START YOUR CAMPAIGN
Bring the fight against fossil fuel banks to your university
Students can challenge fossil fuel finance in three connected ways: organising students to switch banks, mobilising the Students' Union to move its money and formally support the campaign, and pressuring the university to change its banking providers.
Each pathway strengthens the others, building the collective power needed to move universities away from banks profiting from climate breakdown.
Quick Links
Organise students
Mobilise your Students' Union
Mobilise your university
Start your chapter
01
Mobilise Students
Get students to switch banks and grow your campaign
Start conversations about how banks finance fossil fuel expansion and help students move their accounts to green banks.
Student outreach does more than generate switches. It builds awareness, recruits campaigners and demonstrates that fossil fuel financing is costing banks the next generation of customers.
Get in contact so that we can share all our resources and induction training
RESOURCES AND SUGGESTED ACTIONS
Talk to students at campaign stalls and share the Why Switch Banks and How to Switch Banks flyers
Help students compare their options using the Green Bank and Fossil Bank profile cards
Organise a bank switching event and guide students through the process using the switching presentation
Start conversations across campus by sharing campaign stickers, social media graphics and campaign posts
02
Mobilise your Students' Union
Turn student support into formal lobbying
Students' Unions can move their own money away from banks financing fossil fuel expansion and formally call on the university to do the same.
Passing a Students' Union policy gives the campaign a democratic mandate. It shows that students support the campaign's demand and makes it harder for the university to ignore.
RESOURCES AND SUGGESTED ACTIONS
Submit the Green Banking Policy Template to your Students' Union
Present the case for action to students, representatives and elected officers using the policy presentation
Talk to the Students' Union finance team and share the Guide to Switching Students' Union Banking Services and Finance Team FAQ
Ask elected officers to formally support the campaign and lobby the university to switch banks
03
Mobilise your university
Move your university's money away from fossil banks
Universities collectively hold billions of pounds in current and deposit accounts. They also purchase loans, corporate cards, payment processing and other valuable banking services.
When a university banks with a fossil fuel financier, it provides that bank with money to continue financing climate breakdown.
Students can expose this relationship, demand a review and build enough pressure to make the university move banks
RESOURCES AND SUGGESTED ACTIONS
Find out which banks and banking services the university uses
Meet the university's finance and sustainability teams and present the case using the University Lobbying Guide and presentation
Launch a petition or open letter calling on the university to move away from banks financing fossil fuel expansion
Take the campaign banner, flyers and placards to a campaign stall or peaceful public demonstration
Contact student and local media to expose the university's banking relationships and build public pressure
START YOUR CAMPAIGN CHAPTER
Ready to bring SB4S to your university?
Complete the form and we will arrange an introductory call. We will help you choose where to begin, provide your campaign resources and support your team as the campaign develops.
You do not need campaigning experience or an existing team.
We provide induction training and share all the digital resources and physical campaign materials you need to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. You do not need any previous campaigning experience. SB4S will provide training, resources and ongoing support to help you get started.
No. You can start by yourself and build a team over time. We can help you recruit other students and connect with relevant societies at your university.
Yes. An existing sustainability, climate justice, political or campaigning society can run an SB4S chapter. You can also create an independent campaign team.
This depends on your campaign goals and availability. You can begin with a few hours each month and increase your activity as your team grows. We will help you create a realistic plan.
No. You can begin by organising students, mobilising your Students’ Union or targeting your university directly. The strongest campaigns eventually connect all three pathways, but you do not need to do everything at once.
We provide campaign guides, flyers, policy templates, presentations, switching resources, social media content, email templates and materials for campaign stalls and public demonstrations!
Yes, subject to availability. We aim to provide chapters with materials such as flyers, stickers, and a campaign banner.
While we cannot join meetings with your university, we are very happy to provide ongoing support, share relevant information and help you build the case for why your university can and should switch to a green bank.
Yes. Support from staff, academics and university research centres can strengthen your campaign and make it harder for decision makers to ignore your demands.
We expect that many universities will initially resist switching banks. That is why building support through the different campaign pathways is so important. Organising students, securing formal support from the Students’ Union and mobilising the wider university community will strengthen your case and increase pressure on decision makers.
Once your chapter is established, you will join the national SB4S network. We will share opportunities to participate in coordinated actions, switching events, training sessions and national campaign days.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. You do not need any previous campaigning experience. SB4S will provide training, resources and ongoing support to help you get started.
No. You can start by yourself and build a team over time. We can help you recruit other students and connect with relevant societies at your university.
Yes. An existing sustainability, climate justice, political or campaigning society can run an SB4S chapter. You can also create an independent campaign team.
This depends on your campaign goals and availability. You can begin with a few hours each month and increase your activity as your team grows. We will help you create a realistic plan.
No. You can begin by organising students, mobilising your Students’ Union or targeting your university directly. The strongest campaigns eventually connect all three pathways, but you do not need to do everything at once.
We provide campaign guides, flyers, policy templates, presentations, switching resources, social media content, email templates and materials for campaign stalls and public demonstrations!
Yes, subject to availability. We aim to provide chapters with materials such as flyers, stickers, and a campaign banner.
While we cannot join meetings with your university, we are very happy to provide ongoing support, share relevant information and help you build the case for why your university can and should switch to a green bank.
Yes. Support from staff, academics and university research centres can strengthen your campaign and make it harder for decision makers to ignore your demands.
We expect that many universities will initially resist switching banks. That is why building support through the different campaign pathways is so important. Organising students, securing formal support from the Students’ Union and mobilising the wider university community will strengthen your case and increase pressure on decision makers.
Once your chapter is established, you will join the national SB4S network. We will share opportunities to participate in coordinated actions, switching events, training sessions and national campaign days.