Frequently asked questions

Welcome to SMK’s frequently asked questions page  

What is the Sheila McKechnie Foundation (SMK)?  

SMK is a registered charity, founded in February 2005, to honour Dame Sheila Marshall McKechnie DBE — who was a Scottish trade unionist, housing campaigner and consumer activist — after her untimely death at the age of 55 in January 2004.  

SMK’s vision is a more confident and powerful campaign community that works together to drive change.  

SMK’s mission is to unleash the potential of changemakers by providing them with support, connecting them, and championing their interests. 

To find out more about us visit here.  

You can find our annual accounts here.  

Find out who the team is at SMK here.  

What does the SMK do?

If you’ve ever spent time trying to make a difference to the world (‘campaigning’), you’ll know that it is an incredibly effective, exciting, and rewarding thing to do. And you’ll know that it can often be tiring, draining and discouraging, too. 

That’s why we’re here: to keep today’s campaigners and changemakers energised, supported, connected and powered up to keep on pushing for the change they want to see. 

We do this by: 

SUPPORTING you with resources, training and best practice. 

CONNECTING you with others. 

CHAMPIONING the importance of the work you do; and protecting your right to do it. 

We are also deeply committed ourselves to working in deeper solidarity. Read SMK’s commitment to solidarity and equity, diversity and inclusion (SEDI) here.  

How does SMK define ‘campaign’? 

A campaign is activity undertaken to change something – or to stop something from changing.  

Campaigns are often advertising or marketing campaigns designed to persuade us to buy things, or party-political campaigns designed to influence how we vote. Our interest at SMK is campaigns aimed at bringing about social change.   

A campaign could be seeking a change in the law or policy; it could be a change in attitudes or behaviour; it could be a change in the way a system or service is designed or delivered. 

The way any change is pursued can also take many forms – it might mean using social media to raise awareness or art to change how we think about something; it could be a private meeting or a public petition to try and influence policy or change the law; it might be about bringing a community together to save a local venue; or using the law to seek redress when something has gone wrong.   

The key thing about a campaign is that it needs to be winnable – to have a clear goal to work towards and to know when it has been secured.  

How does SMK define ‘campaigner’? 

A campaigner is, then, anyone pursuing change. It could be something big and society-wide – like action on climate. Or something smaller and more personal – like trying to secure the support a child needs at school.  

In this sense, we are all campaigners – we all seek to change or protect things which matter to us. Though we may not think of ourselves or call ourselves ‘campaigners’. 

Other words for ‘campaigner’ are ‘activist’ or ‘changemaker’. Related words include ‘advocate’, ‘protestor’ and ‘organiser’. 

At SMK, we aim to support, connect and celebrate campaigners and changemakers whether working on their own or as part of a big organisation.  

We are not tied to any particular campaigns – we support all campaigners as long as their campaigning does not compromise the rights, freedoms or dignity of others. Our interest is in helping campaigners’ campaign well.   

How does SMK define ‘social change’?

Social change describes broader changes in the way people, cultures, systems and institutions think, behave and organise. These changes are rooted in deeper economic, environmental, technological and demographic trends.   

Campaigners and not for profits typically exist to pursue a social change goal. A campaign would be a time-limited activity intended to help get there.  

For example, reducing poverty could be a social change goal and calling for an increase in the minimum wage a campaign in pursuit of that goal.  

We at SMK help organisations review their overall approach to social change looking out to consider the external social change environment, and looking inwards to consider how resources across the whole organisation can be best used in pursuit of its social change goal.   

Activity undertaken in pursuit of social good is sometimes called ‘social action’.  

How can I financially support SMK?  

You can make a donation to support out work. Find out how to donate here.

You can also sponsor our Annual Campaigner Awards, where each year we seek sponsors and partners for category and title sponsorship and other types of support. Contact Emma Boyd for more information here.  

How can I get involved with SMK? 

Join the community: Stay connected to our work and how we can support you. 

Join our team: Watch this space for jobs and other opportunities. 

Get in touch: Were here to support you so we are only a phone call or email away. 

Does SMK have a privacy and data policy?  

Yes we do. You can access the SMK’s Privacy and UK GDPR policy here.  

This policy outlines our approach to privacy in relation to personal data collected, managed and stored by SMK.  

SMK is committed to protecting the personal data of our clients, supporters, staff and other partners and respecting their privacy on the web. Where SMK records and stores any personal information, we adhere to the requirements of the UK Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 and the Data Protection, Privacy and Electronic Communications (Amendments etc) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (or UK GDPR). If you are based in the EU, we continue to adhere to the EU GDPR. 

Does SMK have a safeguarding policy?  

Yes we do. You can access the safeguarding policy here. 

This policy outlines our approach to safeguarding in relation to adults and children. 

The Sheila McKechnie Foundation acknowledges their duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of adults and children and is committed to ensuring high standards of safeguarding across SMK’s practice. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, and this policy applies to all SMK staff, contractors, and volunteers.