Community organizers must 'cut an issue' from a broader social problem in order to effectively mobilize people to action. This set of slides presents considerations in cutting an issue. It is based on the book, Organizing for Social Change, by Kim Bobo, Jackie Kendall, and Steve Max.

1. CUTTING
AN ISSUE
COMMUNITY ORGANIZING

2. WHAT IS THE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A
“PROBLEM” AND AN “ISSUE”?

3. A problem is something
that you don’t like about the
world, but that is seemingly
too big to do something
about (example: pollution).
An issue is a solution or
partial solution to a problem
(example: stopping a specific
source of water pollution).

4. CRITERIA FOR
CUTTING AN ISSUE

5. IT MUST RESULT
IN A REAL
IMPROVEMENT
IN PEOPLE’S LIVES.

6. IT MUST GIVE PEOPLE A SENSE
OF THEIR OWN POWER.
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7. IT MUST ALTER THE RELATIONS OF POWER.

8. IT MUST BE WORTHWHILE.
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9. IT MUST BE WINNABLE.

10. IT MUST BE WIDELY FELT.
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11. IT MUST BE DEEPLY FELT.

12. IT MUST BE EASY TO
UNDERSTAND.

13. IT MUST HAVE A CLEAR
TARGET.

14. IT MUST HAVE A
CLEAR TIME
FRAME THAT
WORKS FOR
YOU.
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15. IT MUST BE NON-DIVISIVE.
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16. IT MUST BUILD LEADERSHIP.
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17. IT MUST SET YOUR
ORGANIZATION UP
FOR THE
NEXT CAMPAIGN.

18. IT MUST HAVE A POCKETBOOK ANGLE.
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19. IT MUST RAI$E MONEY.

20. IT MUST BE CONSISTENT WITH
YOUR VALUES AND VISION.

21. For details,
see this book.

22. www.mncampuscompact.org/clio