How campaigns decide what success actually looks like
Launch library · evergreen read
Defining success clearly, and doing so before a campaign begins rather than after it ends, prevents the common trap of quietly redefining success after the fact to match whatever result the campaign happened to actually achieve by the time everything finally, eventually wraps up, regardless of what was originally intended at the outset.
This definition should be specific enough to be checked honestly later, naming the change expected, roughly by when, and how it will be recognised, rather than remaining vague enough that almost any outcome could later be described as a success by whoever is reporting it.
Agreeing on this definition with key supporters and funders early also avoids later disagreement about whether a campaign genuinely delivered, since everyone involved has already agreed in advance on what evidence would count as a real, genuine result worth celebrating together, openly and honestly, without any awkward disagreement about what actually counted as success.