Make three ideas clearer
Name what matters to students, what you already know and what you still need to ask. Check what your intended role can actually influence.
For your next contribution to the student movement
Your ideas.
A campaign with direction.
You’re putting yourself forward. Start with what you bring.
A reason to run. A perspective your peers should hear. An idea you want to explore. Give those strengths a practical plan for your student-union election.
Start here / Free
One useful plan.
Room for your own voice.
Choose one election and the seat you’re considering. Use the starter to connect your ideas with the role, the people you want to hear from and the next actions you can take.
Practise a short introduction
Build a 60-second class talk in your own words. Check permission, time limits and accessible ways to share your message before arranging a visit.
Plan a manageable week
Give each action an owner, a realistic time and a permission check. Leave room for classes, work, rest and whatever your week already holds.
Keep the rules and the receipts together
The starter also includes a source check and a blank campaign budget CSV. Record a spending limit separately from any grant, advance or reimbursement. Keep uncertain amounts unknown until you have the controlling rule.
- Open the printable candidate starter
- Download the editable text starter
- Download the expense-log template (CSV)
No account or submission. Edit downloaded files on your device; your entries are not sent to the Lab. Print your filled HTML page to PDF or paper before closing it. Use the text download for an editable file.
The printable HTML has editable planning boxes; print your filled copy to PDF before closing it. The text version can be edited in your usual text editor. The CSV opens in a spreadsheet app and contains blank tracking columns, with no formulas. These files do not send your entries to the Lab.
The fuller toolkit / In development
Prepare the work.
Build your practice.
We’re developing resources that help candidates organize a thoughtful campaign and carry the learning into what comes next, whether or not they take office.
The free starter is available now. The fuller package’s contents, access period, price and included support are still being defined. It is not available to purchase or join.
- Your purpose and your platform
- Prompts and worked examples for connecting student priorities with a role’s actual responsibilities.
- Conversations you can prepare
- Short lessons for class talks, candidate forums and questions, with room to practise your own message.
- A team and a week you can organize
- Tools for shared tasks, permission-based campaigning, accessible materials and realistic use of your time.
- A useful record of your campaign
- Source and expense tracking, reflection and a next-step note you can use after the election.
The role makes a difference
Prepare for the seat
you’re running for.
Executive candidates: connect your priorities with the portfolio, the team and what your organization can authorize. Board and council candidates: prepare to represent a constituency, ask useful questions and contribute to collective decisions.
Senate and institutional governing-board candidates: check the university or college’s election rules as well as any rules administered through your union. The election authority, spending limit and payer can be different.
Start with the supports already around you: the election office, accessible-format or accommodation routes, existing candidate briefings, student knowledge and your own experience. Ask the election authority before relying on an unclear rule.
A few useful answers
Before you begin.
Can I use the starter before I decide to run?
Yes. Use it to explore your priorities and the role. Read your election’s rules about nominations, preparation and campaigning before sharing materials or asking for votes. A planning exercise does not give permission to campaign early.
Will my union reimburse campaign resources?
Possibly, depending on the exact election, office, expense and approval process. A spending cap is not a payment to you. Some elections provide materials instead of money or prohibit candidate spending. Check the current rules and ask the election authority how a free or paid resource should be treated. No reimbursement approval for a Lab product is implied.
Does the starter submit my information or require an account?
No. The downloadable files have no submission form or account. Work on your own device, keep a copy and choose what you share. Use appropriately shareable information; you do not need a private class list, student case details or personal information about other candidates.
Does this include coaching, ongoing membership or an election service?
No. The available starter is self-directed. The fuller toolkit is in development, and any future support would need its own clear scope. Consulting, crisis stabilization and ongoing Lab membership are separate routes.
Have a general question about the resources we’re building?
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