Building Organizations, Coalitions,

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Building Organizations, Coalitions,
CampaignsA Workshop for Member Groups of the
U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupationby
Hany KhalilOrganizing Coordinator, United for
Peace and Justice

• Power Analysis
• Campaign Planning
• Recruitment
• Leadership Development
• Coalition-Building

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CoreElements of Power
To win our goals, a powerful movement for a just
Palestinian/Israeli peace must be effective in
all the core elements of power listed below. The
movement is currently strong in the red areas but
much weaker in the green areas. This workshop
will concentrate on tools for strengthening our
work in the green areas.
Effective Organizational Structures
Developed Leadership
Large Membership Base Among Core Constituencies
Resources, Infrastructure
Persuasive Narratives
Broad Alliances
Political Consciousness
Effective Strategy Tactics
Strategic Campaigns
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Campaign Planning What Leverage do we Have Over
Decision-Makers?

• Common illusions about power
• Overestimating our power Well win because
• Justice or truth are on our side
• Public opinion is on our side
• We speak for large numbers of people
• Underestimating our power We cant win because
• Cant beat city hall, large corporations, etc.
• What counts Ability to bring direct pressure on
  decision-makers
• Applying power in an issue campaign Our ability
  to win demands depends on
• Can we deprive opponents of something they
  want/hurt them?
• Rent strike Deprive landlord of rent
• Influence the outcome of elections
• Consumer boycott Deprive company of profits by
  depriving them of customers
• Deprive of desired economic subsidy
• Deprive of good reputation by exposing corruption
  in media
• Strike/disruptive power Deprive company of
  profits by withdrawing labor prevent normal
  functioning of
• Can we give opponents something they want?
• Ex. Can influence votes of key voters

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Elements of an Effective Campaign Plan

1. Goals
2. Long-term Major changes you eventually hope to
   win and toward which the campaign is a first
   step.
3. Intermediate Campaign/Issue Goals Main goals you
   hope to win in this campaign. Should alter the
   relations of power and win improvements in
   peoples lives.
4. Short-term Campaign/Issue Goals Specific,
   incremental victories/steps that allow you to
   attract supporters, motivate your membership,
   make your target take you seriously, and weaken
   the opposition.
5. Target/Decision-Maker The person and/or body who
   has the power to make the decision and/or take
   the action, i.e. give you what you want.
6. Power Analysis An analysis of the various forces
   exercising influence over the decision-maker and
   where they line up with respect to your goals,
   including constituents, allies, and opponents.
7. Campaign Strategy The overall approach to
   building and exercising the power to compel the
   target to accept your demands.
8. Tactics Steps in carrying out your campaign
   strategy. Specific things constituents and allies
   do to make targets feel their power to give them
   goals. Target should not want it done and will
   make concessions to stop it
9. Organizational Considerations Resources your
   group will put into the campaign, organizational
   gains you want to come out of the campaign, and
   internal problems requiring solution.
10. Time Frame The time period from the beginning of
    the campaign to the end.
11. Tactical Plan A timeline of key campaign
    tactics, major activities, and/or events.

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POWER ANALYSIS
Their Goals/Demands
Our Goals/Demands
Primary Targets Cong. Rep., Church
Board, Weapons Manufacturer
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Decisive Influence to Make or Influence Decisions
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Opposition Republican Party, Real Estate
Developers, etc.
Active Participant in Making Decisions
Vertical Axis Level of Power
Secondary Targets Banks, Members of Faith
Community,
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Decision-Maker Responds
Political Groups Comm. Org., Unions
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Community Institutions Churches, Block Clubs,
etc.
Taken Into Account
Source Anthony Thigpenn, SCOPE
http//www.scopela.org/index.html
Horizontal Axis Opposing Agendas
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Noticed
2
Community Residents
Not Taken Into Account
Strong Support
Strong Support
Inclined Toward
Active Support
Active Support
Inclined Toward
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OVERALL GOALS OF DREAMWORKS CAMPAIGN 1. Get
YCME/Jobs Programs funded to address a real
need 2. Set precedent in Corps giving back in
return for subsidies 3. Set precedent on how
regional policies should be done
TRICKLE DOWN AGENDA 1. 90 million-plus in
Subsidies as business incentives 2. Token
resources given to communities in need
10 Decision Maker
8 Active Participant
6 Taken into Account
4 Gets Attention
Source Anthony Thigpenn, SCOPE
http//www.scopela.org/index.html
2 Not on Radar
DIE HARD
INCLINED TOWARDS
ACTIVE SUPPORT
INCLINED TOWARDS
ACTIVE SUPPORT
DIE HARD
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Campaign Strategy Chart
Campaign Goals
Organizational Considerations
Our Side Constituents Allies
Targets Opponents
Tactics
1. Resources Invested
1. Constituents
1. Primary targets
1. Long-term
2. Organizational goals
2. Allies
2. Secondary targets
2. Intermediate
3. Opponents
3. Problems to Solve
3. Short-term
Modification of strategy chart in Kim Bobo, et.
al., Organizing for Social Change
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Why must we build a membership base?

• Organizations with membership recruitment focus

Organizations that do not build a membership base
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The 4 Core Layers of an Organizations Base
When making decisions about campaigns, message,
tactics, priorities, etc., organizers should
always ask Will this help us build our base?
Would other approaches be more effective? Organize
rs should give attention to building all four
layers of a membership base. Groups should
institute processes to constantly bring and
develop people from lower levels of involvement
and leadership into higher levels of activity.
Often, our work does little to expand involvement
in the outer layers or move people into higher
levels of involvement.
Organizing Core The people who put the most
hours in on a weekly basis. Activists People
you can get to come to meetings or marches, make
calls to targets, volunteer regularly, on a
weekly or monthly basis, who identify with the
organization. Supporters People who may donate
or participate in an activity once every 6-12
months. Periphery People who take very little
action but who may know and like your work.
Organizing Core
Activists
Supporters
Periphery
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Base-building Mapping Constituencies, Networks

• Most activists unconsciously think of people they
  want to organize as isolated individuals. In
  fact, most people who join political movements do
  so because someone in their everyday social
  networks encouraged them to do so. Effective
  recruitment identifies existing social networks,
  approaches people in their everyday life spaces,
  and focuses recruitment efforts on influential
  people within those networks.
• One reason we often dont expand our ranks is
  because activists dont consciously recruit
  people outside their own social circles.

vs.
Conception of people as isolated individuals
Conception of people as part of social networks
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Recruitment Effectiveness/Success Factors

• Tapping into existing social networks
• Accurate mapping of social networks and natural
  leaders
• Targeting of natural leaders

• Effectiveness of the Organizer
• Effective credentialing
• Listens
• Language, appearance, etc. appropriate to that
  constituency
• Inspires trust, confidence, sincerity, sense of
  urgency, and excitement
• Dynamic presentation (delivery)
• Tailoring based on clues
• Effective crunch
• Rigorous follow-up
• Effective record-keeping

• Contacting Sufficient Numbers of People (Critical
  Mass)
• Regular, frequent, systematic, one-on-one contact
• Contact strategies that match constituency
• Execution of tactics
• Concentrated efforts
• Campaign activities/materials that give
  opportunities to raise groups visibility
• Echo chamber in media

• Cutting Issue/Campaign in Dynamic Compelling
  Way
• Issue/framing appeals to constituencys
  self-interest, values, relationships, and vision
• Having/articulating Goals/Demands which have
  VALUE to constituency
• Using language and images target constituency
  understands and is moved by
• Building on good sense contradicting dominant
  ideology
• Campaign strategy/tactics that are within
  experience of your constituency and will allow
  you to win
• Convincing examples that organizing is effective
  approach to changing conditions
• Recruiting to an activity, not a meeting

Modification of tool developed by Anthony
Thigpenn, SCOPE http//www.scopela.org/index.html
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Components of a successful recruitment meeting

1. Get in the Door
2. Listen Build relationship/trust/legitimize
   yourself
3. Listen ID Issues/Self-interest
4. Agitate to Peoples Self-interest
5. Make people angry Is that fair?
6. Lay out vision/demands, need to organize, plan
   to win
7. Must counter fear, cynicism, isolation, low
   expectations
8. The crunch Get commitment to group and specific
   tasks
9. Rigorous Follow-up

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Why must organizations develop leaders?

• Organizations with strong leadership development
  program
• Increased control of organization by members
• Increased ability to project power of group and
  by uniting consituencies
• Retention of members beyond one campaign
• Expanded ability to carry out all organizing
  tasks, cohesion within organization
• Improved decision-making
• Organization/movement more stable by renewing
  replenishing leadership
• Leadership structure more transparent,
  accountable
• Consistent with values/mission to spread and
  share power

• Organizations with poor leadership development
  program
• Staff or few leaders makes decisions
• Not as powerful as could be
• Lose members after initial campaign
• Limited organizing capacity, power
• Poor decision-making
• Organizations weakened when staff/leaders
  overstretched or leave
• Contradict values/mission to spread and share
  power

Organizers find and create opportunities for
others to become leaders
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The Process of Developing Leaders

• Model leadership
• Assess leaders level/strengths, what they want
  to get out of participation, make a plan to take
  them to the next level
• Give measurable, specific assignments through
  which others can develop. A good assignment
• Meets the organizations needs
• Stretches the person
• Is manageable for that person
• Brings satisfaction or reward
• Provide systematic, formal training, using
  popular education as much as possible
• Agitate, inspire, show how the small task fits
  into the campaign, the whole
• Provide experienced person to advise and help, if
  necessary
• Follow up on assignments and hold people
  accountable. Raise expectations of themselves and
  what they can do. Push where necessary. Check-in
  regularly.
• Give one-on-one and public recognition
• Re-assess where the person is at

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Effective Coalitions

1. Action-oriented around local campaigns Unity of
   action, diversity of analysis
2. Focus level of unity on the cutting edge issue or
   demand that can unite the broadest possible set
   of constituencies while drawing a clear dividing
   line with our opponents agenda.
3. Focus on expansion Combine committed cores with
   broad range of constituencies/social networks
   beyond most active, conscious groups
4. Focus on areas of unity, not division. But
   struggle where necessary
5. Draw upon groups strengths
6. Groups build coalition as a whole, not just work
   to set the line or build their organizations
7. Groups raise/make financial contributions

Coalition-Killers

1. Excess time spent debating language/message
2. Lack of concern with reaching potential recruits
   and allies
3. Mobilization-driven, not campaign-driven
4. Minimal investment in outreach, planning