ORGANIZE TO WIN
Jim Britell is a retired computer-systems manager for the U.S. Social Security Administration. In 1989 he and his wife moved to Port Orford, a small Oregon town on the Pacific Coast. Occasionally Britell hauled spring-water from the nearby Siskiyou National Forest. One day he saw that part of the forest was marked for clear-cutting. That was the start of a new career. Britell joined the Kalmiopsis Audubon Society, became its conservation chair, and stopped the timber sale. Then he went on to help save thousands of acres of forest - and spotted owls - in the Pacific Northwest.
His experience both as a bureaucrat and later as an environmentalist trying to make positive change taught him a thing or two he thought worth sharing. So he wrote "Organize to Win" among other things, which has become something of a "how-to manual" for how to get people (and institutions) to do things differently. Written eight years ago, it's still as good a guidebook for grassroots organizing as there is, and although it was written by an American and about the American political process, it's a valuable tool for those of us working north of the Medicine Line.
Download "Organize to Win" here. A GRASSROOTS ACTIVIST'S HANDBOOK TO HELP PEOPLE ORGANIZE COMMUNITY CAMPAIGNS
Review specific topics in the Guide
1. ASSUMPTIONS AND MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT CAMPAIGNS
2. ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGNS
- Decide on the goal of your campaign.
- How to assess community attitudes.
- Choose one person to be your spokesperson.
- Do your homework.
- Find an angle that motivates people to take action.
- Know who owns the land.
- Build your campaign on a sound foundation. (Checklist).
- Create a well-designed one-page Alert.
- Seize unexpected opportunities.
- Civil disobedience - nonviolent and otherwise.
- Preparation for public meetings:
- Formal meetings set up by public bodies.
- Meetings setup by your campaign. (Checklist).
- Dealing with confrontations in meetings.
3. HOW TO MOTIVATE OTHERS TO HELP YOU
- Getting help at a distance:
- Enlisting distant environmental groups. (Checklist)
- The initial phone call. (Checklist)
- Follow-up. (Checklist)
- Mobilizing and motivating local people:
- How to verify mail and phone campaigns.
- Issues with professionals.
4. THE SECRET OF USING EMAIL
5. THE SECRET OF SUCCESSFUL LOBBYING
- Misconceptions about elected representatives and agencies.
6. THE MEDIA
- Use the media effectively.
- Don't assume decision makers will see good press. (Checklist).
- Misconceptions about television coverage.
7. HANDLING CONFLICTING GROUPS AND AGENDAS
8. DIFFERENT KINDS OF ORGANIZERS
9. EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
APPENDIX A: SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING
