Organizing Model

Organizing Model Puzzle

Base Building

Recruit and support people to build power to make economic, political and social change.
  • Phonebank, canvass, partner and conduct digital outreach
  • Help identify self-interest and build energy and hope in each conversation
  • Invite people to act on what they care about, their motivation, feelings of power, core needs
  • Analyze issues with community members to imagine possibilities and next steps
  • Realize our capacity to create change by exercising collective power by engaging decision makers
  • Follow up and build trust on an ongoing basis

Issue Selection

Choose issues that energize our base and will lead to local, state and national change.
  • Take direction from people in the community on problems to addressIdentify the players upholding the corporate agenda and create a plan to target them for change
  • Leadership Development: Develop political consciousness and organizing skills of members to build an individual sense of power and make change collectively.
  • Instill a culture of learning and growth by offering continual training and political analysis in every meeting and gathering
  • Provide opportunities for members to practice skills through campaigns
  • Help leaders prepare to take effective collective action and learn by doing
  • Standardize basic trainings for all new members within a year of joining the organization
  • Provide leadership development opportunities for all members every level- newly joined and more experienced

Local Campaigns

Focus on winnable issues that impact lives, build skills /power and lead to structural change in every local chapter.
  • Plan a clear timeline to a win so people feel their power early on
  • Research the root causes of problem/s, potential issues and possible demands
  • Analyze political landscape, potential targets, allies and opponents
  • Recruit allies and get agreement on alignment of values
  • Persuade targets/neutralize opposition via actions like rallies, press conferences, hearings, voter outreach, town halls, etc.
  • Develop implementation plan for follow up and resource allocation
  • Celebrate victory with members, organization and allies and share clear, measurable gains
  • Leverage gains and power to move other issues and campaigns

Alliance Building

Build broader power capable of winning local, state and national change.
  • Grow the partnerships necessary to win systemic change
  • Develop trust, alignment of vision, shared analysis and collaboration
  • Work at different levels to influence the same issue
  • Use local work to impact organizational campaigns at the state and national levels

Narrative

Unite people across race and class to expand our vision of what’s possible together.
  • Use language consistently that reinforces our worldview that we can win by joining across race and place
  • View policy victories within the larger goal of systems that value human lives over corporate profit
  • Communicate our vision of what’s possible publicly while revealing the villain and how race is being used to divide us