A few don'ts

Backing politicians
In elections, do not back any single candidate, even if they are supporting one of your campaigns. Charities are not allowed to do this. You can, however, back a
candidate’s policy. So, say: “We agree with candidate x that this is the right thing to do.” Don’t say “We’re supporting candidate x” or “We’re asking supporters to vote for candidate x”.

Bluffing
If someone asks you a question to which you don’t know the answer, do not make things up. If you don’t know, you have a couple of good options:

  • say that you will try to find out the answer
  • say ‘I’m not sure about that, but generally it’s the case that…’ and make a general point which you are sure about

The most important asset a campaigner has is credibility. You need to preserve your assets, not destroy them. If you end up saying something in public which is not true, you end up in trouble with regulators. If your targets realise this, they may start to doubt other things you have told them.

Staging unplanned marches and protests
Make sure you tell the local police about any marches or protests you are planning. They can give you advice about how to proceed. Advising the police in advance about your plans will mean that you will not encounter trouble on the day.

Going beyond your remit
Charities can only campaign to change things which are related to their mission. You can interpret Rethink Mental Illness' mission very broadly, but do not go completely beyond its scope if you are campaigning as a Rethink Mental Illness group. It is against charity law to do so.

What's Rethink Mental Illness mission?

Working together to help everyone affected by severe mental illness recover a better quality of life

Taking it personally
If people are not persuaded by your arguments, do not take it personally. They are not rejecting you. There are probably many reasons why they are rejecting your change and you may not have control over all of them.

Breaking the law
Civil disobedience, e.g. sit-ins or blocking traffic, is not to be recommended. It will cause more trouble than the attention is worth.

Attacking individuals
Don’t say anything that could be considered rude or offensive about a particular person. You could end up in a libel suit.