LAUNCH YOUR OWN 'I AM' CAMPAIGN
‘I Am’ is a user-friendly campaign that brings information to the public in a digestible format.
Setting up the ‘I Am’ campaign in your city, community, or college campus is as easy as following the steps below:
BUILD A FOUNDATION:
1) GET A GROUP TOGETHER
Focus on the foundation of your group and grab a few people who feel passionately about stem cell advancements and understand the ‘I Am’ vision.
2) SET UP A MEETING
Do some outreach via email, fax, phone, and mail. Look for people in the office, at church, or on your college campus. Pick an accessible time and location for people to meet. Be outgoing and encourage people to come. Don’t be shy! The worst that can happen is someone says no.
3) FIRST MEETING
Show the ‘I Am’ Video.
Talk about why stem cell research is important to you, or why you are interested in spreading the ‘I Am’ message.
Ask people why they decided to attend the meeting.
Discuss the origins of the stem cell debate:
- The root of the debate is whether or not stem cell research is morally “in-bounds.” Misinformation fuels
controversy, and stem cell research is falsely linked to abortion and human cloning. (*Here I always emphasize
this point by saying that if all the misinformation were true, I would also be against stem cell research!)
- There is also debate about whether a frozen blastocyst should be thrown away or used for stem cell research.
Opponents of stem cell research think using frozen blastocysts, which would otherwise be thrown away, for
research is morally wrong.
- The ‘I Am’ organization believes that straightforward facts would eliminate most controversy.
Discuss the ‘I Am’ vision:
‘I Am’ supports stem cell research, which we believe has the potential to provide cures for millions of Americans afflicted with various diseases.
Education is the key to advancing support. Lack of information and misinformation fuel opposition. Given accurate information, most people find stem cell research well within their moral and ethical boundaries.
‘I Am’ exists to promote educational opportunities, tools for teaching, and to offer a unique perspective on stem cell research. We promote constructive dialogue and work to encourage our government to place advancing stem cell research on the agenda as a fiscal and political priority.
We believe stem cell research is pro-life and has the potential to protect the sanctity of life.
Pool your resources:
There is a place for every skill anyone brings to the group. Use someone’s creativity for marketing, find someone who is good at crunching numbers to be your group accountant, and find outgoing personalities to do media outreach and group expansion. There are several roles you’ll want to fill:
- Accountant, just someone to deposit donations and keep the books
- Media Person, to write editorials or submit statements on behalf of the group
- Outreach, someone to rally the troops, book volunteers, solicit more help and members
- Campaign Manager, someone to execute the ‘I Am’ campaign
- Event coordinator, a person to find local fairs, workshops, or any other place you could set up an educational
booth
- Education coordinator, someone who will contact organizations and ask that your ‘I Am’ group be allowed to
present the ‘I Am’ presentation See Teaching Tools for instructions on presenting
- The Expert, a person who makes it their priority to stay on top of the science and keep the group “in the know”
See Educate Yourself for a solid foundation, and dig deeper by exploring the links page
Every branch of ‘I Am’ is different and your group roles will evolve. You may need more or less people to accomplish the aforementioned tasks. You may not even find that the above areas pertain to your group. Make ‘I Am’ work for you and your audience.
EXECUTING THE CAMPAIGN
1) Phase One:
The goal of phase one is to get buzz generating. The campaign begins with various “Interested?” posters with different disease statistics on each, like “Heart disease: 58 million affected.”
Download various “Interested?” images below and use to create posters, flyers, and put on billboards.
The intent of this campaign phase is to be vague, raise questions, and begin dialogue. We want people to think “of course I’m interested in cancer” and then wonder what links the cancer poster to the Alzheimer’s poster to the diabetes poster. We want people to be wonder what links all these chronic diseases together.
This usually results in a lot of talk about “what” and “why” theses posters are up. Additionally, it is advisable that when you reproduce these “Interested?” images you include the website so people have the ability to seek out more information.
If people know you’re involved with the semi-mysterious advertisements, be prepared for questions and use the opportunity to have constructive dialogue and solicit another supporter or volunteer.
2) Phase Two:
Bring the message home. What links all these chronic diseases? Stem cell research. Interested now? I Am!
Every place you have an “Interested?” image, replace it with an “I Am” image.
Download "I Am."Graphic
If you’ve placed posters you can just add the “I Am” poster to the area. If you’re working on a larger scale, such as a billboard, you can totally replace the “Interested?” image with the “I Am” image.
Your organization may want to order shirts, particularly if you are working around a specific amendment, ballot initiative, or event. Some t-shirt companies will give you a reduced rate if you explain you’re a nonprofit and what your cause is. Remember, chances are the manager or owner has someone in their life that could benefit! T-shirts are a GREAT conversation starter. Design your own or give the company the official ‘I Am’ design to replicate.
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OUTREACH
Schedule as many opportunities to meet with existing groups, clubs, and companies as possible. Any audience of any size is a great opportunity to spread our message.
Keep up with the news and current events. Have group members write editorials to local papers. Typing a newspaper name into any search engine will direct you to their homepage; there is always a “contact us” or “editorial” link.
Start friendly conversations. Wearing an ‘I Am’ t-shirt or button is one great way to start conversations. Asking whether or not they are “interested in stem cell research?” is too!
Recruit more people to join your group. Keep your ears open. Some of the best volunteers could be helped, or have family who could be helped, by advancements in stem cell research.
THINGS TO REMEMBER
• If you have one positive conversation it’s a success.
• Listen, then talk.
• Educate yourself and be able to address misinformation.
• Education will free our cause from misinformation!
