We know our politicians are motivated to act when they see strong community support demonstrated locally. That's why reaching out to people in your community and growing the Solar Citizens movement is so important.
This guide is full of ideas, tips and resources to help you reach out to others. So let’s get our sun-powered future happening!
The following sections will help you spread the word and reach out to people in your community:
Useful Resources
Tips for signing up people in your community
Tips for running a successful stall
What to do with your signups
And remember, we're here to help! If you have any questions, email us at [email protected].
Hand these out and get people excited about protecting and growing solar:
A5 2-sided PDF
A5 2-sided PDF (without bleed)
A4 (2x A5) 2-sided PDF
Use these to sign people up and grow this people-powered movement for solar: A4 2-sided PDF
Put these up to spread the solar love:
Design 1: A3 PDF, A2 PDF
Design 2: A3 PDF, A2 PDF
You know what to do with them. Check them out on our Merchandise page.
Like and share our posts on Facebook! Follow and retweet us on Twitter!
Put these on your website to invite people to support Solar Citizens:
Web buttons: Design 1, Design 2, Design 3, Design 4.
Web banners: Design 1, Design 2, Design 3, Design 4.
Every person you sign up helps to grow our power and impact. Here are some tips for how to go about it.
We recommend going where solar supporters are likely to gather. Here are some ideas:
We find something like this works well…
"Hello, I’m a volunteer with Solar Citizens, a national community organisation protecting the rights of solar owners and campaigning for sensible clean energy policy. Do you support solar? Do you have solar? The big power companies have been pushing our government to make decisions that have set solar back more than a decade. We have a plan for a sun-powered future and we want to show our politicians that solar is supported by people all around Australia. Are you willing to add your name to help protect and grow solar in Australia?"
Remember that the overwhelming majority of Australians support solar and one in five Aussie homes have solar on the roof, so most people will be interested in what you have to say and be happy to support the campaign. Volunteers tell us all the time about the enthusiastic support they receive when they head out and start talking to people.
Make sure that you:
IMPORTANT! Don’t take it personally when people don’t want to stop. Many people will be busy or in a hurry. Some people may simply just disagree with you - that’s okay too, they will be in the minority. If you do have a tough conversation with someone, take a short break afterwards to reward yourself for dealing with it well. When you jump back into it, your next positive conversation will give you the boost you need. |
Here's what you could take with you:
If you like, you can also wear a Solar Citizens T-shirt and carry other materials such as a poster.
IMPORTANT! When collecting signups, the most important things to collect from people are their full name, their postcode, and their email address. These are important for electronic signups to prevent duplicates and so we can keep in touch with supporters with information that’s relevant to their local area. |
Street stalls at markets, rallies or community events can be very effective at spreading the word and collecting signups – especially if you get out there with a group of people. Here are some tips for running an effective stall.
Thank you so much! Hopefully your efforts have paid off and you now have many more signups from people keen to support solar.
Not only will this help to put pressure on your political representative, it can also have a ripple effect, with many of these new people you’ve signed up potentially getting active to spread the word further.
So, what should you do with these signups?
Finally, you need to congratulate yourself, and know that you are helping bring about a sun-powered future for Australia.