Charly Carter It can be hard to impact policy change at the local, state and federal level, but it’s even harder to do it without working with the right partners. Join this session to explore concepts in building power through partnership and grassroots organizing.

1. Community Organizing
& Building Power

2. What is Community Organizing
Community organizing is the process of building power
by connecting people with common concerns and
mobilizing them to seek the solutions to those problems;
identifying the people and structures that can make
those solutions possible; and creating pressure on
those targets through negotiation or confrontation to
reach a resolution.

3. Rules of Community Organizing
• People are motivated by their self interest
• Organizing never ends, if you don't continue to build
support it will dissipate
• No change comes without conflict and confrontation
• Anybody can be a leader
• Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, but the
must always be an outcome and a next step.

4. Rules of Community Organizing
•
• Organize people from where they are, not from
where you'd like them to be
• Language is important. Make sure you are
communicating in a way that articulates the
concerns of the folks you are organizing, not your
concerns.

5. Organizing is not Organic
Be Organized
Be Strategic

6. Be Strategic
What is your goal?
Who else will benefit directly from achieving your
goal?
Who benefits from the status quo?
Who do you need to influence?
Who are the people/groups close to them?
Where do they live/work/govern?

7. Building Your Base
The Quick Start Method
Building a Core Group
Grasstops or Grassroots
Organizing Leaders
Partnering with Other Groups
Going Back to School
Tapping into Star Power
Effective Tactics

8. Start with a Core Team
1-5 Volunteers
Good Listeners
Organized
Passionate about the Issue
Willing to give time

9. Grasstops and Grassroots
Grasstops Organizing - targets leaders of other
organizations that have similar or intersecting goals to
create a coalition; can demonstrate to policymakers that
you have a diverse and broad coalition.
Grassroot Organizing - a base built on Individuals who
identify with the issue and solution; growing this base is
what gives your campaign its momentum.

10. Grassroots
Advantages
Army of “true believers,” directly connected to your organization
Every identifiable name is an identifiable vote
Best opportunity to identify people with powerful stories about why they
support the cause.
Organize or Die

11. Grasstops
Advantages
Your coalition represents the total membership of all of your partner
groups
Can give you a bigger microphone
Can give you access to money or other resources
You cannot do Grasstops organizing without also doing Grassroots organizing.

12. The Quick Start Method
Organize Leaders
• “It’s easier to get a second dollar that it is to get the
first.”
• Leaders come with their own followers

13. The Quick Start Method
Partnering with Community Groups
• Community Groups & Neighborhood
Associations, etc. have already organized their
communities
• They have a handle on who the influencers are and
who they can count on to volunteers; and
• They usually have a system set up to communicate
with their members

14. The Quick Start Method
Back-to-School
• Schools can be an untapped resource for
volunteers;
• Provide opportunities to educate students, parents
and the community about your issue;
• Have built-in communication tools to reach parents
• Can present a different voice to decisionmakers

15. The Quick Start Method
Tapping into Star Power
The ability to tap into the personal/professional
network of a high profile individual:
Elected officials
Local athletes
Media personalities
Other local celebs
The goal is endorsement of your issue and access to
their supporters/constituents.

16. Think outside the box.
Look for role models
More voices means more power

17. Contact
carter@progressadvocates.com
(585) 520-7825