In this blog, learn about four experts who teach core campaigning skills at the Sheila McKechnie Foundation and what made one participant say, “I thought it was all really interesting and I could have done a whole day on it.”
It’s important to know who you’ll be learning from before you book a campaign training course or workshop. SMK’s expert Associates facilitate our many workshops, and today we’d like to introduce you to the four that run the foundational workshops on the Campaign Carousel: Lucy Brisbane McKay, Alex Jones, Niamh Ni Mhaoileoin, and James Noble.
Lucy Brisbane McKay
Who is Lucy?
Lucy delivers SMK’s Introduction to Campaigning and Social Change workshop. Lucy is a campaigns and media professional, facilitator and trainer whose work centres people with lived experience of injustice and trauma. Alongside supporting campaigners and charities to create social change, Lucy works as a Community Organiser at The Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
Why learn from Lucy?
Campaigning can sometimes feel overwhelming when you’re starting out. Lucy has a real talent for making it feel accessible. She combines years of hands-on campaigning experience with practical facilitation, helping people understand not just what campaigning is, but how to apply it to their own work. Participants often tell us they leave feeling more confident, with practical ideas they can start using straight away.
One participant said, “The provision of examples was incredibly helpful. I also think Lucy did a fantastic job and invigorated all the attendees. I’m looking forward to the next one because of her energy and her depth of experience.”
What will you learn from Lucy?
Whether you’re completely new to campaigning or looking to refresh your knowledge, Lucy’s workshop is designed to give you a solid foundation. Together you’ll explore:
- What campaigning really is
- How social change happens
- Understanding power and influence
- Planning an effective campaign
- Choosing the right tactics
- Learning from real campaign examples
Alex Jones
Who is Alex?
Alex is SMK’s Head of Programmes and delivers our Analysing the Problem and Planning for Change workshop. Alex has over twenty years’ experience in the charity sector, spanning national campaigns, senior leadership, movement-building and grassroots community development.
Why learn from Alex?
One of the hardest parts of a campaign is identifying what the problem is, what your solution is, and how you’re going to get there. Alex will walk you through each part with simple tools you can bring back to your team. Participants always let us know how easy Alex makes the campaign planning process feel.
In the words of a participant, “The mapping entry points process made it really clear on whether you should work on a campaign in the first place and how your organisation is best placed to do this.”
What will you learn from Alex?
Alex’s workshop is made to leave you knowing what to do next. With his help, you will:
- Practice identifying the root causes of the issue
- Analyse ways of mapping targets and allies
- Make your campaign plans practical and useable
- Learn three key practical tools and approaches
Niamh Ni Mhaoileoin
Who is Niamh?
Niamh delivers SMK’s Storytelling for Change workshop. Niamh is an experienced campaigner and communicator based in Scotland. She believes in using clear, bold, honest messaging to strengthen movements and win change. She’s worked with organisations including the TUC, Shelter and Save the Children, in senior press and digital roles, as well as editing the progressive blog Left Foot Forward, and contributing to publications including the New Statesman and the Independent.
Why learn from Niamh?
It’s difficult to understand how to choose the right channels, messenger, and audience for the story your campaign is trying to tell. Niamh breaks it down into easy steps, providing hope and examples along the way. Participants say Niamh makes the session easy, informative, and fun.
As a participant put it,“Niamh had so much valuable knowledge to share and drew on examples to help further the points they were discussing.”
What will you learn from Niamh?
Niamh’s workshop is meant to give you the confidence to communicate effectively. With her help, you’ll learn:
- How to develop powerful framing, narratives and stories for campaigns
- Examples of effective campaign communications
- How to choose the right channels and messenger
- How different channels together complement each other
James Noble
Who is James?
James delivers SMK’s Evaluating What Matters workshop. James is an experienced evaluation specialist and social researcher who has worked in the charity sector for over a decade. He focuses on helping charities and funders decide on what they want to achieve and how they are going to measure it. He has written extensively on topics such as theory of change, research methods and evaluation theory.
Why learn from James?
A lot of campaigners don’t know how to evaluate the success of their campaigns, or don’t know how to make that learning actionable. James tells you exactly what data needs to be collected and what to do with it next. Participants mention to us how useful they find the session.
As a participant said, “I thought it was all really interesting and I could have done a whole day on it. A couple of the tables were really insightful and I will definitely be sharing those in my organisation.”
What will you learn from James?
James’s workshop is designed to give you the tools you need to evaluate your campaign’s success. With him, you’ll:
- Explore the context for learning and evaluation
- See how a simple theory of change can underpin your learning approach
- Learn about a series of practical campaigning tools and frameworks
- Embed learning through a practical case study
Want to learn from these experts? Here’s what you can do:
- Sign up here for the Campaign Carousel or Campaign Carousel Mini by 22 Sept. Apply the discount code “smkearlybird2026″ for 10% off if you book before 13 Sept.
- Subscribe to SMK’s popular social change and campaigning newsletter for news, events, training, resources jobs and more. These often include blogs from these experts themselves!