Changing petition status (Closing, Declaring Victory, Reopening)
Table of Contents
When you want to stop accepting signatures on your Change.org petition, you have two options: declare victory to celebrate your success, or close your petition to end it for other reasons. Both options keep your petition visible on Change.org while preventing new signatures from being added.
Declaring victory vs. closing your petition
Understanding the difference between these two options helps you choose the right one for your situation on Change.org:
Declare victory
Declaring victory is available once your petition has reached 10 signatures. Choose this option when your petition has achieved its goal or made meaningful progress. Declaring victory on Change.org is appropriate when:
● You've accomplished what you set out to achieve
● You've reached your petition goal
● Your efforts contributed to creating positive change
● Your petition had a positive impact in your community
When you declare victory, you can share a message thanking your supporters and explaining how their signatures made a difference.
Close your petition
Choose this option when you want to end your petition without celebrating a specific victory. Common reasons to close a petition on Change.org include:
● You've gathered enough signatures to deliver to the decision-maker
● You want to temporarily pause your petition activities
● You didn't meet your goal but want to keep the petition page visible for reference
● Circumstances have changed and the petition is no longer needed
How to declare victory on Change.org
1. Log in to your Change.org account
2. Go to your petition dashboard by clicking "My Petitions" in the top menu and selecting the petition you want to declare victory on
3. Click Edit to access the petition editing interface
4. Click the Settings tab next to Edit petition
5. Click the Declare Victory button
6. On the congratulations page, write an update to inform your supporters about the successful outcome
7. Add a title for your update, optionally upload a photo, and describe what happened
8. Submit your victory declaration
Note: Petitions with fewer than 5 signatures are not publicly visible. You also need at least 10 signatures to declare your victory.
How to close a petition on Change.org
Log in to your Change.org account
Open Settings from your account menu
Select Manage Signatures, Petitions, Account
Open Manage Assets
Under Started Petitions, locate the petition you want to close
Select Close
Your petition will no longer accept any signatures once it is closed.
How to reopen a closed petition
To reopen a closed petition,
Log in to your Change.org account
Open Settings from your account menu
Select Manage Signatures, Petitions, Account
Open Manage Assets
Under Started Petitions, locate the closed petition and select Reopen
Your petition will immediately resume accepting new signatures.
Note: If you declared a victory by mistake, click Close Petition, and the Reopen Petition button will appear.
Closing vs. deleting a petition
Closing a petition and deleting a petition are different actions on Change.org:
● Closing: The petition remains visible on Change.org but stops accepting new signatures. You can reopen it later if you change your mind. Remember that closing your petition does not remove your petition from Change.org. The general public and the media will still be able to view your petition and may reach out to you with any inquiries.
● Deleting: The petition will be hard deleted from the platform. This removes the petition from public view and from search engine indexing.
If you want to permanently remove your petition rather than just stop accepting signatures, you can delete the petition. For more information, see the separate article on deleting your petition.
Petitions with fewer than 5 signatures
Petitions on Change.org with fewer than 5 signatures are not publicly visible unless the page URL is shared directly. If your petition has fewer than 5 signatures, you may not need to close it or declare victory unless you want to formally end the campaign.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change from closed to victory?
If you closed your petition but later want to declare victory, you can reopen it first and then declare victory.