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What is the Declaration of Equity and Accountability?

How does a Declaration of Equity and Accountability help you win campaigns?�

Durable power

Building durable power, positive community impact, and organizing capacity in the state through campaign investments (money, time, relationships, capacity, process).

Equity lens

Inclusion of a clear equity lens through the entire campaign process, from conception to final evaluation, which leads to equitable outcomes.

Ballot box victory

Passage of the ballot measure (50%+1 vote).

The Declaration of Equity and Accountability (DOE) is a commitment your campaign makes to each other regarding the practices you will embrace to ensure an equitable and impactful campaign. It is something you and your campaign customize, and is supported by the BISC DOE Toolkit. The DOE is to be reviewed, adjusted, improved, and incorporated into the ongoing discussions, decisions, and activities of your campaign.

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Who is the guide intended for?

Whether you are an activist, campaign consultant, contractor, field organizer, fundraiser, donor, foundation, pollster, communication professional, campaign manager, or volunteer, this guide is intended for any individual or coalition interested in winning campaigns that bring lasting change and durable victories shared among those most impacted by social change.

�The Declaration of Equity and Accountability is designed for campaign coalitions, funders, advocates, and stakeholders who are making strategic campaign decisions as a “toolkit” that allows them to discuss, prioritize, and agree to certain campaign principles and practices. Ultimately it is about creating a toolkit that allows campaigns to operationalize the principles of equity that we are striving for as a movement.

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��What do I need to know before getting started?

Anyone can be a convener to initiate the process for a Declaration of Equity and Accountability for your campaign. We recommend identifying ahead of time 2-3 individuals or organizations to co-convene all the stakeholders. This helps develop collective responsibility and accountability for upholding the Declaration of Equity and Accountability.

�No prior background, experiences, or specific training are necessary to use this guide. The only requirement is the willingness to take risks in examining how your own race, gender identity, class, and privilege affect others on the campaign; how decisions are made as a result; and how we can make changes that will result in durable wins and equitable outcomes - setting the coalition up for future successes.

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A Declaration of Equity and Accountability will look different for each campaign depending on timeline, logistics, and what your coalition wants to pursue. This guide offers some basic guidelines for building a successful process that is right for your coalition.

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The Ballot Initiative Strategy Center has researched and uncovered a series of practices within 12 key areas of a campaign that contribute to winning in its Declaration of Equity and Accountability Toolkit. The Declaration of Equity and Accountability can be used regardless if you are in the early stages of forming a campaign or midway through an election cycle. Coalitions are encouraged to incorporate as many areas of the campaign into their Declaration of Equity and Accountability as they are able to or are ready for, leaving room to grow in the future.

Conception & Planning

Coalition Building

Campaign Governance

Campaign Staff

Consultant & Vendor Hiring and Management

Data

Communications

Budget

Research & Polling

Fundraising

Post-Election Day

Organizing

twelve opportunities for equity and accountability

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DoE Process

Organizing

your process

Defining your DoE

Holding ourselves accountable

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two

three

STEPS

four

Writing

your DoE

If possible, the meetings should include your key funders, general consultant, and organizational members that represent BIPOC communities and other directly impacted communities critical to your coalition.

The place of the meetings should be convenient, inclusive, and rotate locations to allow different coalition members to host.

Coalition members should take turns in facilitating discussions and taking notes.

Consider giving your coalition reading materials ahead of each meeting to help prepare them for more productive dialogues.

Someone should be designated as responsible for coordinating logistics, maintaining a depository of documents and materials, and assisting in agenda planning. Have documents and notes related to the meeting(s) in a collective and accessible place for coalition members.

TIPS for a good process for your DoE:

Going through these steps requires dedicating sufficient time in order to have a strong foundation for your declaration.

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step one: organizing your process

The first step is building a strong foundation to base your Declaration of Equity and Accountability on. Spend the time necessary to commit to a process for your declaration. A shared analysis and co-ownership of the process is the foundation to a successful Declaration of Equity and Accountability.

Broaden the set of stakeholders to be engaged in the process, especially communities that are not currently at the table. Bring in your funders and consultants. They need to be committed to the process in order to ensure the shared agreements are implemented.

Go slow to go fast! Focus on the quality of the process in order to get better outcomes. In other words, don’t rush dialogue for time’s sake only. It is better to have a quality experience that builds relationships among your coalition members. A breakthrough in mutual understanding will save time for your campaign in the long run.

Preparing your process for a Declaration of Equity and Accountability

Shared hopes

Ask what what an equitable campaign looks like.
Define what winning is for your members.

Shared definitions

Agree on definitions to important concepts like equity, racism, & power .
Understand each other’s perspective on barriers to a more equitable campaign.

Roles

Share facilitating meetings and note taking to encourage co-ownership of the process.
Ensure meeting materials and documents are housed in a central, accessible location.

Decision-making process

Allow participants to give more than “yes” or “no” choices. (see appendix for resources)
Clarify what types of decisions need to be made and by whom.

Ground rules

Embrace radical transparency.
Empower unheard voices.
Keep people focused on the topic.

You will need to determine ahead of time the following items before jumping into the Declaration of Equity and Accountability process. Don’t skip this step.

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Decide how to make the decision-making process transparent and develop group norms around decision-making.
Ensure agenda setting is inclusive and equitable.
Determine who is best suited for making specific decisions.
Balance time spent on process with actions that move the work forward.

The Ballot Initiative Strategy Center’s Declaration of Equity and Accountability Toolkit provides co-operative practices in critical areas for your campaign. Having a decision-making process that allows for robust discussion, diverse perspectives, and nuanced opinions is essential.

Other decision-making frameworks are contained in the Appendix .

Beyond Consensus decision-making models like Circle Forward are good options for your campaign to consider. The process:

Uses round robin discussions as a format to encourage input and discourage domineering participants;
Allows participants to consent to group decisions by voting based on their range of tolerance (see graph);
Gives voice to those in the minority to influence decision-making by allowing participants to express what decisions they can’t tolerate as a coalition member.

This model creates space for everyone to contribute to the decision-making and is especially helpful if community members are underrepresented in your coalition.

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step two: defining your declaration

Now that you've laid the foundation, it's time to customize and define what campaign components you will consider for your Declaration of Equity and Accountability.

Decide who will be involved in DOE process development and decision-making.

Define your process (number of meetings, when, where, who will facilitate)

Using the DOE Toolkit, decide what campaign sections to prioritize for discussion.

Identify priority practices within the campaign sections you discuss and use a beyond consensus decision-making model to decide what campaign practices to include in your DOE.

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step two: defining your declaration

How have you defined your DoE process and who has been involved in the development of that process. Is there anyone missing?
Where are you in your campaign coalition effort? Where you are in the campaign and coalition building process impacts what sections of the DoE toolkit may be most relevant in the moment.
Which campaign activities have the greatest potential to help you build durable power while achieving a win at the ballot box?
What is your coalition prepared to do in order to have a strong and effective Declaration of Equity and Accountability?

Before Diving into the Declaration of Equity and Accountability Toolkit, ask yourself the following:

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DoE toolkit

After having identified the campaign sections most important to discuss and prioritize, you are ready to dive into Ballot Initiative Strategy Center’s Declaration of Equity and Accountability Toolkit to develop specific practices you collectively want to build an agreement around. Below are links to the 12 campaign areas and accompanying practices that can be discussed and utilized for your DOE.

TOOLKIT AREAS:	DESCRIPTION OF PRINCIPLES:
Conception & Planning	Campaigns engage impacted people and communities of color in decision-making at the very outset of a measure so that the policy, and the impact throughout the campaign AND the outcome is equitable Campaigns and the policies they seek to advance emerge from local leadership and are rooted in community Out-of-state partners follow the lead of local leaders
Coalition Building	Coalition leadership reflects communities most impacted by whichever issues are being addressed
Campaign Governance	Campaign governance is equitable and not overly-representative of national or funder interests
Consultant & Vendor Hiring and Management	Coalitions prioritize and seek out local, BIPOC-owned vendors and BIPOC-led firms whenever possible.
Communications	Narratives that are promoted by the campaign are aspirational and reinforce building power and increased representation for underrepresented communities.
Campaign Staff	Campaign staff reflect the communities they serve (geography, race/ethnicity, class, gender, gender identity and sexual orientation, and/or religion)
Data	Coalition members will embrace a data-informed approach to help ensure coalition resources are spent efficiently and effectively. The coalition embraces various community-centered approaches to gathering and analyzing data and information that may not always derive from polling.

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DoE toolkit

TOOLKIT AREAS:	DESCRIPTION OF PRINCIPLES:
Fundraising	Coalition members are transparent about how much money is being raised and where the money is coming from. Funding partners refrain from using financial investment as leverage to compel local leaders to pursue policies that are not prioritized by local, traditionally marginalized leaders. Funding partners support resource generation for voter education, implementation and defense of policy efforts - not just passage at the ballot.
Budget	Campaign resources are prioritized for local capacity and infrastructure over out-of state vendors.
Research & Polling	Campaign research and polling is conducted in a way that recognizes constituencies of color as important, individual communities worthy of focused research, segmentation, engagement, and prioritization.
Organizing	Whenever possible, field & digital organizing will be run through state-based organizations that are members of the broader in-state coalition, executive and steering committee. In the event that this is not possible, the coalition will work together to determine a fair and inclusionary practice to ensure that any contractors/vendors reflect the coalition’s shared values and abide by the principles of the campaign.
Post-Election Day	Coalition partners recognize that a campaign does not end on Election Day, and are committed to doing what is necessary to lift up a common campaign narrative, to defend victories, and to ensure the implementation of the policies contained in this measure. Coalition members value a culture of learning and rigorous evaluation post-campaign.

The Ballot Initiative Strategy Center’s Declaration of Equity and Accountability Toolkit is the result of strategic conversations with a diverse set of stakeholders and an intentional effort to develop a new way and impactful way of running campaigns more aligned with our values of equity, diversity and inclusion.

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step three: writing your declaration

The Ballot Initiative Strategy Center’s Declaration of Equity and Accountability Toolkit provides context and concrete practices for your campaign to consider in your DoE. Principles, practices, decision-making examples, as well as, indicators and metrics are laid out for each of the 12 major areas of a campaign. For each campaign area you have decided on as a coalition to address, review and decide which principles, practices are metrics you will commit to for your customized Declaration of Equity and Accountability.

COMMITMENT STATEMENT

Your coalition will need to draft a commitment statement for each area of the campaign you have chosen for the Declaration of Equity and Accountability.
The statement is specific to that component of the campaign.
The principal and secondary actors responsible for carrying out the action items sign the commitment, which is an addendum to your campaign MOU.

Tip: Tailor the commitment statement on the equity principle for the campaign area by adding relevant details.

ACTION ITEMS

Action items must be specific in terms of who, when, how, and what.
Action items that are contingent on another coalition member to complete task should be specified.

See the BISC Campaign Toolkit for examples of actions.

METRICS/INDICATORS

Each action item must evaluated using measureable or tangible outcomes.
Evaluation of action items must be conducted during the campaign so any adjustments can be made based changing circumstances.

Resource: Indicators & Metrics Evaluation Guide

Indicators & Metrics

Decision-making

Practices

Principles

Declaration of Equity and Accountability area

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step three: writing your declaration

CONTENT

ROLES

Consider using the structure offered in BISC’s Declaration of Equity and Accountability Toolkit. (See slide 12).
Develop a schedule and deadlines for drafts and reviews.
Use shared digital storage for the declaration that is accessible to your members.
Determine a system for making changes or amendments to the declaration.
Use the Declaration of Equity and Accountability as a tool for orienting new members of your campaign consultant team, coalition, or campaign staff.

Designate a committee to be responsible for ensuring consistency with editing, language, style, grammar, and layout.
Consider asking the coalition member or individuals to draft the Declaration of Equity and Accountability for the area they are responsible for.
Determine who is authorized to sign the Declaration of Equity and Accountability on behalf of their organization or community.
Determine who is authorized to request changes or amendments to the declaration.

Things to consider

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step three: writing your declaration

To operationalize these conversations, write down the commitments you are making to each other based on the results of your group process and conversations.

COMMITMENT STATEMENT

Your coalition will need to draft a commitment statement for each area of the campaign you have chosen for the Declaration of Equity and Accountability.
The statement is specific to that component of the campaign.
The principal and secondary actors responsible for carrying out the action items sign the commitment, which is an addendum to your campaign MOU.

Tip: Tailor the commitment statement on the equity principle for the campaign area by adding relevant details.

ACTION ITEMS

Action items must be specific in terms of who, when, how, and what.
Action items that are contingent on another coalition member to complete task should be specified.

See the BISC Campaign Toolkit for examples of actions.

METRICS/INDICATORS

Each action item must evaluated using measureable or tangible outcomes.
Evaluation of action items must be conducted during the campaign so any adjustments can be made based changing circumstances.

Resource: Indicators & Metrics Evaluation Guide

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step four: holding ourselves accountable

ACCOUNTABILITY

Setting Common Practice. The Declaration of Equity and Accountability is not only intended to uphold preferred practices but also to provide a tool to hold ourselves, our organizations, and one another accountable to what we’ve committed to each other.

Each coalition member and campaign staffer are responsible for holding each other accountable to their end of the Declaration of Equity and Accountability.

Even with a Declaration of Equity and Accountability, there are still differences in power and influence within a campaign coalition’s membership. This affects the ability of your members to hold each other accountable without fear of personal or professional vulnerability.

At its core, this agreement elevates the agreed to practices that can result in more impactful and equitable wins. Naming and addressing race, power, and privilege in the context of this agreement and accountability measures is important. See BISC’s equity resources for assistance.

To help create a safe space, your coalition will need to develop a system that is constructive and proactive for all coalition members to manage accountability.

TIPS

Designate two to three members of your coalition to act as a committee to review any conflicts or complaints. Try to protect the identity of the parties involved if possible especially if it involves junior staff members.
Review regularly the commitments of the Declaration of Equity and Accountability at your coalition’s campaign meetings.
Convene your coalition when deciding to make any changes to the Declaration of Equity and Accountability.
Focus on problem-solving and not blame.
Encourage shared ownership of the solution but recognize that those with privilege have a greater responsibility to carry it out.
Display the Declaration of Equity and Accountability in all of your campaign meetings.
Consider displaying elements of the cooperation, shared definitions, etc. in the campaign office

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