If you have any further questions, or want to contact us about another issue, please get in touch using the form below.
Why should I start a campaign?
Democracy 3.0 is a powerful platform because it combines three important elements for any campaign.
It enables you to build a support base. It then allows you to raise the resources needed to fund your campaign. The third element is that we then work with you to appoint dedicated professional campaign experts in order to turbo-charge your cause and maximise your prospects of success.
So, if you have a cause you are passionate about, and want to create real change – not just collect signatures – then Democracy 3.0 is the best place for you to start your campaign.
How do I start a campaign?
Click here to start a campaign.
Why use Democracy 3.0 rather than an online petition site such as change.org?
Democracy 3.0 is totally different from online petition sites. We not only provide a platform for campaigners to gather supporters, but importantly we help bring campaigns to life by enabling those supporters (we call them Registered Supporters) to fund the deployment of professional experts like PR specialists, professional lobbyists, marketers and pollsters to work for your cause.
You can’t run a car on fumes, and you can’t run a campaign without funds. So, if all you want is to collect signatures then an online petition site can do that, but if you want your campaign to be properly resourced, get visibility in the media and among influential politicians, making real change, use Democracy 3.0.
What makes a good campaign on Democracy 3.0?
We want to encourage campaigns that promote the common good and that are achievable.
This means we’re not the right place to raise money if you’re running a marathon or trying to end global poverty, but if you’re looking to achieve something like a change the law – or stop a change in the law – then this could well be the best place to host your campaign.
Before creating your campaign, take a look at our values and think about your end goal. What would success look like? What are the milestones along the way? It’s also worth considering whether your campaign would best be planned in separate stages, with successive waves of fundraising.
If you have any questions, please get in touch.
What information is required for a campaign?
When setting up your campaign on Democracy 3.0, you will need to provide:
What funds will I receive?
As a campaign creator, you will not personally receive any of the funds raised. Instead, we pay campaigners directly using the campaigns’ funds. This improves trust for our donors, who can guarantee that their money will be effectively used for what they pledged towards, and allows us to hand-pick the best people to work on each campaign from our trusted network.
However, we do recognise that some campaigns will need to use Democracy 3.0 as a fundraising platform. In those situations we do permit campaign creators to receive funds but that has to be made very clear on the campaign page.
How long do campaigns run for?
How long is a piece of string? It’s flexible: campaigns kick off with an initial duration determined by the creator when making the campaign. If the project is successful and continues to raise money, then Democracy 3.0 will leave it live on the platform until the campaign has either been successful or funding donations have ceased. If you need more time or to re-open your campaign then we can easily arrange that.
What are Democracy 3.0’s fees?
Democracy 3.0 charges £500 plus 5% of donations for campaigns that raise more than £10,000. For campaigns that raise less than £10,000, we charge just the £500.
These fees pay for site upkeep and help us retain the staff that work on every campaign. All other money raised goes directly to campaigning on issues.
I’m a charity so can we claim Gift Aid on donations?
We can’t process Gift Aided donations so no, sorry.
How do I communicate with my supporters?
Working with the Democracy 3.0 staff, campaign creators can post updates on the website that are also emailed to Registered Supporters. We do not permission to hand over the email addresses of Registered Supporters to campaign creators but we are happy to email them at a frequency determined by mutual consent.
Why call it ‘Democracy 3.0’?
Digital Activism – the use of online petitions, polling, social media and so on – has been called ‘Democracy 2.0’. But what Digital Activism has lacked until now has been access to proper resources and expertise. That is why the vast majority of online petitions fail to have any impact at all. They might make people feel that they’re doing their bit but the reality is that, without resources and professional expertise to plan and execute a campaign, it’s very difficult to achieve your goal.
Are campaigns and petitions connected to a political party?
Democracy 3.0 is entirely independent from any political party and is funded by campaign donations.
We do however have a set of values which you can read which explain our commitment to serve the Common Good.
What is the money raised by campaigns spent on?
Democracy 3.0’s mission is to democratise political influence by enabling grassroots campaigns with a good cause to be as well resourced as big corporate campaigns. We engage a network of public relations professionals, lobbyists, pollsters and marketers who work on behalf of our platform’s campaigns, helping them achieve their goals. Funds raised here pay for this expertise, transforming those campaigns into engines of real change rather than languishing on an online petition site gathering signatures.
What else makes Democracy 3.0 different from online petition sites?
At Democracy 3.0 we are very clear that our main aim is to help campaigners build their support base and fundraise specifically for their campaign. We therefore hold money raised to be spent only on the campaign people have given to. There is also a separate way for people to donate to the upkeep of our site but the vast majority of donations are earmarked just for the campaign chosen.
So because we always set aside for the specific campaign the money that people have donated, there is no risk of money being raised and then not used for that campaign.
Why sign a campaign?
Signing up to become a Registered Supporter on Democracy 3.0 helps campaigners show that their cause is popular and enables communication between supporters and the campaigns they support.
Can I sign a campaign twice?
We put measures in place to discourage signing a campaign more than once in order that the campaigns on our platform reflect genuine support as honestly as possible. You can however sign to indicate your support for as many different campaigns as you like.
Do petitions work?
Rarely if ever. A petition may make its signatories feel that they’re doing something and ease the conscience, but it is seldom an effective way of making change, despite the claims by online petition websites that they are ‘changing the world’. In contrast, the Democracy 3.0 platform enables campaigners to build a genuine support base via whom they can access funding to drive their cause through professional campaign activities. We are focused on real, not illusory, change.
What happens when you sign a campaign?
While your signature can help to show that public opinion is behind a cause, donating money to a campaign goes much further to realising the campaign’s goals.
When does the money leave my account if I donate to a campaign?
Your donation is instant and money will leave your account immediately. While our campaigns have targets, these are suggested goals that will allow us to deliver certain actions (for example to commission polling to test wider public opinion, or to run a social media campaign).
Can my donation be anonymous?
Yes. If you want to contribute to a campaign, but don’t want anyone to know, your donation will be recorded as anonymous on the website (unless there is a statutory requirement to disclose, such as donations to All-Party Parliamentary Groups above £1500 in a single calendar year). Democracy 3.0 will retain your information for GDPR purposes, but will never make it public if that’s your wish.
What information of mine is shared with campaign creators?
Your name and your donation amount is shared with campaign creators, but Democracy 3.0 does not pass on any other information. Your contact details and payment information remain secure and confidential. If you give us permission to email you on behalf of your supported campaign then that communication will come from us, not them.
Can I change my donation amount?
Once you have donated, you cannot change your donation amount as each transaction is final. However, if you want to continue supporting a campaign you can donate again, with no limit on the donation size or the number of donations.
Can you refund my donation?
If you’ve donated in error, email us to explain what happened.
