Table of Contents
BUILDING POWERFUL COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS
For Minnie Jacoby
Contents
Acknowledgments
About the Exercises
Introduction (click to read)
SECTION I: THE INSIDE STORY Towards a Definition of a Community Organization
Chapter One: What Is Community Organizing, Anyway?
Community Organizing: Power, Self-Interest, and Relationships
The Theory Behind Community Organizing
The Group Provides a Sense of Community
Who Does It?
The Organizing Alchemy: A Look At How It All Works
Chapter Two: Step by Step – Building a Community Organization
The Basic Steps of Building a Community Organization
Getting Started
Chapter Three: Developing a Mission, Goals, and Objectives
Mission Statements
Goals and Objectives
Chapter Four: Structure: How to Build Your Organization to Last
Structure Matters
Key Elements of Structure
Members
Values and Group Norms
SECTION II: POWER MEANS MOBILIZING YOUR RESOURCES
Chapter Five
Developing Power: Why Recruit?
The Reason We Organize is to Develop Power
Why Recruit People to Your Organization?
Who Should You Recruit?
Why People Join Organizations
The Point is to Build Relationships
Chapter Six: How to Recruit: The Nuts and Bolts
Listen. Don’t Sell
Method One: Short Visits, or “Door-knocking”
Method Two: Longer Visits – The One-on-One
Recruiting for a Task
Recruiting to Build a Democratic Organization: It Takes More Than Learning a Rap
Success Breeds Success
Chapter Seven: The Way to Develop Power Is to Develop Leaders
What Do Leaders Do?
Leaders and Self-Interest
Opportunities for Middle-Class Activists
How to Develop Leaders
The Iron Rule of Organizing
“Never Do for People What They Can Do for Themselves”
More On the Iron Rule: Don’t Suck Up All the Responsibility
Chapter Eight: Mobilizing Resources: Meetings
Guidelines for Meetings
Meeting Facilitation
Chapter Nine: Mobilizing Resources: Raising Money
Members and Money
Effective Organizations Organize Money Effectively
Asking People for Money
What About Grants?
SECTION III: MAKING CHANGE
Chapter Ten: Organizing: Pathway to Change
Organizing as a Strategy
Organizing Strategy: The Nuts and Bolts
Other Strategies for Improving the World
Assumptions, Effectiveness, and Values of the Strategies
Real-World Complexities of the Different Strategies
For Service Organizations That Want to Move Beyond Service
The Minnie Test
Chapter Eleven: Taking Action, Solving Problems, Getting Results (click to read)
Actions: Setting Change In Motion
Actions Cause Tension; Tension Leads to Change
Tips for Making Actions Work
Information Is a Cornerstone of Action
Action and Learning
Putting It All Together – From Organizing to Action to Evaluation
Chapter Twelve: Building Community
Organizations Are a Two-Way Street
Organizing and Mutual Assistance
Powerful Organizations Exercise Heart and Muscle
SECTION IV: OUR FUTURE:
Chapter Thirteen: Where Do We Go From Here?
Looking Outward and Forward
The Impact of Community Organizations
New Technologies, New Approaches, New Opportunities
Coming Full Circle: It Takes an Organization to Raise a Village
After Word: / Your Turn
Community Organizing: A Very Annotated Bibliography
Recommended Reading:
Other Resources
Appendix: How to Get Tax-Exempt Status
Index
About the Author
FEEDBACK FORMS
Adding Your Story
Quick Book Order Form
Table of Exercises
SECTION I: THE INSIDE STORY
Chapter Two: Step by Step – Building a Community Organization
Personal Reflection: Vision Exercise
Finding the Stories that Guide You
Looking Into Yourself Is the First Step of a Good Leader
Finding Your Core Beliefs
Building Your Core Group
Chapter Three: Developing a Mission, Goals, and Objectives
Group Exercise: Crafting a Mission Statement
Chapter Four: Structure: How to Build Your Organization to Last
Finding Your Structure
Finding Your Structure, Part 1
Finding Your Structure, Part 2
Finding Your Structure, Part 3
Finding Your Structure, Part 4
Finding Your Structure, Part 5
Finding Your Structure, Part 6
SECTION II: POWER MEANS MOBILIZING YOUR RESOURCES
Chapter Five: Developing Power: Why Recruit?
Why Recruit?
Personal Reasons for Recruiting
What Led You to Join?
What’s In It for You?
Chapter Six: How to Recruit: The Nuts and Bolts
How to Plan a Visit
Dividing Tasks
Chapter Seven: The Way to Develop Power Is to Develop Leaders
Creating a Leadership Development Plan for Someone In Your Organization
Questions for the Iron Rule: Look Inside Yourself
Mobilizing Resources: Meetings
Chapter Nine: Mobilizing Resources: Raising Money
Getting Over Your Hang-Up About Asking People for Money
SECTION III: MAKING CHANGE
Chapter Ten: Organizing: Pathway to Change
Personal Reflection on Service and Organizing
Identifying Real Help
Chapter Eleven: Taking Action, Solving Problems, Getting Results
Information as a Source of Power
Chapter Twelve: Building Community
Group Exercise: Fostering a Group that Meets Its Members’ Needs
CASE STUDIES
Starting an Organization that Makes a Difference
Crafting Your Goals, Objectives, and Measures
Critique of a Group’s Goals and Objectives
The “Structureless” Coalition
Relationships Keep Groups Together
Harvard Union of Technical and Clerical Workers
Dividing Up Tasks So Everyone Can Contribute
Using Role Play and Critique to Practice Recruiting
Self-Interest at Work in Leadership Development
The Archaeology of Organizing: Digging for Stories, Meaning, and Motivation
One List of Agreements
Next Step – Knocking On Doors
Moving Beyond the Doughnuts
The Tutoring Project
From the Ground Up – Building An Organization to Solve a Shared Problem
QUICK TIPS
How to Run a Focus Group
Sample Sponsoring Committee Agreement Letter
How to Coach for Participation – Working Across Class, Education, or Experience Backgrounds
The Secret to Recruitment
Membership Cards for New Recruits
A Flyer to Leave Behind
Bring Your Notebook
Use Your Judgment About Time
Eating and the One-on-One
A Simple 3 x 5 Card System Works Well
Follow-Up: Using Your Notes to Strengthen Relationships
Summary of How to Do a One-on-One Recruiting Visit
Humor Helps
Goals
Physical Layout
Using Ground Rules to Guide Effective Meetings
Your Rules Are Better Than Robert’s
How To Get People There: Provide Good Directions
A Toolkit for Organizers
Three Steps for Facilitating Discussion at a Meeting*
How to Build or Destroy an Organization through Meetings
Things to Remember for Successful Fundraising
Guidelines for Asking People for Money
Checklist for Evaluating an Action