Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive,alt.drugs
From: [l k riho] at [psych.colorado.edu] (Laura Kriho)
Subject: Tips on Organizing an Effective Group
Date: Tue, 19 Oct 1993 19:49:45 GMT
ORGANIZING FOR SOCIAL CHANGE
Dear Prospective Organizer,
Congratulations on taking the first step to creating
social change - doing something about it!! Most people
don't ever take that first step. That's why we have so much
work to do.
This document contains some ideas on how to
organize a group and get things accomplished. It is by no
means complete. There is infinite room for improvement
and additions to the techniques and guidelines offered here.
However, it is a start, and you have to start somewhere.
The ideas in this document come from a
combination of research and experience. As I became
involved in social causes, I realized how difficult it was to
get anything accomplished on a volunteer level.
Movements need active and committed organizers, and
they seem to be a rare breed.
I realized early on that organizing an effective
movement was not simple. There are skills involved that
need to be learned just like any other new skill. I figured
that there had to be other people who had been in my
place before and that I didn't have learn all these skills from
scratch. So I did research and talked to people. I found an
incredible amount of information which made my life so
much simpler.
I learned how to organize a groups and events, run
effective meetings, and get press coverage. I want to pass
what I learned on to other people who are in the situation I
was in - they don't know anything about how to organize
an effective group. When I started, all I knew was that we
had important work to do, and we'd better start finding
ways to get it done.
By compiling and disseminating my knowledge and
experience, hopefully I can prevent someone else from
having to "re-invent the wheel." All the things that we are
trying to do have been done before by other organizers.
Part of our job, as I see it, is to learn and practice
organizing skills and then teach those skills to others.
I would like to thank the people and organizations
that contributed to this pamphlet. I would also like to
acknowledge the groups that got me started on my crazy
life of activism, the 100th Monkey Project to stop nuclear
testing and the Boulder Hemp Initiative Project to re-legalize
cannabis hemp in Colorado.
Our government thrives on the repression and
mis-representation of information and knowledge. The
people, however, will thrive only on information that has
been accurately preserved, not lost or distorted. Let us
strive to know the truth and enlighten and empower others
to do the same.
Laura Kriho
March 1993
It's a skill, not a mystery: What is an Organizer?
by Eric Odell, Threshold Magazine
(NLNS) One of the most basic questions we must ask
ourselves is how to conceive of the role we play in making
social change. Most of us have an instinctive understanding
at some level of what this means. It is important, though, to
take a step back and really take a hard look at the nature
of our organizing work so that we can do it more effectively.
The following lessons are expanded from a guide which my
SEAC (Student Environmental Action Committee) group, the
University of Minnesota Campus Greens, developed.
What is an organizer? Is it a mystery? No. But it is not an
innate skill one is born with, either. Being an organizer is
something you must learn. Obviously, then, consciously
examining how to organize will be much more useful than
just hoping you will somehow accidentally pick up what you
need to know somewhere along the way.
* An organizer has a commitment to a vision of
how things might be different, and is always trying to figure
out the best way to make his or her vision come about. If
you are dedicating a significant space in your life to making
change, it is important to have an idea of what we are trying
to change society into. This is called "vision" (also known by
certain former president's as "that vision thing"). It is what
drives all of the most energetic and committed organizers.
Figuring out how to get there is known as "strategy." Both
of these together is called "theory," and we need both if we
are to be successful.
* An organizer is a person who organizes: lectures,
study groups, panel discussions, rallies, speeches,
conferences, demonstrations, protests, and so on. Sitting
around in meetings doesn't in and of itself change anything.
Organizing consists of getting out and doing events and
actions that have the dual objectives of being a part of a
focused campaign to make a concrete change in society,
and being designed to bring more people into organizing.
* An organizer is reliable and dependable, shows
up on time, and follows through on responsibilities. It is
easy to have a laid-back attitude about showing up for
meetings and carrying out tasks you have agreed to take
on, but this can be very problematic. We all need to very
clearly understand the commitments we make to a group
when we become involved in organizing, and the
concomitant degree of discipline required of us to follow
through on those commitments. When people frequently
flake out, it puts a heavy burden on the rest of the group
and makes it harder for them to do their part.
* An organizer does all different kinds of work
cheerfully, and is committed to learning organizing skills. It
is dangerous to let the attitude develop that certain things
are beneath you once you have learned a certain amount
about organizing. A lot of the work involved in organizing is
fun, but by no means all of it. The responsibility of rolling up
one's sleeves and doing the distasteful and tedious work
should fall equally on everyone's shoulders. In addition,
don't for a second believe that you "know it all" about
organizing. Always be open to new lessons.
* An organizer doesn't speak out of turn and listens
carefully to others. Respect the thoughts of others, and
develop the patience to actually listen to and think about
what they are saying. Remember that the more you speak
in a group setting, the less others get to speak. Men,
especially, have been conditioned to interrupt and to
contribute more than their share, and should be extra
careful to watch for this dynamic in themselves.
* An organizer examines her work self-critically and
asks others for criticism on how it could be better. Critical
self-awareness is a necessary prerequisite to improving
your work. Fight the tendency to be defensive if someone is
trying constructively to help you improve what you are
doing. On the other hand, if you are giving criticism, you
should be as positive and constructive as you can. Create a
"criticism sandwich:" a slice of praise, followed by a slice of
criticism, followed by another slice of praise.
* An organizer is accountable; gives reports on
work done; and keeps in contact with other members of her
group by phone, mail, and personal contact. When you
take on responsibilities in the name of the group, you are
accountable for your actions to the other members of that
group; they have a right to know everything that's being
done in the group's name. In addition, your work will gain
from other people's input and participation. Think of
communication as the nutrient cycle flowing through the
ecosystem of your group.
* An organizer makes an effort to involve her group
in organizing beyond the local level. By communicating and
working with other groups in our own states, across the
country, and around the world, we become more than just
a bunch of local groups each doing its own thing; we
become an interconnected and united movement that has
the potential to change the whole world.
* An organizer studies other times and places where
other organizers tried to make social change. By learning
about past struggles for change, we can learn from the past
successes of others, and, equally importantly, we can avoid
making the same mistakes that have been made countless
times in the past. As George Santayana said, "Those who
do not remember the past are condemned to relive it;" so
learn about how your group fits in with the long history of
people's movements in this country.
* An organizer remains grounded in the community
he or she is trying to organize; is constantly watching,
hearing and taking part in community life. By becoming a
part of the community you are trying to change, you will
come to understand much more about all the particularities
of it and will learn much better about how actually to help
change it.
Liberals always talk about "leadership" in the sense
of a dichotomy--a hierarchy--between the "leader" and the
"led." A true "leader" doesn't reinforce his hierarchy, but is
always oriented toward empowering others and making
everybody into a "leader."
* An organizer is patient and persistent; don't let
his or her commitment turn into self-righteousness. Don't
develop the attitude that you have all the answers and that
everyone else is wrong unless they listen to you. The trick
is to help others learn for themselves through their own
experiences. This requires patience--a great deal of it.
Egotism is also very destructive. Other people can sense
when you are placing yourself on a pedestal above them in
your mind.
* An organizer speaks in a language that the
people she is trying to reach can understand. People
involved in activism quickly pick up a lot of jargon that
people outside of our sphere don't share. Translate your
thoughts back into plain English before you speak them.
* An organizer realizes that social change is not
made by loners or superstars, but by people working
together. Our society teaches us individualism and
competition--getting ahead in the "rat race." Let's flush
those attitudes down the (water-conserving) conceptual
toilet where they belong. Learn about cooperation and
working in a collective manner; we are here to help each
other, not to compete with each other.
* An organizer realizes that knowing all about an
issue and knowing how to organize are two very different
things. Memorizing facts and statistics is sometimes useful,
but knowing the facts alone doesn't change things. We
must put the knowledge of the issues together with the
knowledge of what to do with it, and then put it into action.
* An organizer takes care of his or herself, doesn't
take on too much and get burned out. As important as the
work that we are doing is, it is not so important that we
should kill ourselves trying to do too much. Find a healthy,
sustainable balance between the personal, social and
political sides of your life. It's especially a male thing to brag
about how hard you work and how much stuff you do. This
can easily set up a bad dynamic of competition between
people.
* An organizer is always educating himself or
herself about sexism, racism, and homophobia. Try as we
might, we can't just eliminate these "isms" by wishing them
away. We have spent all our lives in a sexist, racist and
homophobic society, and these patterns are far more
deeply ingrained in our psyches than we understand, or
even want to understand. To undo a lifetime of oppressive
patterns literally requires the rest of a lifetime of committed
effort.
* An organizer is always teaching other people how
to become organizers. An "activist" is someone who is
"active"--they go out and engage in work that has the
ultimate goal of making some kind of change. An organizer,
on the other hand, is always someone who is looking to get
as many other people as involved in activism. This may
frequently mean that you are doing things which don't seem
superficially to be of maximal utility in making immediate
changes, but which ultimately are vital in building the
movement. An organizer, for example, will spend extra time
helping someone else learn how to produce a flyer even
when she can do it faster and better on her own.
As you do your organizing, think constantly about
your role as an organizer and how you can be more
effective at it. Think about how you can help others to learn
these same lessons. If we can get enough people doing
this same thing, we can turn the world upside-down.
Threshold is the magazine of SEAC, the Student
Environmental Action Coalition.
They can be reached at: SEAC, P.O. Box 1168, Chapel Hill,
NC 27514-1168;
[s--c] at [unc.bitnet.]
*******
Basics on How to Organize a Group
1) Get a tentative name for your group.
- use a name that is easy to understand, remember,
and does not alienate anyone
- the group can always decide to change the name
later
2) Get a meeting place.
- churches - private home
- universities - community centers
- libraries
- restaurant/bar (excludes under 21 crowd and is
may not be very conducive to productive meetings)
3) Set a meeting day and time.
- leave enough time for people to travel to the
meeting after work
4) Advertise for your meetings.
- Public Service Announcements for local
newspapers, radio, and TV (good source of free
advertising)
- posters
- word-of-mouth = tell everyone you know and have
them tell people
- phone tree = keep a current list of supporters and
call them when you have an event coming up
- letters to the editor
- press releases
5) See who shows up and work from there.
At your first meetings, find out what other people
want to do with the group and get to know one another.
Create a friendly, open atmosphere.
Decide how you want your meetings to run. Setting
the structure for your meetings before-hand lets people
know what to expect and helps the meeting to run
smoother. This includes having a written agenda prepared
before the meeting.
For instance, every meeting should have a facilitator.
The facilitator helps focus the meeting so it is as productive
as it can be. It's a good idea to have a different person
facilitate each meeting. Then everyone learns the skills it
takes to facilitate a meeting. If there is no facilitator,
meetings tend to be rambling and unproductive. (See
section on How to Run an Effective Meeting).
It's also a good idea to have someone take notes or
"minutes" of the meeting. This will avoid confusion
concerning what decisions were made, what needs to be
done, and who is going to do it.
After you have a workable structure, define your
goals as a group. Try to narrow down people's ideas to
one or two that most people support. Be realistic. Know
your resources and what you can practically accomplish.
Don't be discouraged if you don't have many people
at your meetings or if the people that come don't want to
commit themselves too much. It's good to have
any kind of support. Continue to advertise for your group
and you should get new members.
A small group is not necessarily a problem. It's
amazing how much only one or two committed people can
do.
Educational meetings are a good way of getting
people to come out and see what you're doing. You could
have presentations or videos about your cause. This
format will keep bringing new people. In BHIP, we used the
first hour of our meetings for education, and the second
hour for organizational/action meetings. This
worked fairly well, giving all types of people something to
do.
Organizing an event is always a good idea for group
focus. Even if you only have a few people organizing,
chances are you will be able to get people to attend the
event. It's just hard to find someone to organize things.
"Mobilization is easy, organization is hard."
Above all, don't get discouraged by expecting too
much. Social change happens gradually, sometimes
almost undetectably. As long as you are doing all you can
without burning yourself out, you should see some positive
change start to occur.
*****
ONE WAY TO RUN A PRODUCTIVE MEETING
Roles in a Meeting
Facilitator = The main role of a facilitator is to keep the
group focused on the same problem at the same time in
the same way. The facilitator be prepared before a
meeting. S/he should review the agenda and think of the
best way to accomplish the goals of the agenda. At the
meeting, the facilitator maintains focus on agenda. The
facilitator should try to remain neutral. If s/he wants to
participate in discussion, s/he should make it clear that
s/he is stepping out of role as facilitator temporarily. The
facilitator also elicits participation from others and protects
other members from personal attack.
Note-taker = The main role of the note-taker is to keep an
accurate record of what happened at the meeting. Records
what decisions were made, how they are to be
accomplished, and who is responsible.
Blackboard note-keeper: In certain discussions, especially
when a lot of ideas are being generated, it is especially
useful to have someone keep notes of what is being
discussed on a blackboard or on large pieces of paper.
This helps the group focus on the task at hand.
Time-keeper = Each agenda item should have a time limit,
agreed upon before- hand by the group. The time-keeper
reminds the group frequently how much time is left for the
discussion of a particular item.
Vibes-watcher = Group discussions can sometimes
become very heated. All group members should be aware
of the vibes in the room. One person can be designated as
vibes-watcher and lighten things up when necessary.
Group Member = The rest of the group also has
responsibilities in making meetings more productive. A
group member should respect and listen to other members'
views and should not speak out of turn. A group member
should also be aware of other people's roles in a meeting
and remind them when they step out of their roles.
Sample Format of a Meeting
1) Facilitator, note-taker, and time-keeper should introduce
themselves and define their roles. This will let people know
what to expect of them.
2) General introduction by other members (make
newcomers feel welcome)
3) Brief agenda intro (written on blackboard and/or give
everyone copies of agenda) Include time limits and who's
responsible for each item.
4) Approve/revise agenda and time limits.
5) Review previous week's meeting.
6) For each agenda item, first define, then discuss:
a) CONTENT = what is discussed (topic or problem)
b) PROCESS = how the topic is discussed (ie,
brainstorming, go-around, presentation)
c) RESOLUTION = is a decision needed or are we
just discussing? If a decision is necessary, define what
kind of decision will be made (ie, consensus, voting)
d) ACTION = record what action was decided on,
who is responsible, and the date by which they have to
accomplish the action
7) Summarize meeting (note-taker) and make sure
everyone agrees on what happened.
8) Set roles and agenda for next meeting.
9) Evaluate meeting.
10) Closure = Do some sort of formal ending of the
meeting (a poem, a song, a reading).
Before next meeting
1) review meeting
2) follow up on action items
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is only one workable format. I'm sure there are
many variations on this format that may be more suited to
your group. Good books exist on how to run meetings. It
would be worth anyone's while to look them up and read
them.
Running a meeting is a skill that is only improved by
practice. It's a also a skill everyone in a group should
learn. If group members change roles each meeting, it will
develop everyone's skills as well as give people more
empathy to the difficulties of playing different roles.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's Amazing How Much You Can Do
When You Don't Care Who Gets the Credit.
*****
Bored? - Ideas for Your Group
Listed below are six months worth of ideas
generated by members of BHIP. Good ideas seem fairly
easy to come by. Getting people to actually do them is the
hard part. Best bet is to pick one idea that everyone
supports and focus group energies on that idea.
Organization of the Group
- set format for meetings - practice roles in meetings
- organize committees
Art Work
- design logo - design posters
Networking
- contact other groups with similar interests
- contact supportive businesses
- debate opposing groups
Fund-raising
- musical benefit - raffle
- national speakers
- all-ages benefit - buy lottery tickets
- bake sale
- donation cans for businesses - business donations
- university funding - monthly pledges
- merchandise (buttons, stickers, shirts)
Meetings
- presentations by members or other people
- show movies
- have literature available
- video-tape meetings for other groups
- bring food
Information
- table on campus or elsewhere
- rallies
- have literature available
- movies at Public Libraries
- scrapbook of group events/actions
Action
- letters to local, state, federal politicians
- debates
- street theatre
Publicity
- newspapers, radio, & TV PSA's
- press release
- phone tree
- mailing list
- posters
- letters to editor
- radio shows
- designate media spokespersons
*****
Notes from Media Skills Workshop
given by Jason Salzman (of Greenpeace) February 1993
Before a Media Event
define:
1) goal (ie, announce petitioning drive)
2) strategy (bring as many people together as possible)
- focus on one message or one image
3) tactic (hold a rally)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Planning a Media Event
Keep things simple!!
1) What's the message?
- target audience you want to reach
- 2/3 of citizens rely on TV for news
2) Gather background info.
- recent media history of your issue
- use an upcoming event to legitimize stunt (ie, hearing)
- contact other citizen organizations
3) Model for Media Events
- is it do-able? - what if it fails?
- audience - cost - fun
4) Select Event
5) Location = make it close to media offices
6) Permit
7) Timing = want to be able to get immediate response
- avoid weekends
- try to do it mornings, before noon
8) Who are the media?
- locate appropriate media for strategy (NP, TV, radio)
- include all types of media
- write sound-bites (average coverage = 7 seconds)
- PRACTICE first!
9) Press Release
- one page
- why your event is relevant and unique
- headline = most important part
- have it read and look like a news story
- list 2 contacts
- standardize releases throughout group
- call AP Daybook to give them message of your event
Example of Format of Press Release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MARCH 1, 1993
CONTACT:
HEADLINE
STORY
10) Get release out
- FAX = day before the event is better
- mail
- deliver by hand
11) Persistence Works!
- call day before event
- be aggressive and persistent
Reporters, not editors, usually decide if article is written and
pictures taken. Undirected press release to the city desk is
usually a waste of time.
NP = reporters do stories
TV = assignment editors do stories
Radio = will often record a phone call
12) Reporters are people, too
13) Press Packet = background info., including any
previous press coverage
14) Press Conferences
- use sparingly, often not well-attended
- have just a few speakers
15) Assess and do it again
- luck (other news stories that day)
Avoid mis-quotes
- let a reporter know if story was inaccurate
- can ask a reporter to read back the most important points
of what you've said
On-going media relations
- keep a press list; they change jobs often
Models for Media Events
1) IMAGERY - Cameras love costumes
- groups have more control over the images presented in
the media than the info.
2) Public replica of problem - Bring it home to the
people
3) Medical focus - What should the doctor do?
example: students in CA voted on whether suicide pills
should be made available in event of nuclear war
4) Another Business Against Rocky Flats (Hemp
Prohibition?)
- get businesses to put up signs
5) Contests
6) Art Shows = reach other types of reporters/media
7) Governor in Bed with Rocky Flats on State Capitol
steps
- used successfully to bring attention to government
favoritism
- timing important
8) Worst/Best Awards or Report Cards
- easy to grasp for public
- press looks for clear good/bad conflicts
- other groups will also use this info.
9) Bake Sales (Hemp food)
example: Bake Sale to raise money for the federal deficit
or Hemp to Feed the Homeless
10) Make most of Petitions
- don't just hand them in; make a media event about it - do
something visual
11) Portray an advertisement as news
example: GP did an ad titled "Gamble Colorado" which
looked like a real gambling ad until you read it
- this will get more news coverage than conventional ads
12) Get more out of rallies
- signs - symbolism - civil disobedience
- chants - be passionate - kids
- humor - color
- counter-demonstration
- costumes - replicas
13) Celebrate
14) Use Anniversaries
15) Banner Drops on Highways
16) Billboards
17) Spectacle (ie, climb a tree until hemp is legalized)
18) Encircle a target
19) Send something catchy (instead of just a letter)
20) Show Worst-Case Scenario
21) Celebrity Endorsements
22) Use Hearings
23) Target Tourist Industry
Other Ways to Get Attention
- lobby editorial boards
- lobby cartoonists to focus on your issue in their cartoons
- letters to the editor, OP/ED's
- talk shows
- community calendars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, good luck and have fun! Please reproduce
and distribute this information liberally. Let us know if you
have any improvements or suggestions for this pamphlet.
The fight continues... Peace!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This pamphlet brought to you through a joint effort of:
The Boulder Hemp Initiative Project
P.O. Box 729
Nederland, CO 80466
(303) 784-5632
[b--p] at [darkstar.cygnus.com]
and
Straight From the Hip Press, Inc.
P.O. Box 8005 Suite #316 - OG
Boulder, CO 80306
(303) 369-1782
Please share this information with others.
Donations are encouraged.
Make checks payable to the Hemp Initiative Project.
BHIP is an environmental and political action group
promoting the re-legalization of the hemp plant as an
alternative, natural, renewable resource. BHIP is also
dedicated to stopping the erosion of civil rights
caused by the "War on Drugs". BHIP does not advocate
the violation of any laws. BHIP advocates the
changing of unjust laws.
Hemp Facts
Paper = 1 acre of hemp can produce as much paper as 4
acres of trees.
Food = Hemp seed cake is the 2nd highest source of
natural protein.
Fuel = Hemp produces more biomass for fuel than any
other plant.
Fabric = Hemp is stronger than cotton and needs virtually
no pesticides to grow.
Medicine = Hemp was the most widely used medicinal
plant for 3500 years.