How to plan a successful campaign for #MHDay2022

We’re only a few weeks away from Menstrual Hygiene Day (MH Day) on the 28th of May and it’s time to start planning your content for the big day.

As part of our partnership with The Case for Her and WASH United, we’ve been supporting 43 grassroots organizations in the run-up to MH Day to increase their digital fundraising and advocacy skills, and help change perceptions on menstrual health. These changemakers are taking part in a virtual six-month Building Resilience in Digital Growth and Engagement (BRIDGE) programme to teach them how to make the most of their digital channels and receive training from Lightful’s team of experts.

As part of the BRIDGE programme, we recently hosted an online masterclass on how to launch a successful campaign for #MHDay2022. It was a great opportunity to connect with participating organisations and help everyone start planning for their campaigns, and so we thought we’d share some practical tips from the session to spark some ideas for how your organization can join in on this global day of action.

Not sure where to start with your campaign? Here are some practical tips to consider.

Updates about #MHDay2022 campaign

For the last three years, the MH Day movement has been calling for more action and investment in menstrual health and hygiene using the hashtag #ItsTimeForAction as a rallying cry. To catalyse progress, we are now shifting from calling for action to leading by example by committing to action.  #WeAreCommitted

Under the theme of commitment, the MH Day campaign continues its efforts to raise awareness and catalyse action across priority topics: access to menstrual products, education about menstruation and ending taboos and stigma.

The big success of MH Day is,  that although organisations are doing their own campaign and the movement is very diverse, by everyone using the same hashtag and the MH Day logo, it still feels like one unified global campaign, where we all together make our voices heard loud and clear.

Set your objectives - what do you want to achieve?

The best way to create an effective campaign is to know what you want to achieve. Think of your objectives and how you are going to achieve them.

Your objectives could include:

• Raise awareness of your work
• Improve engagement
• Get the conversation going about period stigma
• Motivate others to spread the word
• Partner with another organisation

Once you confirm your campaign’s focus, it’s time to set your goals.

Your campaign goals should be specific, measurable, actionable, relevant, and timely (SMART goals).

Here are some examples:

• Activate 50 supporters to join #MHDay2022 and mention you with photos and videos during the campaign
• Gain 20 followers in May as part of #MHDay2022 on Instagram
• Activate 10 staff and board members to join the campaign and support your organization

You don’t need to set too many goals – make sure you focus on what’s important for your organisation.

Map out your network - who will support you?

Your network will help you amplify your campaign.

It’s your staff, your board, your volunteers, your ambassadors, and your partners who will turn the campaign into a success.

Working with influencers can help you reach new audiences with positive messaging about menstruation. The Menstruation Bracelet is a simple and attractive way for influencers to add their voice to the campaign. You can also explore opportunities to expand your network by partnering with other organisations, reaching out to influencers, or local media to appeal to new followers.

Make it easier for everyone to join your campaign by providing them with a document with all the details about your campaign and the available assets.

Plan your content ahead of time - what will you post?

It helps to organise your content ahead of time to avoid last-minute posts before #MHDay2022.

Think of your campaign’s theme and focus ( for example the issue of education, or highlighting MHM for people with disabilities, a fundraiser for pads) and what you want to communicate. Start creating content for the channels you’re going to use.

Create a few posts before the day to announce your participation and inform your supporters. You can always add more posts closer to the time. Also, this year MH Day is on a Saturday and depending on your audience's social media usage, you might want to share posts on the days leading up to and following 28 May.

Remember, the two core campaign hashtags are #MHDay2022 and #WeAreCommitted.

Tell a story - how do you communicate your impact?

Your story can make a difference. Use your channels to communicate your impact and join this year’s theme around commitment.

Share your commitment to stay accountable and transparent. Link the overall theme to your own mission or focus of your #MHDay2022 campaign:

For example, you can say:

• #WeAreCommitted to creating a world without period poverty
• #WeAreCommitted to creating a world where everyone has access to menstruation products.
• #WeAreCommitted to reaching 200 girls with period products
• #WeAreCommitted to normalise periods in our community, so that there are no more limits for women and girls.
• #WeAreCommitted to making sure that education does not stop when a period starts

Use the available resources

The ready-to-use campaign materials are available on the Menstrual Hygiene Day website.

The free-to-use campaign motifs provided by the MH Day International Secretariat cover a wide range of topics. The motifs are available as ready-to-use versions with headlines in Arabic, English, French, German, Hindi, Portuguese, and Spanish. And as versions without headlines to include your own messaging in a variety of sizes for all social channels. All motifs come with white space for your organisation’s logo to make it yours!

The Menstruation Bracelet is a simple yet powerful symbol of menstruation. The free digital bracelet is the easiest option to add your voice to the campaign. By including it in your social media images, you can show that periods are nothing to hide and help tackle period stigma, one post at a time. The bracelet is available as a static or animated cut-out in a variety of colours and shapes.

(example: WASH United)

What’s next?

We’d love to see your posts in the run-up to MHDay!

Tag the MH Day social channels: @menstrualhygieneday (Facebook, Instagram) and @mhday28may (Twitter)

Always use the main hashtags for MH Day 2022 are #MHDay2022 and #WeAreCommitted.

In addition, you can also use the following thematic hashtags to highlight your specific areas of work

• #EndPeriodStigma
• #EndPeriodPoverty
• #PeriodEducationForAll
• #PeriodfriendlyToiletsForAll

Thanks to Ina Jurga, International Coordinator for Menstrual Hygiene Day and Head of Education at WASH United for providing the resources for this blog!