Petitions templates can be very helpful for campaign organizers to appropriately structure their petitions. GoPetition has attracted a large volume of high quality online petitions that I can recommend as templates.
High quality templates may be viewed in GoPetition's directory here. The petition samples outlined in the template directory have passed a baseline quality test. As petition examples, these samples provide a variety of formatting options. The formats of these suggested templates may vary considerably so I suggest that you peruse several of the samples listed.
Some of the GoPetition petition template suggestions are in multiple languages and styles so there are a variety of options to choose from. The template directory is not exhaustive but offers some excellent ideas for any cause.
It should be made clear that the templates suggested are not for court processes or legal proceedings. Instead the templates are in the form of those for traditional signature gathering for causes and protests.
What makes a good petition template? A quality petition template will show a clear structure. It will normally have a section for background information called the “Preamble” followed closely by the main “petition text” which is the exact call for action that signers will be asked to support. There will also be core and optional fields for actual data collection. Core fields usually include first and last names and email address, while optional fields include street address, zip or post code, and short comment.
In terms of logic, a good petition template will allow the author to:
- Describes the circumstances which have caused the petition,
- Suggest what is needed in the particular case of the petition,
- Call for some form of specific action or refrain; and
- Explains why action (or refrain) is needed.
- Provide flexibility to display core and optional fields for data collection.
GoPetition welcomes questions from any campaigner who is about to launch a petition. GoPetition also offers a feedback service which is free. For those who need extra help I suggest browsing the GoPetition help page and info on how to write a petition.