Congrats Changemaker! You did it -- you’ve made real change. Now it’s time to let all the people who helped you get there know how you won.

Declare victory on your petition only after a concrete change has been made. Sometimes, the final solution looks a bit different than what you originally asked for, and that’s ok. If you feel like it’s a win, declare victory. If there’s something else you want to ask for, you can always start another petition.

Why you should declare petition victory

After making a petition, declaring victory is an important step towards achieving your goal. Celebrating the success of rallying support for an important cause not only rewards those involved in making a difference, but also strengthens the voices that seek to make positive change. There are always setbacks on the road to progress. When a victory does occur, it's worth it to truly celebrate the moment. It also keeps people motivated to continue with the work that is still to come. 

Follow these steps to involve your supporters with a petition victory campaign.

How to declare petition victory

We’ve created a tool to help you share your victory with your supporters. 

1. Login to your petition, and in the dashboard section of your petition click "Declare Victory"

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2. Tell us briefly about your victory and how you created change.
For a chance to have your petition featured on our homepage, be sure to tell us what you did to win! Help us verify your victory by posting links to any media coverage you received.

Please remember to thank your signers and remind them that if they are being affected by the same issue, or something entirely different, they can start a petition too by visiting:
Change.org/start-a-petition

If your petition received less than 5 signatures, you may not be ready to declare victory. You’ll be directed to a notification instead with ways to grow your signature count.

3. Thank your supporters in your victory post, and let them know how much you appreciate their help! 
We’ll send an email that is sent to all your signers with your post telling them about your victory and the post will be featured on your petition page.

Example:

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4. Share your victory on Facebook and Twitter using our “share your petition” tool:

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After you declare petition victory

After you’ve told your supporters the good news, there are a few final steps to your petition.

Send a thank you to your Decision Maker
Send a thank you email or *gasp* a handwritten note to your decision maker and let them know what the change means to you and your supporters. This is a good opportunity to show that you and your supporters are committed to your cause and the change you negotiated for.

Tell your media contacts
Was your petition featured in the media? Be sure to reach out to the journalists that wrote about it and let them know of your victory! Tell them how you got there and thank them if they supported it.

After your victory
Creating change doesn’t have to stop after your victory! We encourage you to continue to stay in touch with your supporters by sending petitions updates, if there are new developments about the issue. Some other great next steps are:

  • Start another petition asking a different decision makers to make a similar changes

  • Encourage your friends and family to start their own petition on an issue they care about.

Haven’t seen any concrete change yet? Check out these tips to build more momentum for your petition.