Guide sheet by Jennifer Rodriguez for the Texas Democratic Women State Convention, 2009

1. ORGANIZING FOR SUCCESS
Types of organizing
POLITICAL: Activating members to turn out the largest possible vote among members to
elect endorsed candidates
LEGISLATIVE: Engaging an increasing number of members, their families, and community,
to influence decision-makers
ISSUES: Equip an increasing number of members, their families and their community with
knowledge, info and strategies for advocating effectively on your issues.
MEMBERSHIP: Mobilization serves all the above, but also is how we transform potential
members into members, members into activists, activists into leaders.
Organizing plan
Clear objective
Strategies and structure to accomplish objective
o Hot topics among members
o Interactive elements
Timeline
Ideas for organizing
 Make it easy to sign up
– Include an application everywhere you can – on every newsletter, on Web site
 Increase coalition/outreach participation
 Consistent communication
 Identify issues
 Get to know your members
– What organizations do they belong to?
 Increase coalition/outreach participation
 Use existing events to activate members (lawmaker town hall meetings, community
events)
 Engage your members
– Survey and poll by email, poll, flier (publish results)
– ASK members to participate frequently
– Orient new members
– Bring long-time members together with new members via mentoring
– Provide easy ways for members to advocate chapter issues: letter/email
campaigns
Recommendations
 Establish an organizing committee
 Develop a written plan
 Design each activity to expand activist pool
 Ask members to participate, people to join
 Find out what makes members tick – identify chapter issues
 Keep good records
 Maintain lots of one-on-one contact, mentoring
 Provide training, orientation
 Make your activities interactive
 Make it easy to join
 Publicize events everywhere

2. ORGANIZING FOR SUCCESS
Assess your readiness
 Does your chapter have leadership and committee positions filled and active? (PAC
committee, communications committee, recruitment/membership committee, social/
solidarity building committee, data coordinator)
 Written plan with a clear objective?
 Leaders and activists who are trained on your objective, messaging and how to
accomplish goals?
 Accurate membership and target list?
 Regular communications? Updated Web site? External communications?
 Outreach to community and political allies, and participation in community groups?
Ideas for organizing your chapter
Your goal for your chapter
Political
Legislative
Issues
Membership