Fundamentals of organizing

KFTC Organizing Training, April 2013

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What is community organizing?

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“I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a ‘community organizer,’ except that you have actual responsibilities.”�

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"What in God's name is a community organizer? I don't even know if that's a job." �

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What others then said….

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“There’s electoral power. Movie stars have fame. Billionaires have money. Low- and moderate-income people have their numbers, and every great movement for social justice — Nelson Mandela preaching against apartheid, civil rights — have all been led by community organizers who took action and held their elected officials accountable.”� -- New York Times, 9.6.08

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• “Community organizers make democracy work by mobilizing people to inject long-ignored issues onto the public agenda and hold politicians accountable. They help give people the confidence they need to use the tools of democracy. In a society where wealth and income is concentrated in a few hands, grassroots organizations make it possible for ordinary Americans to find their civic voice and exercise influence in politics.”

-- The Nation, 9.5.08

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• Community organizing is kind of the antidote to big money lobbying. It’s the way that ordinary people come together to hold the government accountable to what they actually need. So the job of an organizer, someone like me…was doing twenty years ago and other folks do around the country, is bring people together. You know, you knock on doors, you go to churches, you go to synagogues, you go to mosques, you have meetings. But people come together around what they need in the community.

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• “When (they) demeaned community organizing, (they) didn’t attack another candidate. They attacked an American tradition – one that has helped everyday Americans engage with the political process and make a difference in their lives and the lives of their neighbors.”

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Working for change:�Grassroots Organizing

• People working together to achieve a common goal.
• Bottom-up, not top down.
• People building their own power.
• Challenges and changes power relationships.
• Empowers people who are not usually involved.
• Decision-making in the hands of people directly affected.

Examples: KFTC, United Farm Workers

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Understanding Organizing:

Problems, Issues, and the difference between the two.

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Problems

Problems

Problems can be international, national, local or even personal. They can be anything that is undesirable.

• Neighborhood crime
• Hunger in Africa
• Cutbacks in Social Security
• Mr. Jones’s children don’t clean their rooms
• Bad roads
• Unsafe school buses
• The speed limit on Main St. is too high
• Nuclear weapons

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What are some other problems facing our state and local communities?

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How is a problem different than an issue in grassroots organizing?

Issues

• Issues are a problem that a group can work on and has a specific solution.
• Example: Vacant housing in a neighborhood is a problem. The abandoned house at 205 Cherry St. we want torn down is an issue.

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Characteristics of a good issue:

• Winnable
• Builds the organization
• Develops leaders
• Simple, easy to explain
• Clear target
• Unites people
• Strongly felt
• Affects a lot of people
• Involves a lot of people

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• Specific
• Serves organization’s broader goals
• Makes a difference
• Draws attention
• Brings in new members
• Strengthens power base
• Not divisive within the group
• Good timing
• Has a clear solution

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Understanding Power in Grassroots Organizing

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What is Power?

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What is power?

• The ability to get things done,
• The ability to get what you want,
• The ability to make – or prevent – change,
• The ability to make your message heard,
• The ability to shape what people believe and what they think is possible.

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What are some sources of power?

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Sources of power

• Money
• Force, violence
• Information
• People
• Votes
• Non-violent civil disobedience
• Control of jobs and resources
• Media, public opinion
• Control of institutions (churches, schools, government agencies)

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Building and Using Power

Ways we build power

• Grow our numbers by gaining more members
• Grow our resources by fundraising
• Develop new leaders
• Build our knowledge
• Develop relationships

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Ways we use power

• Lobby for positive legislation
• Nonviolent direct action and protests
• Meet with public officials and decision-makers
• Force public officials to enforce the laws against companies/people hurting our communities.

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How is grassroots organizing a distinct way of working for change.

Understanding Service, Advocacy, and Grassroots Organizing and the difference between the three.

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Working for change: Service

• People helping others
• Meeting the immediate needs of others
• Addresses problems, not causes
• Examples of service:
• Homeless shelters
• Food banks
• Tutoring

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Working for change: Advocacy

Advocacy

• People, such as experts, lawyers or lobbyists, helping others by speaking for them.
• Depends on a few “credible” people.
• Doesn’t empower people who are directly affected by the problem.
• Decision-making in the hands of the experts.
• Examples:
• Legal Aid, Children’s Defense Fund

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Working for change:�Grassroots Organizing

• People working together to achieve a common goal.
• Bottom-up, not top down.
• People building their own power.
• Challenges and changes power relationships.
• Empowers people who are not usually involved.
• Decision-making in the hands of people directly affected.

Examples: KFTC, United Farm Workers

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Using local issues to build power over time

Fight, Win, Fight, Win, Fight, Lose, Fight Harder

• You can use local issue campaigns to build the organization, build your power, and take on more challenges as you grow!
• It is okay to loose sometimes. Just remember what you’ve gained even when you’ve “lost.”

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Discussion: What makes people in power do the right thing?

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Discussion: What helps individuals, and then groups of people, act courageously for what’s right?

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Questions & Discussion

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