Community Engagement and Organizing Community development organizations of all kinds need to interact constructively and purposefully with their constituents, neighbors, clients, tenants, partners in business, leaders of other nonprofits, and people with whom they have a … Here are few best practices and tips for getting started as an organizer, connecting with individual people, then organizing and inspiring them to action. This is a PowerPoint presentation used to help familiarize new activists with some of the key organizing models for building movements for change and increasing the power and leadership of the poor and oppressed. Use peer to peer texting, phone calls, email, and even social media to keep people informed about an upcoming event. If it sounds complicated, that’s because it is! While there are many different types of online and offline organizing, the main job of an organizer is to create unity (and solidarity), then help their community work together to solve problems and reach shared goals. Community organizing strategies have developed in recent decades along two lines. Almost all active movements meet monthly to sustain affinity. Staff roles are limited to helping volunteers become effective, to guiding … Community organizing — or CO, as we will refer to it throughout this Community Organizing Toolbox— is one of the few strategies working to build grassroots leadership, community initiative and constituent influence in neighborhoods and communities that are often forgotten or ignored by those in power. Usually, a good action is either effective or attention-getting. Community organizing is a key part of an overall strategy to make changes in a community that are widely felt, and that reflect the wishes of the people who are directly affected by alcohol-related community problems. What do Community Organizers do? Reach out to local organizers you know to make sure there’s no conflicts with other groups’ schedules. Canvassing - knocking doors, handing out flyers, tabling, and going out in public places to talk to community-members - is another foundational tactic of grassroots organizing. The guide also includes information about key organizing techniques that can be used throughout your education reform efforts: developing organizational resources and troubleshooting. Occupy Wall Street. What makes a good action? Creating a website for your community is essential; in addition to posting images and videos of previous rallies and demonstrations, you can also post details of upcoming tasks along with their venues and timelines. Check your local event calendar(s) to make sure the date and time you pick doesn’t conflict with any big events that might hurt your turnout (other grassroots actions, major speakers, big sports events, etc). But very few movements grow from postcard parties. As the community organizer, you should divide the goals into 2 categories: Remember: By doing this, you’ve now kept the group centred on exactly what it hopes to achieve. Community Organization Model The Community Organization Model is a participatory decision-making process that empowers communities to improve health. Sunrise Movement. You can also use the welcome message opportunity to explain the purpose of the community and give them ideas for their first post or conversation. As a movement leader, part of your responsibility is to keep movement energy and momentum up, while also helping your people rest, recover, and stay safe. This is one of the simpler community engagement strategies, but it’s incredibly effective. While strategizing, you’ll also have to keep in mind who your potential allies are, and who or what your opposition is. Organizers should aim at moving supporters along an engagement funnel starting them on low-barrier asks like signing a petition or sharing a post on social media. Make sure they're clear, templated, available, and easily shareable. While we talked about the steps involved in a previous article on community organizing, we now focus on important community organizing strategies which make it simpler without losing the desired end impact. The best actions achieve both. That means they want to hear from constituents like you (and your community) about what's important to them. Saul Alinsky (1971) incorporated the idea of self-interest as a motivating factor for community … It describes four steps to develop and implement a community action plan. Engaging in community organizing involves actively cultivating relationships with a number of people, some of whom may have different ideas about solutions. From strategies, your organization should develop specific tactics for the strategy you have chosen. Read on. Tweet and comment (@) at your relevant politicians. Throughout history there are many examples of small communities who generated major media awareness, transformed culture, and overcome major, systemic oppression through smart, effective organizing (all with limited money, resources, and social support). It could be something like staging a rally, going door to door canvassing, holding an event, or calling lawmakers to approve a bill. What Are Some Lessons Learned About Community Organization and Change? Leverage upon your allies, and figure out ways to tackle opposing parties. This can happen at a dedicated event you host, such as a house party or kickoff meeting, or a community forum, meetup, campus event, or block party. It's not the type of excitement that gets press attention or attracts activists. Hopefully with these points in mind, community organizers can find it easier to go about helping communities act towards a common goal. In advocating for the Green New Deal, Sunrise Movement has similarly tied together grassroots lobbying and non-violent civil disobedience with other support events, trainings, resources, and campaigns. Would the community agree with your diagnosis? Grow your mobile list by collecting opt-in’s through text. These could include (but aren’t limited to) organizing rallies, emailing and calling legislators, holding press conferences and contacting local newspapers. Kahn's new book, "Creative Community Organizing: a Guide for Rabble-Rousers, Activists and Quiet Lovers of Justice," is a manifesto for the politically active. The main job responsibilities of a community organizer typically include: Organizers are people-driven problem-solvers - a rare profile that requires working across events, recruiting, relationship-building, marketing, and healing. Community organizing strategies and tactics can be used to organize from outside an organization, institution, community or issue area, from within, or both. Like we've said, dismantling power structures takes time and energy. How well do you actually know the community and its problems? Representing both an homage to, and a departure from the "alinsky traditions" of organizing, Consensus Organizing offers techniques that are specifically designed for urban and rural communities struggling to succeed in the global economy and the information age. The more local you go, the easier it is for organizing to drive real change. Both types have their place in movement-building. If you're organizing for a positive cause, you're welcome to create a free organizer account on Brightest to list your event(s), grow and activate your supporters, and keep track of members. If you have any feedback on how we can make this guide better, please get in touch. "The world is changing rapidly and the practice of community organizing needs to change with it. Leadership Development Leadership Development is one of the most hallowed terms in community organizing. Firstly, is the organizing model of creating deep personal relationships with individuals who will be a core part of the organization’s goals. While it is possible to get a community going online with the right message, platform, and social media skills - in our experience it's much more challenging. Are you involving them in your solution and giving them a say? For example, DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) have several active working groups that are further segmented by city (chapter), identity, affinity, and in some cases by age or student affiliation, like YDSA. The more you know the laws and your rights (and teach them to others), the more successful you'll be as an organizer. Clearly, you should first have an issue in mind which affects a community that you want to help it resolve. Can we count on your support in next month's election on September 6th? Clearly, you should first have an issue in mind which affects a community that you want to help it... Clarify your goals. Identifying and understanding a vulnerable community, its root problem (s), and how the existing social system has... 2. Is there a leader or board of directors? First, we identify a community problem: there are thousands of people who are homeless or live in poverty in our city, insufficient affordable housing, and rents keep rising because of commercial real estate development that only benefits a few wealthy individuals. Community organizing is a broad topic which encompasses several aspects. Community organizing is “a process through which communities are helped to identify common problems or goals, mobilize resources, and in other ways develop and implement strategies for reaching their goals they have collectively set.” S.Rengasamy Madurai Institute of Social Sciences Community Organization 5 "), work in teams of two, be respectful of people's time and private property, and have a clear call to action to deliver in person or leave as a handout. Grassroots activists have been at the heart of every social movement in history, from anti-war movements to LGBTQ+, gender, and civil rights. Whatever it is that your community is fighting for; reducing the usage of fossil fuels by shifting focus on renewables or fighting for more/equal pay, make sure to list out what it is you want to achieve. Depending upon the number of people you can mobilize and the sort of impact you wish to create, choose a strategy which is both manageable and impactful. The key to organizing effective actions and sustainable movements is to be creative, empathetic, and solution-oriented - and have empathy for what your group needs next. It can be tremendously rewarding and important, but it's rarely easy. Community Mobilization: Strategies Guided by Best Practice 1. For this, go about creating a blueprint of actions that your team is going to follow to effect change. It focuses on collective action; the power derived from the synchronized actions of people in unity, as opposed to separate individuals. If your cause or organization doesn't already have them, come up with a plan for your brand, visual identity, symbols, and key messages. Community organizing involves mobilizing a group of people to address common issues and concerns and enabling them to take action. If there are many members, contact the community leaders who would then spread the word to their respective groups. Effective organizing always starts with meeting people in person. For example, in NYRenews' push to pass the Climate and Community Protection Act (CCPA), a "Green New Deal" for New York state, the campaign combined grassroots lobbying, online advocacy, and public rallies at different times to build awareness and political pressure to pass the bill [Disclaimer: we're a coalition-member]. Canvassing can also be used to help register voters, another step to strengthen your political power and influence. To put it simply, community organizing consists of these five steps: This article expands on each step to paint a clearer picture of what community organizing entails with tips which you as community organizers can implement in your organizational efforts. Are the leaders elected (and if so, how)? Community organizing . Some movements are completely decentralized (no leadership control at the top). It's about putting together all the pieces necessary for social change: vision, skills, incentives, resources, and an action plan. Community Organizing: Strategies for Recruitment and Retention. After all, if everyone in a group is involved, everyone should be allowed to take up tasks of importance. Which is why you need a plan in place to develop community leaders who can lead local initiatives. It's always easiest to start building community from your own relationships - neighbors, classmates, friends - people who trust and believe in you. Community organizing is both a tactic to address specific problems and issues and a longer-term engagement and empowerment strategy. Pick a neighborhood ("turf") or public area to work like a college campus, community center, or farmer's market, prepare a very short script (example: "Hi, I'm Sasha from GoodHomes - we're fighting to make housing more affordable for working families like yours. Above all, make sure you have an event signup page for your kickoff meeting to collect RSVPs and keep them informed and involved in your ongoing work. Now that you’ve identified your community members, the next step is to pinpoint your mission and its corresponding goals. The more people you have willing to go the extra mile, the greater is the chance of reaching your objectives in a shorter amount of time. For an actual example of how volunteer leaders can be nurtured, check out this article. Gamification is an excellent community engagement strategy. It emphasizes active participation from the community in identifying key health issues and strategies to address them. The community organizing discussed here is rooted in democratic values and the social justice teachings of the world’s great religious traditions. 1. A version of this guide was originally presented at the 2019 Organizing 2.0 Conference at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies. Thankfully, we have many examples of successful community organizing, some of which come from collaborative partnerships. Depending on the size of your outreach, use different ways to contact people: go door knocking if you’re targeting a neighborhood, or if your community is scattered, use social media to attract people’s attention and set up meeting spots. 7 To provide a practical example, let's say we're organizing for GoodHomes, a fictional community group focused on tenants rights and affordable housing. Do your best to figure out answers to these questions early. 3. Community organizing has as a core goal the generation of durable power for an organization representing the community, allowing it to influence key decision-makers on a range of issues over time. Remember: For mobilizing effectively, your outreach needs to be varied, as different people prefer different ways of being contacted or informed. Also, be mindful of privilege and power dynamics in your own approach. If you’re fighting for equal pay, your allies could be labor unions fighting the same problem in another factory or company, while your opposition could be upper management intent on cutting costs by paying less in salaries. From fighting social injustice to inequality, community organizing finds its roots in movements of the past such as the suffragettes and the trade union movements, among others. Invite them first and ask them to share your event and bring friends. Organizing Strategies - Free download as Powerpoint Presentation (.ppt), PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or view presentation slides online. This step involves gathering people and taking collective action for achieving your mission. Organizing groups depend upon the “power of numbers” to balance the power of the status quo and moneyed interests in trying to accomplish change. Are you a member of the impacted community, or an "ally" looking to help? Call their office and leave a voicemail. The best, most effective organizers we know are people who genuinely care about the community and mission they're serving, put others first, and are powered by the love and positivity they feel doing the work. Tip #1: Never put a canvassing flyer or handout in someone's mailbox - it's against the law in the U.S. Tip #2: It's always good to double-check but normally you don't need a permit to canvass in public in your local community. There's no "right" answer for organizing. Cover all your bases. Quite akin to the common saying, ‘United we stand, divided we fall.’. But it often doesn’t receive the attention and unpacking that it deserves. By examining the system, we realize there are existing municipal (city) laws that benefit a few dozen real estate developers at the expense of thousands of working-class people. Some movements meet weekly. Discussing its tactics apart from this value base is like calling a Tupperware party “community organizing” because it makes use of house meetings to sell its wares. In the ideal, for example, this can get community-organizing groups a place at the table before important decisions are made. That said, trust us when we say organizing is hard, often thankless work. The single best organizing tactics are direct advocacy and direct action. Remember: The aim here is to identify a set of people who would be willing to work towards a common cause, and are interested in initiating action. Black Lives Matter. Face to face meetings are the most effective as they show people that you genuinely care about wanting to help them help themselves (by achieving the collective end goal). #MeToo. The following sections explore six strategies, or models, for directing and changing community systems and human services programs. Write letters. By listening and talking in person, you gain a fair understanding of the people who want to work towards bettering a situation as opposed to the ones who merely want to vent but not work. Get creative. Also, be sure to understand the power structures you're working to change or reform, how they work, and how power is distributed. Community organizing is a democratic strategy used by social movements, labor unions, under-represented communities, and marginalized groups to gain rights, win collective political power, and create positive change. Consensus organizing techniques encourage focus on what the COMMUNITY believes more relevant. Automated and manual outbound calling campaigns, Automated outbound dialers to engage your leads, Connect with supporters and gather data with automated dialers, Manually dial contacts and capture responses on-screen, Manage large number of volunteers by grouping them into teams, Clean up your phonebook by verifying the validity of landline and mobile numbers, Connect supporters to key decision makers, Pre-recorded audio messages to reach a large audience in a short time, Gather responses from your automated calling campaigns, Schedule automated calls to voters with your pre-recorded audio message, Make a large number of calls without waiting for free phone lines, Convert written text into audio to be used in calls, Change your caller ID to match the location of your contacts, Detect answering machines and play a different audio message or hang up the call, Call three times as many supporters in the same time frame, Click to call or set your own dialing rate, Preview contact details before auto dialing them. 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