What are your aims?

What do you want to achieve? Aims do not need to be long or complicated; in fact it is better if they are short and to the point e.g. 'we want more money from the council so that we can take on more dementia referrals'

Is what you want to achieve reasonable? Realistic? Are your aims clear - will anyone be able to understand what you are campaigning for, and why? Have you consulted everyone involved with the service (board, staff, volunteers, clients, their families and friends)? Does everyone involved in the campaign agree with the aims and agree that they are the most pertinent?

When setting your aims:

  • Write them down so that you can refer back to them throughout the campaign to avoid losing focus.
  • Be ambitious: present befriending as an imaginative solution to the problems you are outlining.
  • Be confident: know your competition. If you haven't been successful in a funding bid, who has? Why? Are there other services that are being singled out as better investments; that are being seen as more effective, more modern?
  • Be sure of who you are: if you provide a unique service in your community to your client group, how are you unique?
  • Look at national strategies and trends: how does your befriending service tie in with these? Do they add weight to your argument?
  • Be aware of local priorities and where cuts are being made. If there are cuts being made, try and work out the reasons why they are being made.
  • Be realistic: your aims will need to have a plan, a strategy and a timescale.