•••This event is for funders only•••

Campaigning is a crucial feature of a healthy democracy, so it’s important that campaigners have the freedom and confidence to make change. That’s why SMK works to protect the space to campaign.

We have been tracking the campaigner experience for the past eight years, as well as related issues – from the health of democratic space to trustee attitudes to speaking out.

In a fraught political landscape, and with a general election underway, understanding the health of the campaigning space is crucial. SMK is often seen as the infrastructure body for change-makers and we work with campaigners drawn from right across society – from the grassroots to big national charities – to understand how this space is working for them.

SMK has been building our evidence base on how campaigning looks in today’s Britain. We've launched a report with Civil Exchange on Protecting our democratic space, spoken to leaders from across sectors as host of the Charity Reform Group, co-published a report with nfpResearch on public attitudes, and have surveyed trustees on their approach to campaigning.

Our latest briefing note, Under Pressure, lays out the findings of our latest Annual Campaigner Survey. They reveal that civil society faces a ‘campaign drain’ if it cannot better support campaigners in the very difficult environment they face.

As a group, we'll explore what can be done, both as individual organisations and collectively, to ensure that campaigners and campaigning thrives at this crucial juncture.

Photo by Brian Kyed on Unsplash

Funder event: The state of campaigning 2024