[2014 Local Food Summit] From the Ground Up: Grassroots Engagement for Policy Change

GRASSROOTS ENGAGEMENT
FOR POLICY CHANGE
FROM THE GROUND UP
BY GABRAELLE LANE, QIANA MICKIE, & LINDSEY SCALERA

2From the Ground Up © 2014 Gabraelle Lane, Qiana Mickie, and Lindsey Scalera; All Rights Reserved.
FROM THE GROUND UP
ABOUT THIS TOOLKIT
In order to influence meaningful policy change it’s important to have a strong grassroots
presence. With mounting frustrations at the “hurry up and wait” attitude of Congress and
changes to the rules of the political process, how do you keep the local grassroots population
engaged? From the Ground Up: Grassroots Engagement for Policy Change provides meaningful and
interactive tools for both new and seasoned community organizers who want to effective
grassroots networks engaged in the political process. We ground this toolkit in both the
authors’ and participants’ own wealth of knowledge as we work to develop common language
and practice for organizing for just food communities.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
We find it helpful to think about the essential question we are hoping to explore through these
tools. We want to address the question: How do we effectively engage diverse grassroots
communities in advocacy work for good farm and food policies?
GOALS OF THE TOOLKIT
The purpose of this document is to provide some tools and tips for people working on
grassroots engagement campaigns for policy change. We designed the toolkit and
accompanying workshop to offer a definition of
successful grassroots engagement, and to
provide some approaches and strategies for
grassroots organizing participants can use and
adapt in their communities
OUR APPROACH
The tools we created and information we
compiled here come directly from our work
organizing for sustainable agriculture and
equitable food & farming systems in
communities around the country. That means
the methods we outline here are based in actual
community organizing, and what we have
learned from our roles as both organizers and
community members. We hope you take a look at
what we provide here, then take it apart, fix it up
to meet your needs and run with it!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
About this Toolkit 2
About the Authors 3
Ground Rules for Dialogue 4
Grassroots Engagement 5
PLANNING TOOLS 8
Campaign Planning 9
Outreach Model 10
Campaign Plan 11
Goal Setting 12
Identifying Stakeholders 13
IMPLEMENTATION TOOLS 14
Grassroots Strategies Index Project 15
Outlets & Opportunities 18
EVALUATION TOOLS 19
About Evaluation 20
Evaluation Tool +/∆ 21
Tracking Impact 22
Project Assessment Matrix 23
Credits & Connections 24

FROM THE GROUND UP
THE AUTHORS
GABRAELLE LANE
Gabraelle is a public affairs strategist. She assists Southern SAWG with
federal food agriculture policy advocacy. Gabraelle also works for the
Southeastern African American Farmer Organic Network (SAAFON) as a
Policy and Food Advocate.
Over the past twelve years she has created successful public affairs strategies
for the manufacturing and sustainable food and agricultural industries that
increased awareness of key issues nationally and that supported the growth
of new members and retention rates.
QIANA MICKIE
Qiana is the CSA Program Associate for Just Food, a New York City nonprofit
that connects farmers and communities with the resources and support they
need to make fresh, healthy, locally grown food accessible in all
neighborhoods. Qiana joined the Just Food staff in the spring of 2013.
Throughout her career, Qiana has followed her passion to work and
volunteer with organizations that are committed to improving lives. She is a
Steering Committee member of NESAWG and remains an active volunteer
around increasing access to healthy food in communities and other
sustainable causes. She earned a BS in Marketing from Hampton University
and has worked in community development and fundraising since 2004.
LINDSEY SCALERA
Lindsey works for the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition as the
Grassroots Organizer for Michigan Voices for Good Food Policy. Michigan
Voices collaborates with NSAC members and other Michigan food & farm
allies to unite and elevate Michigan grassroots voices in support of policies
that expand opportunities for rural and urban farmers to produce good food,
sustain the environment, and contribute to healthy and vibrant
communities.
Lindsey got her start in food systems work as co-founder of the Giving
Garden at Eastern Michigan University. In 2011, Lindsey earned a Master of
Arts in Social Foundations of Education specializing in EcoJustice Education
with a focus on garden-based learning. Lindsey is also proud to be a founding
member of the Michigan Young Farmer Coalition.

FROM THE GROUND UP
GROUND RULES FOR DIALOGUE
1. The purpose of dialogue is to understand and learn from one another.
(You cannot "win" a dialogue.)
2. All dialogue participants speak for themselves, not as representatives of
groups or special interests.
3. Search for assumptions and biases (especially your own).
4. Treat everyone in a dialogue as an equal: leave role, status and stereotypes at
the door.
5. Be open and listen to others even when you disagree, and suspend judgment.
(Try not to rush to judgment).
6. Listen with empathy to the views of others: acknowledge you have heard the
other especially when you disagree.
7. Look for common ground.
8. Express disagreement in terms of ideas, not personality or motives.
9. Keep dialogue and decision-making as separate activities.
(Dialogue should always come before decision-making.)
10. All points of view deserve respect and all will be recorded (without
attribution).
Adapted From http://www.viewpointlearning.com/

FROM THE GROUND UP
GRASSROOTS
ENGAGEMENT
From the Ground Up
© 2014 Gabraelle Lane,
Qiana Mickie, and
Lindsey Scalera;
all rights reserved.
How do we effectively engage diverse grassroots
communities in advocacy work for good farm and
food policies?

FROM THE GROUND UP
WHAT IS GRASSROOTS ENGAGEMENT?
Grassroots engagement happens when you and your community mobilize to
communicate with or influence decision makers on matters that are important to
the community’s quality of life. It is a powerful tool that has been used effectively
to pass laws, change regulations and even elect a president.
When you approach your organizing from an asset-based perspective, the wealth of
knowledge and experience within the community become your most valuable
assets.
INTERACTIVE
It requires direct and open communication with others.
Your approach should be asset-based and founded in
collaboration.
LOCAL
To be effective, grassroots engagement has to start
within the community. Relevant policy change comes
when those who are most affected have a voice in the
decision-making process.
SUSTAINABLE
If you build strong trusting relationships with others,
those people will then become your greatest resource by
continuing to engage others within their networks.
SCALABLE
Your engagement can be as simple as participating in a
conference call or as complex as building partnerships
between several organizations.
AFFORDABLE
It requires little financial resources. It does, however,
require significant investment in time and human
resources, which may or may not be backed with
financial resources.

FROM THE GROUND UP
EFFECTIVE GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGNS
An effective grassroots campaign works toward developing the following five major
characteristics throughout your campaign. These characteristics are fluid, ongoing,
and build on one another.
STRONG
NETWORK
The first step in building a strong network is the active process of
connecting with individuals and/or organizations about the
relevant policy issues. You discover stakeholders and build trust
by collaborating to determine where the policy issues you are
working on and the community’s interests intersect. From here
you build a network of individuals, whom each may be engaged in
different ways.
CLEAR &
RELEVANT
MESSAGE
While you begin your campaign with a specific cause, once you
have a solid core of people, you must you work together to define
and develop the message and decided on the strategies you will
take to further your cause.
As you work from your base, you can start to identify and
develop “thought leaders” – people who are comfortable speaking
publicly and whose stories or experience exemplify and highlight
the message.
CREDIBILITY &
TRUST
Credibility/trust is established when you have the support of
your community, establish consistent communication and are
able to elevate the voices of valued persons in the community as
spokespersons.
ACCESSIBLE
ACTION
Grassroots action is putting your strategies into practice. You
use engagement strategies to share your clear & relevant message
through and with the strong network to inspire action toward
the change you/your community desires. Grassroots engagement
should be interactive, local, sustainable, scalable, and affordable.
ONGOING
EVALUATION
Evaluation is vital to the entire engagement strategy. It is
ongoing and should occur during and after every element of your
strategy. It is through evaluation that the effectiveness of the
engagement strategy can be tested. This can be as simple as
asking a few questions or as complex as a survey.

FROM THE GROUND UP
PLANNING TOOLS
In this section you will find tools that help you plan a
successful grassroots campaign. You can use these
tools to start something from scratch, or self-assess
and build upon a campaign you’ve already started.
From the Ground Up
Qiana Mickie, and
Lindsey Scalera;

FROM THE GROUND UP
CAMPAIGN PLANNING
BREAKING IT DOWN
We find it helpful to break down the work of a campaign into four thematic areas: network building,
education outreach, media outreach, and direct advocacy (or outreach directly to decision-makers).
Of course some of the goals and activities within each area overlap and build upon each other, but we
think outlining our plan with this framework helps us to better articulate exactly our goals, strategies,
stakeholders and timeline.
OUTREACH MODEL
These four areas of grassroots engagement work not only help us articulate our goals, but they
also come with their own sets of grassroots engagement strategies that serve those goals and
others. This graphic is meant to provide an overview of how all the elements of your campaign
plan work together to create opportunities for folks to take part in grassroots actions and how
those actions can influence policy change
CAMPAIGN PLAN
The next several pages invite you to think through your current work in these terms, whether you
are starting from scratch or thinking about a new approach to work you are already doing.
GOAL SETTING
Setting clear, realistic goals can be harder than it seems. We provide some basic “questions to
consider” when planning your campaign. If you are starting from scratch, this should get you
going; if you have been working on something, hopefully this will help you identify some gaps or
some new perspectives!
IDENTIFYING STAKEHOLDERS
Part of your campaign planning process is to identify connections you have and ones you need in
order to execute the strategies you have chosen. This tool will help you think through who you
need to have at the table.
GRASSROOTS STRATEGIES INDEX *
Once you have clear goals, you have to figure out how you will accomplish them. The strategies
index provides some tried & true strategies as well as some of the newer innovations using social
media and technology. This is an ongoing list – so please feel free to contribute your ideas!
PROJECT ASSESSMENT MATRIX *
The planning matrix graphic is yet another a tool identifying some things we need to attend to as
we plan and implement our project or campaign. It is designed for ongoing use as it helps you
identify where there may be a gap in your project based on what you or your team are
experiencing. It helps us articulate what we have and what we need.
* These resources can be found in the Implementation Tools section, beginning on page 14

FROM THE GROUND UP
Media Outreach
Education
Outreach
Direct Advocacy
Network
Outreach
Network helps to identify & prepare
individualsand larger communitiesto
speak out on policy issues
Media stories help both policymakers and
the general public understand the
importance and impact of the issues
Network helps to identify individualsto
engage in direct advocacy with
policymakers
Education helps to build the capacity of the
grassroots to engage in direct advocacy
and media outreach
STRATEGIES
Farm Bill/Policy
Updates &
Presentations
Advocacy Strategy
Workshops & Meetings
Handouts & Resources
STRATEGIES
Larger Grassroots
Communities Online
& In-Person
Statewide & Local
Partner
Organizations
STRATEGIES
Traditional “earned” media
Assistance with Op-Eds and Editorial placements
News ProgramSubscriptions
Social Media Engagement
STRATEGIES
In-DistrictMeetings & Events
Statewide and NationalAction Alerts
D.C.Fly-In & Hill Visits
Grasstops Sign On Letters
Petitions
OUTREACH MODEL
The outreach model below gives an overview of how to leverage the four areas
of grassroots engagement to move your campaign forward
and how those actions influence policy change.

FROM THE GROUND UP
CAMPAIGN PLAN
NETWORK BUILDING
GOAL STRATEGY STAKEHOLDERS TIMELINE
EDUCATION OUTREACH
MEDIA OUTREACH
DIRECT ADVOCACY
Download resources at http://bit.ly/groundupgrassroots

FROM THE GROUND UP
GOAL SETTING
Setting clear, realistic goals can be harder than it seems. We provide some basic “questions to consider”
when planning your campaign. If you are starting from scratch, this should get you going; if you have
been working on something, hopefully this will help you identify some gaps or some new perspectives!
DIRECT ADVOCACY & POLICY OUTCOMES
• What do we hope our community members get out of grassroots actions?
• What policies are affecting our community?
• What policy changes we need to see?
• What policies (and related programs) could have a positive impact in our community?
• Which decision-makers do we need to reach out to?
• What resources do we need in order to best leverage policy outreach efforts?
NETWORK BUILDING
• Who do know we need to speak out/participate in the grassroots action?
• Whose voices are usually marginalized from the decision-making process?
• Are there networks that already exist that we can connect with?
• What are the barriers we experience when trying to bridge or build connections?
• What resources do we need in order to best leverage network outreach efforts?
EDUCATION
• What do community members need to know in order to take action?
• What do community members (in general or specific people) already know or experience that
might help them highlight the policy issues we are working on?
MEDIA
• What stories might exist in our communities that could help decision-makers understand our
policy outcomes?
• What media outlets are best for our community to utilize?
GOAL SETTING FRAMEWORK: S.M.A.R.T.
Most of us have heard of this idea, and it may not be realistic to use it all the time, but these are helpful
characteristics to think of when setting goals. Goals should be: Specific, Meaningful, Achievable,
Realistic, and Timely. Consider the following examples:
Goal A
Community members will be trained on how
to talk to the media.
Goal B
By the end of the project, we will have trained 75%
of coalition members on media outreach
strategies.
Goal A above is not SMART because it is not specific, measurable, or timely. It can be made SMART by
specifically indicating who is responsible for training the community, how many will be trained, who they
are, and by when the trainings will be conducted.

FROM THE GROUND UP
IDENTIFYING STAKEHOLDERS
Based on your stated goals, whom should you engage?
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:
EXISTING CONNECTIONS NEW CONNECTIONS
Is this issue yours alone, or do others have
something at a stake? Who do you already connect
or work with?
Who else should be at the table & what assets do
they bring?
What assets do current connections have that will
help move the campaign forward?
How will you go about identifying new
partnerships? Who can you talk to?
Identify the gaps - what pieces are you missing? Which network building strategies can you use?

FROM THE GROUND UP
IMPLEMENTATION TOOLS
In this section you will find tools that help
you think through which strategies will work
for your community and policy issue
From the Ground Up
Qiana Mickie, and
Lindsey Scalera;

FROM THE GROUND UP
GRASSROOTS STRATEGIES INDEX
Once you have clear goals, you have to figure out how you will accomplish them. The strategies index
provides some tried & true strategies as well as some of newer ideas that employ technology.
These grassroots engagement strategies help you share a message and provide a pathway and
inspiration for people to take action.
EDUCATION
STRATEGY DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
Conferences &
Gatherings
Host or attend a conference on your issue or related
issues. Conferences can be a great way to energize and
inspire a base of people. It offers opportunities for
participants to take ownership over their
contributions to the campaign and connects you to
new people.
A local public health group hosts an annual
conference. Your organization applies to
provide a session on the links between public
health and food policy.
One-Pagers
& Policy Briefs
Create a document highlighting the major talking
points on a policy issue. Remember to include the
basics: what is the issue all about, what does it mean
for the community, what can people do about it (what,
so what, now what).
An organization brings one-pagers on three
major policy issues to their tabling event so
people they engage can have something to
reference after they leave.
Piggyback
Events
Make policy connections at other types of educational
events (i.e. Cooking Demos)
An organizer partners with a group who hosts
a monthly cooking demo to present a 15-
minute policy update after the demo this
month.
Policy Platform
Create a platform document detailing each issue and
your group’s stance on what should change and what
should be preserved.
A national organization puts out a policy
platform on their website kicking off a new
campaign.
Story Banking
Collect stories through interviews with those who are
most affected by the policy issues you . Stories should
highlight the importance and impact of policy
priorities.
Collect stories from farmers using a basic
questionnaire and interview format- outreach
based on the policy outcomes you are looking
for to find people who have experience with
those policies and programs.
Tabling
Tabling at an event or farmers’ market to share policy
information with the public or a specific community of
people.
Make policy connections at other types of
educational events (i.e. Cooking Demos)
Workshops
Host a policy or organizing workshop to build capacity
of community members to take action.
Provide a 15-minute farm bill update to an
community group highlighting the major
talking points and next steps

FROM THE GROUND UP
DIRECT ADVOCACY & LEGISLATIVE OUTREACH
Action
Alerts
Send clearly-worded action alerts to
constituents/community members with instructions
on how to call/email policy-makers with a specific
policy ask
Organization sends a periodic email alert, which
says “what’s happening?” and includes an adaptable
call script/prompt and a link to a form letter.
Dear
Colleague
Letters
During times of tension and high stakes in policy
making, legislative “champions” will write and circulate
“dear colleague” letters, which urge their colleagues to
take certain actions or vote a particular way. Grassroots
action involves
Your senator is on the fence about supporting an
important bill. Your group organizes a dear
colleague letter for the bill co-sponsors to circulate,
along with calls from community leaders asking your
senator to sign on to the letter and take action on
the issue.
Farm/Site
Tours
Invite policymakers to visit and engage with
stakeholders at the farm or community site
Senator visits a farm in her/his legislative district
In-District
Meetings
Meet with policymakers or staffers in their district
offices. Arrange visits ahead of time by working with
the schedulers in the district offices.
Emergency food providers schedule a meeting with
their representative in the local office to discuss the
impact of recent cuts to SNAP & Food Assistance
programs
Legislative
Fly-In/Bus-
in
Bring advocates directly to meetings with policymakers
in their offices. Arrange visits ahead of time with
legislative schedulers in the DC, State Capitol, or
Municipal offices.
Representatives of community organizations travel
to DC to meet with their elected policymaker to
discuss how local farmers will be impacted by
Farmers Market & Local Food Promotion Program
Letter/Com
ment
Writing
Party
Host a party (with snacks & drinks!) and invite farmers
and the public to spend some time to write comments
on a policy issues, call their policymakers, or write
letters. Provide templates and assistance to answer
questions.
Local food policy council gets a bar to offer $1 off
the first pour for people who come to the FSMA
comment party.
Local/Natio
nal Call-in
day
Organization (s) mobilize community members to call
an elected official’s office to support or reject a
particular bill that is up for a vote
An elected official’s office receives an increased
number of calls from constituents on to vote yes on
GMO labeling
Online
petitions
Petitions allow you to have a lot of individuals sign on
to a single specific voice.
Thanks to the efforts of many organizations across
the country, 22,000 people sign a petition urging
congress to pass a five-year farm bill.
Organizatio
nal Sign-on
Letters
National and local groups often circulate letters to
which other groups can sign on and show their support.
Have a mechanism in place at your organization to
ensure you can take quick action and sign on to
appropriate policy actions. HINT: you can use Google
Forms to collect signatures!
National group circulates a letter to the Senate
Agriculture committee asking them to preserve
funding for beginning farmers. 500 organizations
sign on nationally, representing tens of thousands
of farmers, eaters, and food systems advocates.
Town Hall/
Community
Forum
Policymaker speaks at a planned event within the
neighborhood in their district about a particular topic
and offers community an opportunity to ask questions
Community members ask a City Council Member to
create a new community garden in their
neighborhood
Twitter
storm
Twitter storm involves generating a lot of traffic on a
policymaker’s social media feed by asking your
following to tweet and post a specific policy request. To
be used sparingly, you can specify a time-frame for the
action (i.e. 24 hours).
A food justice organization holds a 24-hour twitter
storm to ask members of congress to preserve
funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program.

FROM THE GROUND UP
MEDIA OUTREACH
Blog Posts &
Guest Bloggers
Certain blogs have a lot of readers - organizations can
work through contacts to “pitch” a special post to a blog
like Civil Eats. You can also host a guest blogger (i.e.
have a farmer write about a policy issue) on your
organization’s blog.
A Beginning Farmer is asked to write a post
about the impact of a new microloan program.
Farmer (or
Community
Member)
Voices in the
Media
Elevate the voices of farmers (or other community
members affected by policies) through media outreach.
Any of the media strategies listed here could work. Offer
assistance with media training, editing/ghostwriting,
etc.
Organization connects a Public Radio reporter
with an Organic farmer to get a perspective on
how a new farm bill program will affect her
farm business.
Media
Advisory
A media advisory alerts the media, in a concise manner,
to upcoming events. Think of it like an invitation that
answers only the important questions: Who, What,
When, Where, and Why. Send this out 3-5 days before
the event!
Organization sends a media advisory to local
press contacts to alert them to an upcoming
farm tour, at which the Mayor will be present.
Local news sends a crew to interview
participants and take pictures.
Press Release
A press release reads like an article with quotes, facts
and all relevant contact information. The goal is get the
release picked up by other media outlets. Distribute to
press in attendance the day of, and release via email/on
your website after the event.
A press release describing an event is picked up
by several bloggers and newspapers, increasing
the number of people who are aware of the
event and related issues.
Viral Videos
You can’t guarantee that your video will go viral, but
making videos to share stories and highlight policy
issues can be a great way to engage and educate the
grassroots. Share videos on social media platforms as
well as at events.
Organization works with a local food advocate
to create a video that explains how to comment
on the Food Safety Modernization Act rules.
NETWORK OUTREACH
Coalitions
Take an active role in a food & farm (policy) coalition. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
& the New York City Food Forum for example!
Collaborative
Partnerships
Collaborate with one or more partners to identify shared
advocacy goals and combine resources to implement.
Two organizations work together to host
workshops targeting beginning farmers about
upcoming grant and loan opportunities.
Meetings
Host or attend a meeting of allies. Ask for/include time
on the agenda to discuss the important issues and
discuss the possibilities for collaboration.
A representative of a national organization
working on national policy issues in the state
requests a meeting with several local
organizations to discuss ways they can
collaborate to reach out to their constituents.
Social Media
Using social media (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, or ScoopIt) to
stay engaged with your network of allies and supporters.
Like and follow the pages of your allies, share articles
and tag them when you help cross promote related work.
An organization posts a #FF (follow Friday) on
twitter @tagging the accounts of five allies who
adovocate on the same or similar issues.

FROM THE GROUND UP
OUTLETS & OPPORTUNITIES
Successful grassroots campaigns create accessible, relevant pathways for individuals and organizations
to engage in policy actions. There are many ways to spread the message and many ways to ensure that
decision-makers hear it.
Below is a checklist of what we call “outlets” or places (both online and in-person) you can utilize as you
implement your campaign strategies and share your message. They are organized by our grassroots
engagement themes to help you think through some of the methods that might be right for your
community.
SOMETHING TO REMEMBER
Volume and quantity are not always as important as quality when it comes to interacting with policy-
makers. So some policy issues may require very large-scale action, but many more require ongoing
smaller efforts throughout the communities most affected. A phone call or visit from a constituent can
be more effective than thousands of impersonal form emails!
PLACES, SPACES & OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE
NETWORK-BUILDING DIRECT ADVOCACY
q Community meeting spaces
q Email mailing lists
q Online file-sharing
q Meetings
q Conferences
q Farmers Markets
q In-District Offices
q Legislative Offices
q Town Hall events
q Forums & Panels
q Phone Calls
q Emails
EDUCATION MEDIA OUTREACH
q Webinars
q Tabling @ Events
q Conferences
q Meetings
q Radio/TV Interviews
q Podcasts
q Public Input Sessions
q Social Media
q Traditional Media
q Websites
q Blog
q Newsletters
q Flyers
q Zines

FROM THE GROUND UP
EVALUATION TOOLS
From the Ground Up
Qiana Mickie, and
Lindsey Scalera;
In this section you will find tools
that help you reflect upon and
evaluate your campaign.
We like to think of this as
“evaluation for busy people.”

FROM THE GROUND UP
ABOUT EVALUATION
WHY EVALUATE?
Ongoing evaluation and reflection helps grassroots organizers adapt as we go, making
adjustments for new developments, new people, new ideas, and unforeseen challenges.
Evaluation is very important to do for any campaign, no matter how large or small the effort.
For groups involved in larger institutional research, grants, or other projects that require more
specific results, evaluation is often conducted using widely accepted or academic evaluation
methods.
But for those of us working either on our own or within those projects, and who don’t have
access to research and evaluation methods, we have compiled a simple, less time-consuming
evaluation method.
EVALUATION ON-THE-GO
This type of “on-the-spot” evaluation can help you articulate what you have accomplished to
stakeholders, make sure that your efforts are aligned with the goals you have set, and, given the
cyclical nature of political processes, help you quickly define what went well and what could be
improved if you try these strategies again.
TRACKING IMPACT
You can employ various methods and metrics to track the impact of your campaign while you are
running it, and after you complete it, or between specific actions. It always helps to get feedback
from participants, check in on the actual policy change, and to observe any changes in awareness
of or interest in your issues.
SELF-ASSESSMENT & MANAGING CHALLENGES
At any given point during the process of grassroots engagement projects, you may experience
some challenges. We have provided a tool for self-assessment that may help you pinpoint any
gaps in aspects of your planning or things your team may need to be more successful.

FROM THE GROUND UP
PLUS/DELTA EVALUATION
∆ DELTA
What could change for next time?
PLUS +
What went well?
OTHER QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
What would we need to know to determine/measure success?
What questions do we need answered?
What are our next steps?

FROM THE GROUND UP
TRACKING IMPACT
QUALITATIVE TRACKING: QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER…
PARTICIPANTS
Gather feedback from people who participate in the action
q Talk to them in person - ask causally
q More formal communication - email/letter out asking for feedback
q Survey
q Focus Group
q Institutional/Professional Evaluation
POLICY CHANGES
q Do you see a shift/increase in discussion on your topic?
q Did you win your issue?
INTEREST IN THE ISSUE
q Are you getting more questions about the issue?
q Emails & Phone calls to your office re: the issue?
q Collect & promote news stories or outside blog posts about your issue.
QUANTITATIVE TRACKING: QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER…
PARTICIPANTS
q Casual: Dot Survey at an event
q Mailed/Online survey - tabulate results
q Institutional/Professional Evaluation
POLICY CHANGES
q Votes in your favor
q Track articles/news hits
q Website visits
q Poll numbers
INTEREST IN THE ISSUE
q Increased membership or Donations
q Social Media Metrics - (i.e. tweets & re-tweets).
There are social media services that calculate your stats (some free, some fee)
q Google alert on your topic/org name/etc.

FROM THE GROUND UP
PROJECT ASSESSMENT MATRIX
SKILLS INCENTIVE RESOURCES OWNERSHIP ACTION PLAN EVALUATION CONFUSION
VISION INCENTIVE RESOURCES OWNERSHIP ACTION PLAN EVALUATION ANXIETY
VISION SKILLS RESOURCES OWNERSHIP ACTION PLAN EVALUATION
GRADUAL
CHANGE
VISION SKILLS INCENTIVE OWNERSHIP ACTION PLAN EVALUATION FRUSTRATION
VISION SKILLS INCENTIVE RESOURCES ACTION PLAN EVALUATION RESENTMENT
VISION SKILLS INCENTIVE RESOURCES OWNERSHIP EVALUATION FALSE STARTS
VISION SKILLS INCENTIVE RESOURCES OWNERSHIP ACTION PLAN PLATEAU
VISION SKILLS INCENTIVE RESOURCES OWNERSHIP ACTION PLAN EVALUATION
CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
This graphic describes the elements necessary for a successful project and the results you may
experience when certain aspects are missing. It can be a helpful tool when used for planning at
the beginning of a project or for self-assessment along the way.
VISION
Team has an
understanding
of the goals of
the project and
their role in
achieving their
goals
SKILLS
Team members
have skills
necessary to
complete the
project
INCENTIVE
Team feels
there is a
reason to
invest their
energy and
time in making
the project
work
RESOURCES
Team has
adequate
means to move
forward with
the project,
including:
money, time,
space, etc.
OWNERSHIP
Each team
member has an
active role in
the decision-
making process
ACTION PLAN
There are
clearly defined
steps to
completing the
project from
start to finish
EVALUATION
Ongoing
assessment of
the project
takes place; is
used to provide
direction for
improvement
CONFUSION
If the goal is
unclear, the
group may lack
direction and
not know how
to apply their
skills
ANXIETY
If people feel
they don’t have
the skills to
complete the
project, they
may feel
anxious about
moving
forward
GRADUAL
CHANGE
Little incentive
to participate in
the project may
slow the
implementation
process
FRUSTRATION
If you do not
have adequate
resources to
complete your
project, people
may feel
frustrated and
stagnant
RESENTMENT
If the group
feels their ideas
and concerns
are not heard,
they may feel
resentment
towards
leadership or
the project
itself
FALSE STARTS
If you have a
poor plan of
action, the
project will not
continue
beyond initial
planning stages
PLATEAU
If you do not
evaluate the
project as it
progresses, the
project will lack
direction for
the future
Adapted from the CYC/CPF Managing Complex Change Matrix Prepared by the Center for Youth and Communities,
Heller School for Social Policy and for Management, Brandeis University, 2004.

FROM THE GROUND UP
CREDITS & CONNECTIONS
This document was collaboratively written by
Gabraelle Lane, Qiana Mickie, and Lindsey Jene Scalera.
EDITED BY
Lindsey Jene Scalera
IMAGE CREDITS
All Images (with one exception)
© 2014 Lindsey Jene Scalera; all rights reserved.
CONNECT WITH US!
If you have questions, comments,
or other feedback about this guide, contact us!
groundupgrassroots@beetboxmedia.org

[2014 Local Food Summit] From the Ground Up: Grassroots Engagement for Policy Change

Recommandé

Recommandé

Contenu connexe

Tendances

Tendances (20)

En vedette

En vedette (11)

Similaire à [2014 Local Food Summit] From the Ground Up: Grassroots Engagement for Policy Change

Similaire à [2014 Local Food Summit] From the Ground Up: Grassroots Engagement for Policy Change (20)

Dernier

Dernier (20)

[2014 Local Food Summit] From the Ground Up: Grassroots Engagement for Policy Change