as partners in the campaign.



6. Engage the media. It is important to contact editors of local newspapers and speak to them directly about your effort. Ask them to assign a reporter to cover the story. You can develop valuable relationships with them by clearly stating the facts and sharing your own personal perspective. Bulletin inserts and a sample letter (that may be used as a letter to the editor) are available at Resources. For more information about the Sudanese refugees, visit the Church World Service website.



7. Send in your donation. Please do not set up a separate account, but rather send contributions directly to Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515 -- note "Dear Sudan Campaign" and the name of your community in the memo line.

Back to top