If you’re working in communications, chances are you’ve come across the term campaigning. Maybe you’ve even used it to describe a press release, a slogan, or a short-term fundraising push. But here’s the truth: campaigning is a discipline of its own – with its own mindset, its own rules, and its own impact logic.
At CamBuildr, we believe that if you want real, lasting engagement, you need more than a comms strategy. You need a campaigning strategy.
Campaigning is Not Just Media Work
Let’s start with a myth: Campaigning is the same as press work, just louder.
It’s not. Media and PR work often react to what’s already happening – they answer press inquiries, comment on breaking stories, push statements into the world. And that’s important. But campaigning goes further. It doesn’t just ask: What do we say? It asks: How do we bring people into the story?
Yes, external events and the news cycle can (and often should) be the spark. But campaigning never stops there. It’s not about the organization’s perspective alone. It’s about people – and how they become part of the solution.
That’s why it makes sense to have someone who owns that perspective:
A dedicated campaigner or campaign team – independent from press or classic comms, but working closely with them.
Campaigning = Attract, Involve, Mobilize
So what does campaigning actually do?
We work with a simple model at CamBuildr, one that guides the structure of most successful campaigns:
Attract – Identify and reach new potential supporters.
Involve – Create meaningful ways for them to engage.
Mobilize – Turn that engagement into collective action.
It’s not about shouting louder. It’s about offering entry points, paths, and purpose.
And while CamBuildr doesn’t dictate your strategy, our tools are built to support exactly this flow:
Smart targeting and segmentation to attract new contacts
Interactive pages and email journeys to involve them
Action tools, donation flows, and mobilization apps to keep them moving
Campaigning Needs Consistency
Another key difference from reactive PR:
Campaigning is not an event. It’s a process.
Good campaigns build relationships – and relationships require consistency. That’s what we mean by Permanent Campaigning. It doesn’t mean running full-scale campaigns year-round, but it does mean:
Staying visible even when there’s no crisis
Reinforcing the same narrative again and again
Showing up with relevance when it matters most
In short: Consistency is key.
If you’re always starting from scratch, you’re losing momentum. If you build a community over time, every action becomes easier.
Campaigning Builds Community
At its core, campaigning is about people. It’s not just about getting a message out – it’s about drawing people in. We don’t see supporters as an audience. We see them as participants. And our job is to help them grow into that role.
That’s why every campaign should ask:
How do we attract the right people?
How do we involve them meaningfully?
And how do we mobilize them for change?
Tools help, of course – and CamBuildr provides plenty of them. But tools without the right mindset are just noise.