WORDS THAT WORK · WORDS THAT WORK Community Benefits Effectively communicating Community Benefits is essential to the movement’s success. If you took an informal poll, most people

WORDSTHAT WORK

CommunicationsMessaging for

Community BenefitsAgreements

A Joint Publication of the Partnership for WorkingFamilies and the SPIN Project

© 2007 Partnership for Working Familiesand SPIN Project. All rights reserved.

Annie E. Casey Foundation

The California Endowment

The Catholic Campaign forHuman Development

The Discount Foundation

The Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund

Ford Foundation

French American Charitable Trust

The Hill-Snowden Foundation Fund

Marguerite Casey Foundation

Maurice Falk Fund

The McKay Foundation

The Nathan Cummings Foundation

The New World Foundation

Open Society Institute

The Ottinger Foundation

Panta Rhea Foundation

The Phoenix Fund for Workersand Communities

Public Interest Partners

Public Welfare Foundation

Racial Justice Collaborative Fund

Rockefeller Foundation

Rosenberg Foundation

The Solidago Foundation

Surdna Foundation

The Tides Foundation

The Woodbury Foundation

The Partnership for Working Families thanks the followingfunders for their generous support of our work:

The Partnership for Working Families Offices

National Program Office

633 S. Hawley Rd., Suite 106C

Milwaukee, WI 53214

(414) 475-0623 phone

Communications Program

436 14th St., Suite 1126

Oakland, CA 94612

(510) 834-8503 phone

(510) 835-0468 fax

Community Benefits Law Center

870 Market St., #915

San Francisco, CA 94102

(415) 544-9944 phone

(415) 544-9946 fax

Executive Office

2525 W. Alameda

Denver, CO 80219

(303) 727-8088

Grants Administrator

464 Lucas Ave., Suite 202

Los Angeles, CA 90017

(213) 977-9400, ext. 101

[email protected]

Staff

Leslie Moody, Executive Director

John Goldstein, National Program Director

Julian Gross, Director of the CommunityBenefits Law Center

Kathleen Mulligan-Hansel, Director of Research& Communications

Ernesto Sanchez, Communications Specialist

Derek Smith, Organizing Program Director

Amber Belindo, Director of Finance& Administration

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The Partnership for Working Families

Vision

Building a New Social Movement for Workers and Communities

The Partnership for Working Families (Partnership) promotes a new vision of organizing aroundeconomic policy and development to transform the lives of workers and their communities. Ourlocal Partner organizations represent diverse coalitions of labor, religious, community and envi-ronmental groups that organize for better jobs, a healthy environment, more affordable hous-ing and healthcare and accessible public services. As a Partnership, we leverage local andnational resources to support these efforts, link our work through peer-to-peer learning andshare best practices and legal support across regions and industries.

We believe that we can reclaim and redirect economic development to benefit low-wage work-ers and communities of color. Our Partners incorporate research, organizing, coalition buildingand policy development into effective campaigns for economic development practices anddecisions that build healthy urban economies and empower working people.

About this ToolkitThe Partnership for Working Families and theSPIN Project are proud to bring you Words thatWork: Messaging for Community BenefitsAgreements, a communications toolkit designedto help Community Benefits advocates learn fromothers’ experiences and integrate successful com-munications strategies into their own campaigns.

Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) area powerful new tool being used by organizationsworking for economic justice to ensure thatlarge-scale developments serve not only thecorporations that underwrite them, but also thecommunities that surround them. CBAs ensurethat development provides quality jobs, communi-ty services, local hiring, environmental protectionsand improvements, affordable housing and avoice for the community in the developmentprocess itself.

This toolkit is intended to give advocates, grass-roots organizers, policy specialists, communityleaders and their allies the tools they need toshape public opinion through effective framing,messaging and other communications techniques.Advocates across the nation must describe com-plex growth and development issues using simplelanguage and concepts to influence the terms of

debate. This toolkit can help you find those mes-sages and incorporate a proactive communicationsand media component into your CBA campaign.The toolkit is also written for community mem-bers who need communications resources to telltheir stories, to illustrate the dramatic effect oframpant and ineffective development in theirlives and to describe a positive vision of the com-munity in which they want to live.

In these pages you’ll find best practices for creat-ing successful CBA communications campaigns,based on the work of the Partnership for WorkingFamilies, the communications professionals at theSPIN Project and the leaders of organizationsacross the country who have fought for, and won,CBAs for their communities.

The toolkit is organized into three parts. Part Ifocuses on framing and messaging considerationsfor CBAs, including framing/messaging basics, tailor-ing messages to your audience, examples of goodframing and sample messages. Part II contains casestudies of three CBA campaigns led by the FrontRange Economic Strategy Center in Denver, theMilwaukee Good Jobs and Livable NeighborhoodsCoalition and Georgia Stand Up. Part III provides asample press release, an Op Ed and a communica-tions plan to help you implement a media strategyfor your own campaign.

Framing for Community Benefits

Thoughtful framing can effectively communicate the criticalessence of Community Benefits. It helps advocates forge

and articulate a vision for Community Benefits, as well asdevelop clear language that encompasses the broad impact ofurban development issues. In this section, we will look atframing basics, framing to be heard and framing examples togive advocates tools to influence and control the CommunityBenefits debate.

WORDS THAT WORK

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About the Partnership forWorking Familieswww.communitybenefits.org

The Partnership for Working Families grew out ofefforts in individual cities to negotiate CommunityBenefits Agreements around large-scale, publicly-financed redevelopment projects. In the 1990s,coalitions of community-based organizations,neighborhood associations, faith-based organiza-tions and local labor unions pushed for newapproaches to urban redevelopment, ultimatelywinning a series of negotiated contracts withdevelopers that ensured these projects wouldprovide good jobs, local hiring, opportunities foreducation and training, affordable housingprovisions, environmental provisions and otherneighborhood amenities. As the CommunityBenefits movement grew, the Partnership forWorking Families was formed to maximize theeffectiveness of individual efforts by linking peersacross cities, providing technical assistance andsupport to individual campaigns, and tapping intonational-level resources that can be difficult forlocal organizations to access.

About the SPIN Projectwww.spinproject.org

The SPIN Project is a nonprofit group of communica-tions specialists who work with grassroots organiza-tions across the nation to build their communicationscapacities. SPIN helps organizations increase theireffectiveness in influencing debate, shaping publicopinion and garnering positive media attention. TheSPIN Project honors the multiracial, multicultural,diverse constituencies of the groups we train.

The SPIN Project works with a broad range oforganizing, advocacy and policy organizations, all ofwhich work to strengthen democracy and publicparticipation. Our clients typically focus on issuesconcerning civil rights, human rights, social justiceand the environment. We work toward a strongerdemocracy in which people enhance and activelyparticipate in the public discourse.

To best meet the needs of our clients, we offer: © Communications Audits

© Communications Strategy Development

© Skills Building and Leadership Development

© Communications Coaching

© Organizational Communications Infrastructure

© Campaign Support

© Peer Networking

© Customized Communications Conferences

© Publications

We invite you to visit our Web site atwww.spinproject.org or contact us if you would liketo discuss our services.

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COMMUNITY BENEFITS COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT

Framing’s basic truth is this:The person who defines

the issue and sets theterms of the debate is

halfway to winning.

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WORDS THAT WORK

Community BenefitsEffectively communicating Community Benefits isessential to the movement’s success. If you tookan informal poll, most people would not know orunderstand terms like accountable development,Community Benefits or even sprawl. CommunityBenefits advocates have an opportunity to frame,clarify and contextualize this issue. They can cre-ate meaningful, values-based messages that res-onate with people far more than technical, policy-oriented jargon. How can advocates put a humanface on these issues? How can the CommunityBenefits story be told in a way that gives hope toeveryday people across the country? This sectionof the toolkit offers some answers to these impor-tant questions. In it, you’ll find:

Basic Framing for Community Benefits looksat the why and how of Community Benefits fram-ing—why it is important to frame, examples of

The concept of Community Benefits is one of the most compellinggrassroots economic development strategies in the United States

today. It holds the promise of improving the quality of life for themany Americans who live and work in both urban and rural

areas that are experiencing development challenges.

the framing process and what frames have beeneffective for some advocate organizations.

Framing Examples explores opposition framesand their impact in shaping public perceptionabout Community Benefits, as well frames that areineffective for our purposes. This section will alsolook at successful frames and how they embodyaffirmative possibilities for future framing.

Message Development outlines a CommunityBenefits message. This section offers tips for cohe-sive and effective Community Benefits messages.It also looks at the importance of understandingyour target audiences and how to reach themwith your messages.

A Sample Communications Plan provides con-crete examples of how to create a communica-tions plan for a Community Benefits campaign.

PART I. FRAMING AND MESSAGING

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Background on CommunityBenefits AgreementsCommunity Benefits Agreements (CBAs) areenforceable agreements between communitygroups and developers seeking to address a broadrange of community needs. They ensure commu-nity participation in shaping major developments,and help shift the public discussion on economicdevelopment that meets the needs of workingfamilies.

As Community Benefits work deepens and movesinto cities and towns across America, one of thebiggest challenges facing advocates is communica-tions—how we translate the goals of the workand the values that inform it to the public, policy-makers, allies and the media. There is a realopportunity for advocates to define and mold thismovement to reflect our values.

The Community Benefits movement is also build-ing power for working people, giving them thecontext, language and tools to organize, advocateand build the communities they envision. Livingwage jobs, affordable housing and fair andresponsible development are goals linked toCommunity Benefits organizing efforts. The nextfrontier is how to leverage Community Benefitsinto a broader movement for fair and responsibledevelopment, and communications has a criticalrole in shaping the future of this work.

One telling example is how the Los AngelesAlliance for a New Economy (LAANE) and abroad-based coalition of labor activists, small busi-ness owners, and clergy beat back a Wal-Marteffort to circumvent local government and thewill of the community by building a Supercenterthat would have provided little, if any, benefit tothe community. LAANE’s victory over Wal-Mart isparticularly impressive given that Wal-Mart out-spent them 10-to-1. Moreover, a disciplined com-munications strategy helped everyday peopleunderstand and remember the concepts ofCommunity Benefits and responsible develop-ment. LAANE and its coalition partners createdthe gold standard for media coverage onCommunity Benefits. Winning messages, strategicframes, disciplined spokespeople, compelling com-munications plans and an understanding of targetaudiences are all tools that Community Benefitsorganizers can use to influence the political and

media landscape for Community Benefits issues.

Basic Framing for CommunityBenefitsThoughtful framing can effectively communicatethe essence of Community Benefits, helping advo-cates forge and articulate a vision of economicjustice and develop clear language to underscorethe importance of development issues for commu-nities across the country. In this section, we willexplore the basics of framing and provide exam-ples of effective framing to help advocates influ-ence and control the Community Benefits debate.

Effective framing is critical to mounting a winningcampaign. Ultimately, framing means creating andadvancing your perspective on the issue.Successfully defining the issue and setting theterms of the debate is half of the battle. Framinghelps you advance your perspective, putting youin a proactive stance, with your opposition on thedefense. It allowsyou to establishthe “meaning” ofan issue and con-trol the debate bydefining key pointsand key players.Framing needs toconvey a visionthat CommunityBenefits bringspositive solutionsto the lives ofeveryday peopleand it is a viablesolution forchanging how development helps working fami-lies and local communities. By crafting languagebased on how people understand the issues, advo-cates can garner support from broad and diverseconstituencies for Community Benefits solutions.

Moreover, framing for maximum impact gets themedia—and new constituencies—interested inyour issue. It is an opportunity to generate earnedmedia (stories in the news media) through effec-tive news hooks—the story elements that attract areporter’s attention. Framing pushes your issueinto the forefront of dialogue, enabling your per-spective to be taken seriously and broaden orreframe it to counter opposition framing.

Communications toolsfor success:Winning messages,strategic frames, disci-plined spokespeople,compelling communi-cations plans and anunderstanding of target audiences.

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WORDS THAT WORK

Framing BasicsFraming is your analysis of an issue—the ability todefine and control the telling of your story.Framing is also rooted in values. What do youbelieve in? What do you stand for? What are thevalues behind a Community Benefits campaign?The framework defines what’s in your story, whichidea you choose to promote and how you pushthat idea. Community Benefits campaigns carryseveral powerful frames that echo familiarAmerican themes: David vs. Goliath, underdogsovercoming obstacles for the common good and apositive, optimistic vision for the future.

It’s important to note that our understanding ofthe American experience is a function of story-telling. We love stories because they affirm thatwe share a common American culture. We choosesides, identify with key players and seek a com-forting resolution to crises. Community Benefitsadvocates can use framing to accomplish similargoals by telling compelling Community Benefitsstories. The Inglewood vs. Wal-Mart struggle is aclassic example of a David vs. Goliath frame thatcaptured the country’s imagination. Wal-Mart wasaccustomed to setting up Supercenters whereverit wanted, without opposition—despite its anti-union policies, low-wage business model and lackof accountability. The Inglewood community withLAANE and their coalition partners fought backwith the political equivalent of a slingshot andstone. Using this kind of frame will play well evenwith people who are not familiar with the issue,because it is a classic American story. It makes iteasier for people to understand what’s happeningand why they should care.

Framing in ActionOne of the most recent examples of the power ofvalues-based framing is the CBA campaign for theYale-New Haven Hospital’s $430 million cancercenter. The Connecticut Center for a NewEconomy (CCNE), along with its partners fromlocal labor, community- and faith-based organiza-tions, successfully negotiated a groundbreakingCBA. Benefits to the surrounding community wereestimated at $5 million, not including the hun-dreds of long-term jobs for local residents.

CCNE President Andrea van den Heever notes thatthe CBA was the result of years of negotiation,and years of painstaking relationship-buildingbefore that. “These types of victories don’t comealong too often. It is of national significancebecause of the fact we were able, over the longperiod of time, to forge the ties we did betweenthe union, the neighborhood and the faith com-munity around a common agenda. It took us fiveyears of intensive focus and five years before thatof building community [relations]. It’s 10 years ofwork that got us here.”

Among the specific gains from the agreement are:support for affordable housing and neighborhoodimprovement in the Hill neighborhoodsurrounding the Hospital; increased access tohealth care for neighborhood residents; guaran-tees that the Cancer Center’s construction will beenvironmentally friendly; support from theHospital for education, job training and youthprograms in the community; and organizing rightsfor hospital employees. These benefits reflect thevalues of the residents that fought for them, andsupport their vision of a safe, economically viablecommunity.

Framing to Be Heard Framing can—and must—be used to move peoplefrom general American values to action on specif-ic issues. Advocates for Community Benefits needto understand these values completely, how toconnect them to action and how to better posi-tion themselves to tell stories for their communi-ties. To develop a frame, you need to ask yourselfa few simple questions about your issue. As youbuild your frame, carefully consider the words youuse to convey your issue and your values.

Answering these questions can also help you trans-late the jargon we often use with colleagues foran audience of everyday media consumers. Howmany people know or really understand terms likeCommunity Benefits or responsible development?Advocates may know, but most people have noclue what we’re talking about. Remember: Mostdaily newspapers write for the fifth grade reader.Their job is to make news and information accessi-ble to the broadest audience possible, and they dothis by making the news into a story with a moral,a narrative structure and clearly defined heroesand villains. Television news reporters don’t have

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time for nuance—they capture only the most basic,essential information for viewers, often relying onpictures to tell a big part of the story.

If more people are going to understand andsupport the Community Benefits movement, it iscrucial to describe it in a values-oriented andaccessible way. Detailed policy solutions andshades of gray don’t fit into this model. In orderto win on their issues, advocates need to under-stand how news outlets work and find the rightstories to tell them. Policy-laden terminologyrequiring translation only separates us from ourcritical audiences.

Framing at Yale-NewHaven Hospital’sCancer Center

What frames were employed inthis campaign?

1© A New SocialContractBecause Yale University, and theYale-New Haven Hospital, have ahuge impact on the neighbor-hoods in which they are situated,it is critical that they reflect thevalues of those communities,and recognize their responsibilityto promote the wellbeing oftheir neighbors. This frame isabout ensuring that major insti-tutions acknowledge thatresponsibility, and ensure, inCCNE’s words, “that every familyin every neighborhood of ourcommunity can prosper.”

4© CommunityParticipation This is a frame rootedin the value ofdemocracy. Americansbelieve in including abroad range of voices,and offering commu-nity solutions to com-munity issues thatreflect real needs.

3© Win-WinSolutionsThere are benefitshere for everyone:Yale-New HavenHospital, policy-makers, smallbusiness and thecommunity all sawreal, concretegains from theagreement.This frameemphasizesshared prosperity.

2© PositiveVisionAmericans are opti-mistic, and find it easierto understand and sup-port a positive visionthan a negative one. Inthis case, residentscould articulate a visionfor the community andfor their future thatencompassed qualityjobs, responsible devel-opment, affordablehousing and safeneighborhoods.

What media hooks does thisframe contain?Target reporters by using media “hooks” thatattract their attention and make sense of an issuein their language. The media determines news-worthiness by checking your story against mediahooks.

© Controversy: Good stories often have a conflictthat grabs attention. Frame the story to put theopposition on the defensive.

© Trend: Reporters love stories that suggest newopinions, behavior patterns and attitudes. Threeconstitutes a trend: Find at least three examplesto assert that a new trend is emerging.

© Human Interest: Feature individuals, communityleaders or galvanizing spokespersons who maybecome news themselves because of their fasci-nating stories.

© Localize National Stories (and vice versa): Take anational story and emphasize its local impact—for example, how does the battle over a newbig-box store in your community mirror what’sgoing on in the rest of the country?

© Celebrity: If you have a celebrity on your side,make sure to include them in your pitches.

What is the issue of CommunityBenefits really about?Answering this question helps focus your analysisor perspective on the issue.

© Values: Fairness, participation, the benefits ofdevelopment shared by the entire community.

© Context: Responsible growth and developmentmeans good jobs, affordable housing and ahealthy environment.

Who is affected?Framing for widest reach and drama allows you toshow the broad impact of Community Benefitsand development decisions on many people, notjust selected parts of a community.

© Residents, workers, schoolchildren, merchants,business-owners, churchgoers… the entire com-munity is affected.

Who are the players?Most frames will have a good vs. bad aspect tothem: hero vs. villain, the Force vs. the Dark Side.People are accustomed to choosing sides onissues. This is your chance to cast these roles asyou see fit—this can be especially helpful whenyou need to hold elected officials or developersaccountable.

Framing will help determine who the players are.

© Protagonists: Community Benefits advocates andtheir allies in the community.

© Antagonists: Forces of resistance and lack ofaccountability (potentially developer associa-tions, Chambers of Commerce, elected officials).

© Target Audiences: Influencers (who can moveantagonists), your base and the public (peopleto act).

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WORDS THAT WORK

TO FRAME, CONSIDER THESE QUESTIONS:

What pictures and images communicate this frame?Images and symbols can be critical to conveyingthe story that you want to tell. Find images thatconvey the values behind Community Benefits,the impact of development on the community,and your hope for the future. For example:Pictures of the community united in their demandfor change, the everyday life of the community,schoolchildren petitioning the city council.

Sharing the FrameFraming is also about empowering others tospeak about the issue. Community Benefits advo-cates can share a successful frame to move theissue beyond preaching to the already converted.Every opportunity to communicate a frame is anopportunity to reinforce the values and meaningthat define the debate, re-frame the issue tofavor Community Benefits advocates and providethe language for decision-makers and the mediato help them understand the issue.

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BASIC FRAMING REMINDERS

Framing is about clarifying and promotingvalues. Clearly define development issues andset the terms of debate for maximum mediaimpact.

Proactive framing means offering a positivevision for your campaign: Be for something,not just against something.

Do not reinforce your opposition’s frame.Repeating their frames reinforces their defini-tion of the issue, thus supporting their pointof view. For example, don’t reinforce the fol-lowing:

© Community Benefits advocates are stiflinggrowth and free markets.

© Development is good for all Americans andCommunity Benefits advocates are anti-development.

© Advocates are just trouble-makers who areagainst sensible growth.

You will almost certainly hear these framesfrom your opposition, but it is vital that youdo not repeat and thus reinforce them—evento dispute or dispel them. Concentrate onyour positive vision of how development canprovide real benefits to everyone in the com-munity.

Repetition and consistency are the keys tohelping the frame hold. Creating an effective“echo” keeps a frame alive and moving.Echoing builds scale, creates the perception ofbroad public support and demonstrates realpublic demand for our issues. Echoes can helpcapture the attention of lawmakers, corpo-rate decision makers and those whose busi-nesses and careers depend on the public will.

Effective Frames Community Benefits advocates can localize thesebroad framing concepts and leverage them to helpwin their campaigns.

© Positive Vision. CBAs articulate a vision for com-munities and for their future that encompassesquality jobs, responsible development, affordablehousing and safe neighborhoods.

© Win-Win Solutions. CBAs mean benefits for all,and support the idea that competing interests canactually work together for livable neighborhoodsand responsible development.

© Broad Range of Voices. CBAs allow for, andencourage, broad participation to ensure devel-opment meets the needs of all. This frameincludes not only community members, but alsodecision-makers and other key players in thedevelopment process.

© Community Origins and Participation inDevelopment. CBAs are the result of the wholecommunity coming together to identify whatkind of place they want to live in—with everyoneworking together, the challenges of developmentthat benefits everyone can beovercome.

© Principled/Mutual Progress. CBA advocatesaren’t radicals trying to block development. Theyare working collaboratively within the process toensure that development works for thecommon good.

FRAMING EXAMPLES

Ineffective FramesIt’s sometimes tempting for advocates to talkabout the issues in the following ways, but theseframes actually work against the CommunityBenefits argument. Speak to your strengths andnot to the either/or, divisive language that alien-ates potential audiences.

© Policy Reform. Discussions of policy nuance donot move people. Policy details don’t addressvalues or define the stakes of the issue for tar-get audiences in terms they can easily grasp.

© Anti-Development. This is a classic “Us vs.Them” frame that causes more problems foradvocates than it solves. Developers seize thisopportunity to say advocates simply do notwant development at all.

© Sprawl vs. Smart Growth. This shouldn’t bean oppositional frame. Smart growth is varied,responsible and a win-win possibility for all.Sprawl isn’t necessarily perceived as a negativething among those who see outward growth asan opportunity to fulfill their American Dream.Smart growth can be a tool to influence peo-ple’s understanding of development issues.

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WORDS THAT WORK

CBAs articulate a vision for communities and for their future thatencompasses quality jobs, responsible development, affordable

housing and safe neighborhoods.

Your Opposition’s FramesWhile you are busy trying to frame the issue,remember that the opposition is busy creating itsown frames. These are some common argumentsagainst Community Benefits from the oppositionin past campaigns. Advocates should be preparedto respond to these arguments and defend theirpositive vision of what CBAs can achieve.

© Community Benefits are anti-business.Chambers of Commerce typically argue thatCommunity Benefits advocates are hostile tobusiness. Their classic argument is that taxrevenues and jobs will be lost.

© Community Benefits will stifle growth andcost us jobs. The frame here is that developershave all the answers to growth and prosperity,and advocates are job-killers that are drivingthe economy downward. In this frame, CBAs willdiscourage local investment.

© Community Benefits will encouragebureaucracy. Community Benefits advocatesare accused of adding red tape by calling foradditional and unnecessary layers to govern-ment approval processes, which slows downeconomic growth and progress.

© Community Benefits are driven by specialinterests. The assertion is that big labor andother outsiders with narrow interests are drivingthe issue—not the larger community or a con-cern for the common good.

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While you are busy trying to frame the issue, remember that the opposition is busy creating its own frames.

© We Already Provide Community Benefits.Developers will argue that a they always pro-vide community benefits, or even that a CBAhas already been negotiated with communitystakeholders regardless of whether such stake-holders truly represent the needs of workingfamilies impacted by the surrounding develop-ment. Developers will cite this fact with subse-quent coalitions who truly represent the broadvoice and concerns of neighboring residents andcommunity leaders in an effort to bypassaddressing the long-terms needs ofcommunities.

Understanding your target audience helps youcraft appropriate messages to reach them. It isespecially important to make distinctions amongmessages for policymakers, media, allies and com-munity groups.

What is your target audience—three possibilitiesto consider:

Your base: Communities, allies and advocates.

People who can influence the campaign target:The people who can push that target to give youwhat you want.

Secondary target audiences: People in the com-munity who should know about you to buildpower and brand awareness for your group.

TARGET AUDIENCE

Knowing Your AudienceCommunity Benefits advocates can test the effec-tiveness of messages and determine what audi-ences think about Community Benefits and theissue of responsible development through polls,focus groups, interviews and research. These cangauge the mood and attitudes of intended audi-ences. They are supports—not substitutes—for thefocused advocacy, policy and communicationswork that is needed to win Community Benefitscampaigns.

Polling gauges public perception of an issue overtime or in a moment. It can help you develop yourCommunity Benefits messages or make news offindings. Track polls to look at changing attitudesover time.

Surveys ask in-depth questions and seek to get adeeper understanding of a particular issue.Interviews and Surveys are inexpensive ways toget information from your target audiences abouttheir opinions on your issue.

Focus groups assemble people for focused discus-sion and to give feedback on a particular issue.Participants’ opinions, perspectives and viewpointscan help you develop messages for your intended“target audiences.”

Research—by consuming various media, includingprint, radio, television and online—is the mostimportant way to understand attitudes and typesof media messages permeating the political ter-rain. The Pew Research Center[www.pewresearch.org] offers information ontrends, attitudes and issues in American society,particularly related to how we consume themedia.

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WORDS THAT WORK

Understanding your target audience helps you craftappropriate messages to reach them.

Framing the Development DebateMany groups working on Community Benefits strategies also face challenges related to gentrification andrapidly changing communities. Talking about these issues is a tricky business; we do want quality housing,jobs and the other benefits that development can bring to our communities, but not at the expense ofpeople who have lived and worked there for generations. Here are some strategies to help you frame anddiscuss broad issues of development in your community.

DO…© Make it local—talk about how these issues are

playing out in your neighborhoods and commu-nities.

© Be clear about the goals and tone of yourefforts. Are you trying to stop development orshape the way it’s done?

© Remember to talk about fundamental values—why do you want what you want?

© Define “community” from many angles—schools, churches, small businesses, environ-ment, health, transportation, workforce. Thesecommunity resources are required to fuel ahealthy economy.

© Tell human stories to back up the facts. Put aface on the abstract issues.

© Talk about fairness in general terms—get specif-ic on what is currently unfair and how it can bemade fairer. Be concrete!

© Use history. Talk about famous cases of displace-ment that resonate in your area.

© Tap into the language of smart growth—it res-onates for a lot of your targets (city council, etc).

© Use arguments that focus on community-drivendevelopment, as well as strengthening commu-nity and economic diversity.

DON’T…© Use the word gentrification. It’s a charged word

that only a handful will recognize—much lessrelate to. Find ways to define the concept andits impacts without using shorthand.

© Say you oppose development. In the US, that’slike saying you hate apple pie and puppies. Talkabout the need for principled progress.

© Confuse your demands with your messages.Your demands are only part of the narrative,part of the picture you want to paint. It’s notabout housing or jobs; it’s about creating a com-munity for all of us.

© Let local officials off the hook. Many peoplebelieve that when it comes to development,elected officials have their own agendas—setlargely by developers. Local officials aren’t trust-ed to consider the long-term consequences oftheir decisions, so your messages may have anopening there.

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ProblemThis section of the message should frame the issueclearly, broadly and in a compelling way so thatthe impact of Community Benefits is felt andunderstood by everyone—especially to those notfamiliar with the issue. This section defines theissue, who is affected, who is causing the problemand who is responsible for correctingthe problem.

SolutionThis part of the message should convey yourvalues. What do you stand for? What is yourvision for solving the problem? How will yourcommunity benefit from fair and smart develop-ment? The solution helps you convey viable alter-natives for success. You must offer a positivevision for your initiative—not just a response toyour opponents. It’s also important to convey asense of hope and possibility in this message, tosuggest that change is achievable and withinour reach.

ActionThis portion of the message is the call to action.You must offer a picture of leadership to your tar-get audience, and give them a sense of what theycan do to solve the problem and help achieve thesolution. Keep in mind that particular actions maybe different depending on your various targetaudiences—not every target is asked to do thesame thing.

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WORDS THAT WORK

Key Community Benefits messages should concisely communicate the key issues at stake. Many organiza-tions attempt to discuss using policy details—or worse, political strategy—instead of putting out sharpmessages with clear language that defines and makes the case for Community Benefits.

The SPIN Project recommends adopting a strategy that addresses three key points—the Problem, theSolution and the Action. This method of creating messages helps you develop short, pithy “talking points”that move to the essence of an issue, rather than jargon-filled lectures that only your allies understand.This section will help advocates design and hone key messages for audiences new to the CommunityBenefits movement. Once your frame helps you determine the story you want told, message developmentallows you to create sharp, concise messages, making the issue as accessible as possible.

SAMPLE MESSAGE

ProblemRedevelopment has the potential to strengthenour communities, but the current system inMetropolis is not working well. Crucial issues suchas job quality, housing and neighborhood servicesare not considered before a project is approved,while residents directly affected by developmentshave little opportunity for input. Lawmakers areforced to make decisions and commit taxpayerfunds without full information, and developersmust confront opposition from frustrated resi-dents whose concerns have not been addressed.

SolutionRedevelopment in Metropolis must focus on thereal long-term needs of our communities. ACommunity Impact Report is a simple, commonsense tool that will provide residents, policymak-ers and developers with the facts they need aboutdevelopment projects. The Community ImpactReport will encourage projects that create goodjobs, affordable housing and vital neighborhoodservices, give residents a voice in decisions thataffect their lives and allow policymakers anddevelopers to build projects that enjoy strongpublic support.

Action Give residents, developers and policymakers thefacts they need to build good projects andhealthy communities. Support the CommunityImpact Report policy.

DEVELOPING THE MESSAGE:PROBLEM, SOLUTION, ACTION

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MESSAGE DEVELOPMENT

Here are some step-by-step tools to help you cre-ate your message.

Problem© Ask yourself: What’s going on here? What is the

problem and why is it relevant?

© Define the issue: Set the terms of debate, andplace the issue in its context.

© Jargon alert: Avoid jargon, insider language andpolicy-speak in the problem part of the mes-sage. Think of people who do not know any-thing about your issue and explain it to them.

© Values: Does your message match up with youraudiences’ values, experiences and beliefs?

Solution© Ask yourself: So what? Why should people care?

© Offer a vision of success.

© Ensure the solution is viable and practical.

© Involve your audience in the solution.

© Communicate your values: fairness, participa-tion, benefits for all (win-win).

Action© Ask yourself: Now what? What do I want this

audience to do?

© Be as concrete as possible: Ask your audience tosupport a ballot measure, call their city councilmember, etc.

SUPPORTING MESSAGESBelow are some Community Benefits messagesthat have proven successful in prior campaigns.

Community Benefits are good for the City

© CBAs help policymakers be more informed ondevelopments and how they could impact theentire city.

© CBAs prevent cities from misallocating taxpayerdollars on development projects that produceno tangible benefits.

Community Benefits are good for Taxpayers

© CBAs ensure taxpayer money serves the bestinterest of the community by linking develop-ment/redevelopment with good jobs, job train-ing, housing and other Community Benefits.

Community Benefits are good for Policymakers

© CBAs give policymakers important informationto help them make the best decisions for devel-opment projects.

© Policymakers who support CBAs are real leaders,representing the interests of the wholecommunity.

© CBAs help policymakers consider redevelopmentprojects as a way to provide living-wage jobsand safe and affordable housing.

Community Benefits are good for Developers

© CBAs help developers understand communityconcerns and needs, and gain much-neededpublic support as they seek permits and taxsubsidies.

© CBAs improve community “buy-in” by address-ing concerns early in the development process.

Community Benefits are good for Communities

© CBAs give community members a voice in eco-nomic development decisions that affect them.

© CBAs meet the real needs of the community byaddressing crucial needs like housing and jobs,thereby improving the overall quality of life.

Message EssentialsYour messages communicate your frame, positionand call to action. The Community Benefits mes-sage clarifies your advocacy position and whoseinterests are at stake. For example, Los AngelesAlliance for a New Economy (LAANE) essentiallyre-framed the debate on economic developmentin Los Angeles using Community Benefits framingand messaging: a positive vision, win-win solu-tions and community-based themes.

Condense your Issue into KeyMessagesTry to distill what you want to say into a sharp,concise message. Community Benefits policynuance and complexity isn’t necessary—capturethe essence of the issue and make it as accessibleas possible. Community Benefits means “fair andbeneficial development and creates sustainablecommunities with good jobs and affordablehousing.”

Repeat Messages Over andOverCreate an “echo” effect when sharing CommunityBenefits messages. Repeating your key messagesover and over is the only way to get them intothe public consciousness. The message pipelinecan carry messages through a cycle from advo-cates to allies, repeating the same message toinfluencers, repeating it in the media, in commu-nity outreach, etc. We can also echo the messagewith symbols and visuals that convey the essenceof the issue.

Respond to Reporters’Questions with Key MessagesMedia interviews are opportunities to communi-cate your key messages to your intended audi-ences, not to the reporter. The average sound bitein broadcast media is eight to 10 seconds.Complicated policy explanations will not helphere, but key messages will.

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WORDS THAT WORK

KEYS TO MESSAGING

Stay ON MESSAGEThe key here is discipline. Discipline your messagesand the spokespeople delivering the messages.The combination of an effective message and adisciplined messenger will lock an issue into theaudience’s consciousness.

Many Messengers, OneMessageSuccessful Community Benefits messagingdepends on creating a constancy of messageacross a wide spectrum of interests. This spectrummay include other advocates, allies, communitypartners, religious and union leadership and oth-ers. Everyone should be advancing the sameessential message. And this message should beconstantly echoed across all media engagement:press releases, media advisories, Op Eds, letters tothe editors, television, radio and onlinecommunications.

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Repeating your keymessages over and overis the only way to getthem into the publicconsciousness.

The Promised LandIn 2001, Cherokee-Denver, LLC purchased theGates Rubber Factory, an old building sitting on a50-acre parcel. The Gates company and factoryhad once been pillars of Denver’s economy.Opened in 1911, Gates produced tires, rubberhose and automobile belts, but, like many otherUS corporations, moved its operations abroad.The rubber factory slowly began to deteriorateand was officially declared blighted in 2003.

After Cherokee-Denver, LLC purchased the site,Denver residents were inspired by its possibilities.Redevelopment, they imagined, could return tothe site its lost status as a center of the city’s econ-omy.

Instead, the developer asked for $150 million intax-funded subsidies to develop high-end condoswithout any assurances for affordable housing,and to create low-road service jobs.

FRESC Leads the PeopleUnited in a vision to build responsible develop-ment for the Denver area, the Campaign forResponsible Development (CRD), a broad coalitionof community organizations, labor unions, faith-based groups and community residents, was incu-bated at the Front Range Economic StrategyCenter in 2002.

The coalition’s member organizations representedtens of thousands of members and their families,and were committed to maximizing economicopportunities for Denver’s communities in rede-velopment projects that received public supportor subsidies.

The CRD chose to target the Cherokee-Gates rede-velopment project as a model for what gooddevelopment could look like. The CRD proposed aCommunity Benefits Agreement to Cherokee thatwould ensure union construction, living-wage jobsand affordable housing.

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WORDS THAT WORK

PART II© CASE STUDIES

Front Range Economic Strategy CenterDenver’s first responsible development victory: Community Benefits achieved at the Gates Rubber Factory.

The StrategyThe Campaign for Responsible Development usedseveral key strategies to get the developer tonegotiate.

© Broad CoalitionThe breadth of the coalition included severallabor, religious and community-based organiza-tions who, in turn, mobilized hundreds of com-munity residents at key city council meetingsand community town halls.

© Research on Tax Increment FinancingThrough a series of studies on projects fundedthrough tax increment financing (TIF), thecampaign educated policy makers and localpoliticians on the failure of publicly subsidizedredevelopment projects to build stronger localcommunities and economies.

© Political Pressure Armed with this information, the campaignadvocated for council members to ask the devel-oper questions about the benefits that the com-munity would reap, and to make specific agree-ments about those benefits.

© TenacityThe CRD campaign remained consistent andadamant in their resolve to create greater eco-nomic opportunity and stronger local communi-ties by standing firm on the issue over thecourse of three years.

The Message

Version IThe campaign’s early frame of the issue focusedon the lack of public return on public investment.This message played well with certain businesspublications, but organizers found the messagetoo academic and out of reach for communityresidents.

Version IIThe campaign refocused on defining redevelop-ment as a tool for building community. Samplemessages included:

We believe economic development should buildcommunities where ordinary people can afford tolive and work.

Economic development should improve the livesof people living in distressed communities.

Economic development should be an investmentthat improves the city’s fiscal health and enrichesour entire community.

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“We believe that TIF-subsidized economic development canachieve its goals, but only if we raise the expectations for afford-

able housing and establish wage and benefit standards that allowpeople to lead healthy and self-sufficient lives here in Denver.”

—Robin Kniech,Campaign for Responsible Development

Lessons LearnedEarly on in the campaign, leaders learned theimportance of developing a frame that resonatedwith people’s immediate needs, rather thanlonger-term community concerns. In the first yearsof the campaign, the coalition had a strong envi-ronmental frame identified by communityresidents near the rubber plant who feared thetoxicity of the land and its effects on residents.Although the City Council called the organizersalarmist and tried to downplay the environmentalangle, the campaign continued to support thor-ough environmental cleanup of the land.

Additionally, campaign leaders developed a keenunderstanding of the importance of getting toknow the city beat reporters and predicting whatangle of the story would capture their interest.Some reporters were more interested in the politi-cal dimensions of the issue, and focused on theprocess by which the city makes decisions aboutspending public money. In order to capitalize onthis interest, the campaign had to create controver-sy and tension over how to hold the city responsi-ble for how it was spending tax-payer money.

WinIn February of 2006, after more than three yearsof community mobilization and negotiations withthe developer and the city, the CRD was proud tovoice its support for public investment at theCherokee-Gates site. Some of the CommunityBenefits won at Gates include:

© A landmark Affordable Housing Plan thatincludes 200 units of rental housing for Denverfamilies with the greatest need, those at 50%and 30% of Area Median Income (50% =$35,825 and 30% = $21,495 for a family of fourin 2005).

© Developer cooperation and participation withthe neighborhood-based Voluntary CleanupAdvisory Board that is monitoring the environ-mental cleanup and communicating cleanupissues to affected residents.

© An unprecedented agreement to pay prevailingwages and benefits for every construction work-er engaged in the publicly funded constructionof site infrastructure and maintenance of publicspaces and facilities.

© Selection of a union construction manager anda general contractor with a strong record ofgood wages, health care and retirement bene-fits, as well as high-quality skills and safetytraining.

© A commitment to use a “Best Value” selectionprocess for subcontractors at all tiers, maximiz-ing the chances of worker health-care coverageand opportunities to train new apprentices.

© An unprecedented agreement to extendDenver’s Living Wage Ordinance to cover park-ing lot attendants and security personnelemployed at the site’s public facilities.

© An early agreement that excluded big-box gro-cery stores, which are typically low-road employ-ers and bad neighbors.

© An enhanced “First Source” local hiring systemthat promotes the recruitment of local residentsto fill new positions and, for the first time, pri-oritizes immediately adjacent low-income neigh-borhoods.

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WORDS THAT WORK

A cautionary note about long coalitionnames. While reporters often included thefull name of the coalition—the Campaignfor Responsible Development—editorsrepeatedly took it out, saying it had toomany words.

A Tale of Two CitiesIn the fall of 2002, Milwaukee community leadersfound out about plans to redevelop land thatbecame vacant when city officials decided to dis-mantle its Park East freeway. These communityleaders approached city officials to ask for infor-mation on how the planning and redevelopmentprocess would create good jobs, but were told bythe Department of City Development that thequality of jobs being created did not factor intoredevelopment plans. Community leaders wereextremely concerned that, as in past downtowndevelopment projects, millions of dollars of tax-payers’ money would be spent subsidizing devel-opment that would not generate concrete eco-nomic gains for local residents.

Within three months, a group of 30 communityand labor organizations formed the Good Jobs &Livable Neighborhoods Coalition (GJLN).Spearheaded by the Milwaukee County LaborCouncil, the Institute for Wisconsin’s Future and

Milwaukee Innercity Congregations Allied forHope (MICAH), a broad array of labor and com-munity organizations embarked on a campaign todemand that Park East redevelopment benefit allof Milwaukee, including some of the city’s poorestresidents. The Coalition called for a CommunityBenefits Agreement to be incorporated into thecity’s redevelopment plan. The proposed CBA

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Milwaukee Good Jobs & Livable Neighborhoods Campaign

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WORDS THAT WORK

would require any projects within the redevelop-ment area that received substantial city subsidy topay prevailing wages for construction and livingwages for post-construction jobs; to include jobtraining and job access provisions to ensure localresidents found employment opportunities in theredevelopment area; and to include affordablehousing in any residential projects.

GJLN framed the issue around A Tale of TwoCities, noting that Milwaukee was the seventhpoorest city in the country, ranked fourth highestin child poverty and suffered from extremely highunemployment rates among people of color. Theyalso noted that previous public and private invest-ments in downtown redevelopment—investmentswhich had been committed without anyCommunity Benefits provisions—had done little toaddress the poverty and unemployment that haddevastated many Milwaukee neighborhoods.Community leaders framed the Park East redevel-opment as an opportunity to bridge the gapbetween the rich and the poor by creating goodjobs, improved access to education and trainingand a dedicated local hiring program.

The CampaignGJLN’s volunteer-run coalition began organizingand canvassing, held over 100 meetings with pub-lic officials and staged a public meeting whereover 700 people turned out to support the coali-tion’s efforts. GJLN developed key messages thatincluded:

© The Park East redevelopment plan characterizedthe downtown area as one of the most valuablepieces of land likely to be available for develop-ment in our lifetime. If this land is so valuable,community members have a right to expect con-crete benefits from its development. This is atremendous opportunity for our city to bridgethe gap between the rich and poor.

© CBA strategies have been used before by gov-ernment bodies in the Milwaukee area andacross the country. Many of the components ofthe proposed CBA, such as local hiring and pre-vailing wage requirements, had already beenimplemented by the City of Milwaukee,Milwaukee County and other local quasi-gov-ernmental units.

© CBAs provide concrete, measurable ways ofensuring that developers that receive subsidiesdeliver on the promises they make. Too often,past developments have received city subsidiesbased on the hope that they will benefit thecommunity, but with no real way to ensure thatconcrete benefits accrue.

Community leaders framed the Park East redevelopment as anopportunity to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor.

determine the benefits had done little to solvethe poverty and unemployment in Milwaukee’sneighborhoods.

CBA – A Great Organizing ToolAccording to John Goldstein, one of the key archi-tects of the campaign: “CBAs are a great organiz-ing tool because they enable many groups tocome together on a joint project. Everyone is ableto hold onto their own issues and it builds thecoalition in a great way. They are a powerful toolfor winning good jobs and more livableneighborhoods.”

CBA campaigns are a great way to organize com-munities to address long-term needs. ThroughCBA campaigns, communities organize to developa common mission and principles on how theircommunities should look like and what kinds ofeconomic opportunities should be provided.Grassroots organizing that fuels CBA campaignsbuilds power for working families and establishesgreater community control over economic devel-opment decisions. By organizing the power ofworking families to direct the process and deci-sion-making around economic development, com-munities shift the balance from business-directedpolicy and development to people-directed policyand development.

Changing Strategies

Over the course of an 18-month campaign, thecoalition used these frames to change the natureof economic development discussions inMilwaukee. Unfortunately, the MilwaukeeCommon Council rejected the CBA in June 2004.

Immediately, the Coalition shifted its focus to theMilwaukee County Board of Supervisors, whichheld title to the majority of the land. GJLN soughta county resolution requiring Community Benefitsprovisions to be attached to the redevelopment ofany county-owned land. Continuing its programof mass mobilization, the coalition began a phonecampaign which resulted in over 5,000 constituentphone calls to key County Supervisors emphasiz-ing the desire to see Community Benefits in thePark East redevelopment area.

In December 2004, the Supervisors approved theCBA resolution, 15-to-4, voting again just a fewmonths later to override the CountyExecutive’s veto.

Through the campaign, community leadersbecame experts on the development process andmoved quickly to react to changing publicperceptions of the campaign. Opponents arguedthat the CBA campaign was stalling all develop-ment and would ultimately kill Milwaukee’snascent momentum for downtown development.They decried the CBA components as tooonerous and expensive for developers to sustain.They focused on what they saw as contradictionsamong CBA provisions, worked to pit unionmembers against community residents and evenattempted to divide the coalition on the basis ofrace. Throughout it all, the Good Jobs andLivable Neighborhoods coalition was unwaveringin their use of strategic frames, continuing toargue for citizen input into the developmentprocess and pointing out that letting the market

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Through the campaign, community leaders became expertson the development process and moved quickly to react tochanging public perceptions of the campaign.

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WORDS THAT WORK

In the Beginning, There Wasthe WinAtlanta was founded as a railroad town. In fact,its original name was Terminus, referring to itsposition at the end of a great national railroad.At one point, over 1,000 trains roared throughAtlanta every day. As trucks replaced trains,Atlanta’s railways quieted, leaving the Beltline—aloop of tracks that encircled Atlanta and bisectedmany of its historically African-American andlow-income neighborhoods—idle and open toredevelopment. Several years ago, academics, cityofficials and businesses proposed to turn the train

tracks and their surroundings into an intercon-nected network of green space, housing, publictransportation and businesses. However, the initialproposal never addressed how the project wouldaffect community residents already living alongthe Beltline. There was no mention of communitybenefits in return for the city’s tax dollars thatwent to the project or a process for residents tocomment on the project’s impact on theircommunity.

In November 2005, the Atlanta City Councilrevisited the issue of Beltline redevelopment,guaranteeing that Community Benefits wouldaccompany a new $1.67 billion, 25-year Beltlinedevelopment plan. Georgia Stand-Up, an allianceof labor, community and faith organizations, hadadvocated for the Community Benefits languageand was thrilled at the victory, which promisedprevailing wages for the construction jobs, localhiring that targets low income residents forpermanent jobs and construction apprenticeshipand pre-apprenticeship programs. Finally, theordinance guaranteed that affected communitieswould take part in defining what otherCommunity Benefits they were to receive. Afterthe initial glow of victory, Georgia Stand-Up staffand local officials began to sort through the press-ing questions that would affect their communitiesfor the next 25 years and beyond: What definesCommunity Benefits? Who is the community?Who gets to define them? What process is used informing that definition?

Georgia Stand-Up Communicating is a two-way street. Listening well is as important as projecting your message clearly.

Communicating is a two-way street.

Georgia Stand-Up Beginsto OrganizeWith the large task ahead, Georgia Stand-Up con-vened community leaders from the underrepre-sented neighborhoods of Atlanta to discuss theimpact Beltline redevelopment will have on theirneighborhoods. Georgia Stand Up began itsorganizing by bringing together the recent gradu-ates of Stand-Up’s Policy Institute for CivicLeadership, a six-week intensive course designedto bring together community, neighborhood,labor, political and faith leaders to discuss issuessuch as smart growth and the regional economy.In the winter of 2006, Stand-Up had 30 leadersfrom around the Atlanta area participate in thePolicy Institute, and through these leaders theybegan to organize around the issue of gainingbroader public participation in the BeltlineCommunity Engagement Toolkit.

Georgia Stand-Up held meetings with communityleaders twice a month to discuss how outreachcould be done in their neighborhoods to makethe survey a more effective tool for gaining com-munity input. The group formed an alliance, andits members identified the need to create a helpsheet for residents to use when filling out the sur-vey. The purpose of the help sheet was to breakdown difficult concepts, as well as to explain com-monly used terms in the toolkit, such as economicdevelopment and historic preservation. Despitethese efforts of Georgia Stand-Up and its alliancemembers, two weeks before the end of the dead-line for community input, the response rate ofresidents in the Southside of Atlanta was still lowin comparison to other areas of the city.

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Recognizing the need for another method of out-reach to these neighborhoods, the strategy com-mittee for the alliance planned a CommunityInput Session to gain the input of leaders fromthe historic neighborhoods of the city. The sessionwas intended to provide a venue for leaders tocome together and collectively express their opin-ions regarding the Community EngagementToolkit, as well as provide an opportunity forthese leaders to learn more about the CommunityBenefits principles amendment in the Beltlineordinance. Stand-Up sent out invitations to over200 community leaders around the city invitingthem to attend this special community inputsession.

As a result of the meeting, participants completeda consensus survey expressing the ways in whichthe Beltline could truly benefit the communitiesthat have been traditionally overlooked aroundthe city of Atlanta, with over 50 community lead-ers from around the city signing off on the results.These results were delivered to the AtlantaDevelopment Authority, along with over 300 indi-vidual surveys filled out by residents along theSouthside. Since this meeting, Stand-Up has beenorganizing these leaders, as well as many othersaround the city, to continue developing a plan forensuring that the Beltline will be a project thatwill benefit all Atlantans. The Atlanta Beltlinestory illustrates the importance of finding theright communications strategy for connectingwith key constituencies and communities.

The Atlanta Beltline story illustrates the importance of finding the right communications strategy for connectingwith key constituencies and communities.

PART III

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WORDS THAT WORK

Sample Press ReleaseContact: Danny Feingold, Communications DirectorOffice: (213) 977-9400, ext. 109Cell: (213) 555-1212Email: [email protected]

Council Approves $500 MillionAgreement to Help Communities Near LAX

Landmark Deal Sets National Precedent with Far-Reaching Package ofEnvironmental and Economic Benefits for Residents Affected by AirportModernization

The Los Angeles City Council today overwhelmingly approved a land-mark community benefits agreement that provides major environmentaland economic improvements to communities affected by the plannedmodernization of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

The legally binding agreement—the result of months of discussionsbetween the City, LAWA and more than 20 community groups, environ-mental organizations, school districts and labor unions—will establish anational precedent for community improvements around large-scaledevelopment projects. At $500 million, it represents the largest and mostcomprehensive community benefits agreement ever negotiated,designed to address known impacts to surrounding communities throughimprovements to environmental, labor, noise and health conditions.

Communications ToolsThis part of the toolkit contains practical tools to helpyou plan and implement the communications componentof your CBA campaign. Here you’ll find:

© A sample Press Release

© A sample Op Ed

© A sample Communications Plan

Organizational logo, Webaddress and contact infor-mation should appear at thetop of all releases.Organizational letterhead isoften appropriate for this.Make sure to include your presscontact’s office phone, cellphone and email. If there’s anychance your primary contactwill not be available, list a sec-ondary contact to ensure youdo not miss out on valuablepress opportunities.

Including a headline andsub-heads is critical, since busyreporters usually spend 30 sec-onds or less scanning a pressrelease. Attract attention, butdo not undermine your credi-bility with histrionic language.A good story doesn’t need torely on inflammatory rhetoricto attract interest.

The lead paragraph is themost important part of therelease. The lead frames theissue for maximum mediaimpact.

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“This agreement shows that by working with the surrounding commu-nities from the beginning, large-scale development projects can resultin economic benefits, social benefits and environmental benefits,” saidJerilyn López Mendoza, policy director of the Los Angeles office ofEnvironmental Defense, one of the lead organizations involved in thenegotiations. “By easing the pollution burden from LAX, this agree-ment secures a huge health and quality-of-life victory for area resi-dents. This agreement can now serve as a national model for otherlarge-scale development projects and affected communities to bringeconomic and environmental benefits to their own neighborhoods.”

The agreement will now go to the Federal Aviation Administration(FAA), along with Los Angeles Mayor Jim Hahn’s $11 billion plan to ren-ovate and modernize LAX.

“This agreement is a milestone for the growing Community Benefitsmovement,” said Rev. William Smart, senior community organizer atthe Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, which pioneered the con-cept of Community Benefits Agreements and played a lead role in thenegotiations. “We have demonstrated that when communities have aplace at the table, economic development works better for everyone.This shows that responsible development is possible.”

The agreement offers significant economic opportunities and quality-of-life improvements to residents east of the airport, who historicallyhave suffered the worst consequences of airport development and hadlittle voice in the decision-making process.

It is also the first Community Benefits Agreement negotiated with agovernment entity. When the coalition approached Mayor Hahn latelast year to propose the agreement, he immediately demonstrated hiscommitment to the communities surrounding the airport by directingLos Angeles World Airports and his own staff to work with the coali-tion to negotiate the agreement. Previous agreements, including half adozen in Los Angeles, have been reached between private developersand community organizations.

“This Community Benefits Agreement is a national model for airportdevelopment and serves to enhance the quality of life of the communi-ties surrounding LAX as we move forward with our plans to make LAXsafer and more secure for the millions of travelers who pass throughthe airport every year,” said Hahn. “I am proud that together we havedeveloped a comprehensive environmental, economic and educationalCommunity Benefits Agreement that will directly benefit the communi-ties most impacted by operations at LAX.”

The key improvements that would result from the Community BenefitsAgreement include:

© Sound-proofing all affected schools.

© Increasing funding for the sound-proofing of homes.

© Retrofitting diesel construction vehicles and diesel vehicles operatingon the tarmac to curb dangerous air pollutants by up to 90%.

Use the Inverted TriangleModel to prioritize your fram-ing points. After the lead,begin to fill in the story’sdetails. The inverted trianglemodel ensures that the mostimportant news hits the readerat the top, and narrowerdetails are filled in furtherdown in the piece.

Aim for readability. The goalof your writing should be forthe reader to comprehendyour information as quickly aspossible, not to impress themwith sophisticated prose. Useshort sentences.

Proofreading, spell-check-ing and consistency are crit-ical. A press release says a lotabout you as an organization.Make sure it makes you lookgood!

Include a compelling leadquote within the first 2–3 paragraphs, to frame the issueand clarify your most impor-tant news.

Sample Opinion Editorial (Op Ed)Subsidy Sunshine Needed for More Healthy Economic Development

by Chris Nevitt

Coloradans enjoy over 300 days of sunshine a year, but too little sun-shine falls on our economic development subsidy practices. Lack oftransparency, an absence of clear expectations and a failure to trackmeasurable outcomes, all keep Coloradans in the dark about howmillions in tax funded subsidies are spent, and the public benefitsthey are meant to be generating.

Nationally, state and local development subsidies have ballooned toan estimated $50 billion in annual costs to taxpayers. In Colorado,Denver taxpayers alone are now committed to over $500 million intax-increment financing subsidies. These are not spent directly out ofDenver’s treasury but instead take the form of foregone revenue—

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© Electrifying airplane gates to eliminate pollution from jet engineidling.

© Studying the health impacts of airport operations on surroundingcommunities and making those studies public on the LAWA Web site.

© Providing $15 million in job training funds for airport and aviation-related jobs.

© Creating a local hiring program to give priority to local residents,low-income and special needs individuals for new LAX jobs.

© Enhance opportunities for local, minority and women-owned busi-nesses in the modernization of LAX.

© Monitoring LAX, enforcing the agreement’s provisions and holdingLAX accountable to the community.

“The Community Benefits Agreement has given disparate groups anopportunity to come together and work out differing opinions abouthow the development should be done,” said Daniel K. Tabor, anInglewood resident and community activist who helped lead the nego-tiations. “As a result, LAWA and the City have avoided costly andlengthy litigation and the community will get health and jobs protec-tion up front.”

###

Founded in 1993, LAANE is recognized as a national authority on issuesaffecting the working poor and an innovator in the fight against work-ing poverty. Combining a vision of social justice with a practicalapproach to social change, LAANE has helped set in motion a broadmovement based on the principle that hard work deserves fair pay,good benefits and decent working conditions. Visit www.laane.org formore information.

Develop your message withsupporting quotes. Continueto frame by building your castof characters. Extra perspec-tives from different people canentirely recast a story.

Indicate the end of therelease by typing “###” at thebottom of the final page. Ifyour release is more than onepage long, be sure to includepage numbers and write“more” at the page breaks.

Include a boilerplatedescription of your organiza-tion. Don’t assume reportersknow who you are or trustthem to define your work. Atthe end of your release, brieflydescribe your organization anddirect reporters to your Website for more information.

Start with a strong lead. OpEds need to grab a reader’sattention quickly, so make sureyour first paragraph is strong.Chris Nevitt explains howColoradans are being kept inthe “dark” about how taxfunded subsidies are spent andhow they will benefit the com-munity.

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taxes collected, but diverted to fund private development projectsbefore ever reaching city coffers. Regardless of whether these subsi-dies are taxes spent or taxes never received, they are a substantialand growing sum—in Denver equaling roughly 7% of the city’sannual general fund budget.

The idea behind such subsidies is that they catalyze growth, createjobs, strengthen local economies and benefit our communities. Butdo they? Led by the national subsidy watchdog group, Good JobsFirst, communities across the country are beginning to ask “are tax-payers getting their money’s worth?” As detailed in the recent book,The Great American Jobs Scam, the answer has often been “no.” Thefocus on the issue, however, is resulting in more focused and effec-tive subsidy policies, greater accountability, more transparency androbust community involvement. “Sunshine,” in short, is improvingthe health of economic development efforts across the country.

In Colorado, unfortunately, citizens remain in the dark. Local taxsubsidy expenditures are not accounted for in local budgets, leavingcitizens and policy makers debating painful cuts while unaware ofmillions they are already spending elsewhere. The recent travails ofLakewood and their heavily subsidized Wal-Mart are a painful casein point. While developers generally must justify their need forsubsidies, these calculations are often based on developers’ ownestimates, and are not available for public examination, even yearsafterwards.

Citizens also remain in the dark about the specific economic andcommunity goals their subsidies are meant to achieve. Even Denver,perhaps Colorado’s most sophisticated dealer in tax-funded develop-ment assistance, appears to be functioning entirely without a strate-gic plan to guide its subsidy program. Denver’s public has certainlynever had the opportunity to debate such a plan, much less the spe-cific benefits the community should expect from subsidy recipients.Instead, the initiative for the use of subsidies is left almost entirelyup to private developers themselves, and they are not required todetail the number or quality of the jobs they will be creating, andwhether those jobs will have health care. This often results in low-wage, low-benefit jobs that produce little economic stimulus andexacerbate public service burdens. Nor are subsidized projectsrequired to detail their likely impact on existing business, often lead-ing to small local merchants forced to compete against subsidizedbig-box stores.

Finally, Colorado citizens remain in the dark about their “return oninvestment” from subsidies. There is little or no effort to measure ortrack the economic and community impacts from subsidized projectsonce they are built. Partly, this stems from the failure to establishclear and quantifiable expectations in the first place. Nonetheless,local governments typically fail to collect even the most basic eco-nomic data from subsidy recipients, or about subsidy impact areas,much less analyze their net effects.

Aim for concise writing.Op Eds are generally 500–900words long. Use short sen-tences and paragraphs to getyour point across.

Frame the issue quickly.After the lead, Nevitt immedi-ately develops the frame,pointing to how “sunshine”improves the health of eco-nomic development throughcivic participation and helpsachieve community-wide goalsby creating good jobs, astronger economy and ahealthier community.

Communicate your mes-sage. Clearly state the mainmessage of your Op Ed early inthe piece. Here, the main mes-sage is that citizens remain inthe dark about public subsi-dies, a reality that threatensthe health of the community.

Keep to the point. A healthycommunity cannot remain inthe “dark” about local subsidyexpenditures, the economicand community goals theirsubsidies are meant to achieveor how a city measures eco-nomic and community impactsonce subsidized projects arebuilt. This does not make for ahealthy community.

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WORDS THAT WORK

Subsidy “sunshine” does not impede economic development. To the con-trary, it promotes civic engagement, raises the bar for public expectationsand improves accountability. This can only increase the likelihood that sub-sidy dollars achieve their stated goals: good jobs, a stronger economy andhealthier communities. Most of us believe government has an importantrole to play in promoting economic development. Publicly funded educationand infrastructure are key ingredients for successful economic development,and passage of Referendum C is a major step toward preserving the eco-nomic viability of Colorado. But effective government also depends on aninformed citizenry, able to understand and influence the policies that guideits actions, and to debate their costs and benefits. This applies as much totax subsidies as it does to direct government expenditures.

This summer and fall, the Colorado legislature convened an interim commit-tee to examine state economic development policies, and this committeewill be introducing several measures in the upcoming legislative session.Unfortunately, while the committee made a good start toward clarifying jobcreation and wage and benefit expectations for direct state subsidy pro-grams, it left the vast sums of locally-administered subsidies to continuebeing spent in the dark. Our state legislature needs to come to grips withhow local governments must better inform and involve the public in subsidydecisions, and must hold their subsidies accountable for achieving clear, ver-ifiable goals. There is still time for the legislature to assemble sensible meas-ures to bring “subsidy sunshine” to local economic development inColorado. Here are several suggestions:

Require clear accounting for subsidy tax expenditures in budgetpublications.

Promote formulation of local strategic plans for the use of subsidies, includ-ing clear and measurable expectations from subsidy recipients, and requirerobust community involvement in developing these priorities andexpectations.

Require subsidy recipients to estimate jobs, wages, health benefits andimpacts on existing local businesses, and to report subsequent outcomesfrom their projects.

Increase the transparency of information justifying the use and amount ofproposed subsidies.

Subject subsidy programs to regular and independent performance audits.

Sunshine is essential for the health of plants, animals and people.It is also essential for the health of our economy and our communities.Hundreds of millions of dollars in Colorado taxes should not be spentin the dark.

Chris Nevitt, Ph.D., is policy director at the Front Range Economic StrategyCenter and co-author, with Tony Robinson, of Are We Getting Our Money’sWorth? Tax-Increment Financing and Urban Redevelopment in Denver,Parts I & II

140 Sheridan Blvd.Denver, CO 80226

Conclude with yourmessage. End thepiece by reiteratingyour key message.Nevitt details “subsidysunshine” suggestionsfor governmentaccountability andtransparency forhealthy economicdevelopment.

Pitch It! Pitch your OpEd to the OpinionEditorial or EditorialPage editor at yourtarget newspaper. Callfirst to gauge theirinterest level, then faxor email the Op Edwith a cover letter andfollow up to makesure they received it.Don’t submit the OpEd to another outletunless your first targetdecides not to run it.If at first you don’tsucceed, considerother outlets or re-writing the piece.

Who’s the author?Who signs the Op Ed isa strategic considera-tion—make sure thatthe person identifiedas the author has cred-ibility with your audi-ence. Finding a leaderin your community toco-sign the Op Ed canbe a great way tocatch the attention ofreaders.

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Sample Communications PlanThe legally binding Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) signed by the cityof Los Angeles in December 2004—the result of months of discussionsbetween the city, Los Angeles World Airports (the city-owned system of air-ports in LA) and more than 20 community groups, environmental organiza-tions, school districts and labor unions—is perhaps the clearest victory yet forCommunity Benefits work. At half a billion dollars, it represents the largestand most comprehensive Community Benefits Agreement ever negotiated,covering a broad range of impacts including environmental, labor, noise,health and accountability issues.

You can use this plan as a model for a communications plan for your ownwork. For more tips on creating a strategic communications plan, and a tem-plate you can use to create your own plan, visit www.spinproject.org.

Communications Plan for LAX CommunityBenefits Agreement CampaignThe LAX Community Benefits Agreement media plan is designed to convey asimple, compelling message through media actions, feature stories, Op Edsand editorials.

Our media message is crafted to achieve maximum appeal. To sustain cover-age, we should consider a variety of actions, escalate the intensity of thoseactions if needed and call on high-profile public figures for selected events.

Dynamic, articulate spokespeople, both English- and Spanish-speaking, will becrucial to our campaign. These should include residents, community leaders,advocacy group representatives, elected officials, businesspeople and otherrespected public figures.

Fact sheets supporting our case and endorsements from a range of public fig-ures will also help strengthen our campaign. We should be prepared to pro-vide reporters with detailed information about the negative impact of LAXdevelopment projects on communities in the past, and how this will change ifour policy is adopted.

GoalsExternal

© Win Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) for LAX modernization plan

Internal

© Build strong coalition between environmental, labor, community groups

© Build community support for accountable development work in LAX com-munities

Target

© LAWA Commission

© City Council

An “ExecutiveSummary” can beuseful for sharing yourplan with other staffmembers. The authorsof the plan begin bylaying out what theysee as the key aspectsof their communica-tions work: a disci-plined message, arange of media work,support from publicfigures, dynamicspokespeople andsolid information forreporters.

Be clear about yourgoals. What do youwant? Why are youlaunching a campaignin the first place andwhat is your positivevision for the future?Be bold and be specif-ic. Here, the authorsdivide their goals intoExternal (Win a CBAfor LAX) and Internal(Build a coalitionacross issue areas andincrease support in thecommunities aroundLAX for accountabledevelopment).

Identify your tar-gets. Who can giveyou what you want?Can you influenceyour target directly? Ifnot, who has thepower to influencethem? These are yourtarget audiences.Here, the authorsfocus on the commis-sion in charge of mak-ing decisions at theairport, and the CityCouncil members whomust approve the CBA.

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WORDS THAT WORK

Target Audience

© Voters in District X

© LAX Communities

FrameWe want this story to focus on the betterment of communities adjacent toLAX. We should emphasize the benefits of the agreement—local jobs, envi-ronmental protection, better education—as well as the political empower-ment of these communities. It should be a story about residents comingtogether to improve their communities. It is also a win-win story—good foraffected residents, good for the city, good for Angelenos.

MessageProblem

LAX is an essential part of our region’s economy, but, for decades, airportdevelopment has come at the expense of neighboring communities.Residents have not been included in the process, resulting in negativeimpacts on our health, our schools and our neighborhoods.

Solution

This groundbreaking Community Benefits Agreement protects the rights ofresidents and gives us a real say in the region’s most important economicdevelopment plan. The agreement guarantees that the mayor’s LAX mod-ernization plan will protect residents’ health, provide them with access togood jobs and improve the quality of our schools and neighborhoods. It’sgood for our communities and good for Los Angeles.

Action

Join us in supporting the Community Benefits Agreement for LAX and helpus guarantee a healthier environment, better schools and good jobs for ourcommunities.

False choice between airport development/jobs and community/environ-ment. Can move forward with both.

Key Arguments1. CBAs make business sense by avoiding costly and timely litigation and bad

PR. Jobs vs. the environment is a false choice.

2. CBAs give communities a place at the table and a voice to help shapewhere they work and play. With this empowerment, communities canmake development work for them.

3. CBAs have been proven to work.

4. CBAs create environmental and social benefits.

5. This CBA is a national model for alternative dispute resolution.

6. Broad community support for CBA.

7. Unites unlikely partners.

Frame the story.Describe the issue in away that resonateswith your targets andis also interesting tojournalists. What isthe story really about?Who is affected andwho are the players?Here, the authorsdecide that they willtell a story about resi-dents coming togetherto better their commu-nities. It’s a “win-win”story, good for the res-idents and for the city,and one that CityCouncil members willwant to get behind.

Craft and disciplineyour message. TheProblem lays out yourframe. The Solution isyour positive vision forthe future. The Actioncalls on your audienceto take some specificsteps. Here, theauthor’s framedescribes the missedopportunities andnegative impacts onLAX’s neighborsbecause they weren’tconsulted in itsgrowth. The Solutionpresents the CBA as“good for our commu-nities and good forLos Angeles.” Finally,the Action calls forsupport of the CBA toprotect the environ-ment, improve educa-tion and provide goodjobs.

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Spokespeople© Environmental Justice

© Education

© Health Care

© Clergy

© Labor

© LAANE

© City

© Community Leaders/Residents

Note: Use residents/activists from other CBAs at press conference,hearings and Council meetings, with message that CBA has workedfor their communities.

Spokesperson TrainingSelected spokespeople will participate in a training on campaign messageand public speaking skills.

Materials© Coalition one-pager

© CBA one-pager

© Other CBAs

© LAX communities backgrounder

© General Q&A

© Coalition member profiles

© Message and key arguments (internal)

© Media prep Q&A (internal)

Media Events© CBA press conference

SpeakersCommunity Leaders

Environmental Leaders

Clergy

Elected Officials

VisualsPlanes, playground, handkerchiefs, signs (healthy communities/livablecommunities)

Select and trainspokespeople. Whoare the best spokes-people to reach yourtarget audience?Remember: Sometimesthe person deliveringyour message is asimportant as the mes-sage itself. Here, theauthors choose adiverse coalition ofcommunity leaders toact as spokespeople, aswell as communityleaders from othercities with CBAs to talkabout how they’veworked out for theircommunities. Afterthe spokespeople areselected, they need tobe trained on the mes-sages they will bedelivering.

How to get the mes-sage out? How areyou going to let peo-ple know about yourcampaign? Whatmaterials can you pro-duce and what eventscan you schedule tosupport your message?Here, the authors listthe documents they’llneed, both internaland external, to disci-pline their messageand get the word outthrough reporters. Keyspeakers and visuals toattract televisionreporters are notedfor a planned pressconference.

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Story Angles© National precedent for CBAs

© Groundbreaking community/labor/environmental coalition

© Precedent-setting environmental justice provisions

© Empowerment of underserved LAX communities

Target Outlets/ReportersPrint/Local:Los Angeles Times, Reporter XPrint/National:New York Times, Reporter XWall Street Journal, Reporter X

Radio/LocalKFWBKFA AM 640

Radio/NationalNPR, Talk of the Nation

TVCBS 2, Reporter XABC 7, Reporter X

Op Ed

Editorials

Columnists

Talk Shows

Letters to the Editor

Paid Media

WORDS THAT WORK

Who will you pitchthis story to andhow? Which reportershave written aboutyour issue in the past?Which television pro-grams are watched byyour target audiences?Build a list of reportersyou want to pitch. Beas specific as you canand choose outletsthat are influentialwith your target audi-ence. You might alsoconsider placing an OpEd in your local paper,booking your spokes-people on a localaffairs talk show, writ-ing letters to the edi-tor or creating anadvertising campaign.

ConclusionWe hope that this toolkit has provided you with some useful tools to begin planning the communicationsaspect of your CBA campaign. Creating a strong strategic communications plan, with clear goals, compelling,well-targeted messages and disciplined implementation, will help win real benefits for your community.

The Partnership for Working Families’ Web site (www.communitybenefits.org) contains research, reports andresources related to economic justice in general and CBAs in particular.

The SPIN Project’s Web site (www.spinproject.org) contains free tutorials, articles, links and other resourcesrelated to strategic communications.

Center on Policy Initiatives – San Diego, CADonald [email protected] (619) 584-5744, ext. 45

Central Arizonans for a Sustainable Economy –Phoenix, AZDerek Smith (Interim Contact)[email protected](310) 801-1410

Coastal Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy –Ventura, CAMarcos [email protected] (805) 658-0810, ext. 201

Community Labor United – Boston, MALisa [email protected](617) 723-2639

Connecticut Center for a New Economy – New Haven, CTAndrea Van Den [email protected] (203) 785-9494, Ext. 269

East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy –Oakland, CAAmaha [email protected] (510) 893-7106, ext. 12

Front Range Economic Strategy Center – Denver, COCarmen [email protected] (303) 477-6111, ext. 11

Garden State Alliance for a New Economy –Northern New JerseyDavid Johnson (Interim Contact)[email protected](609) 306-5952

Georgia Stand-Up – Atlanta, GADeborah [email protected](404) 501-0053

Good Jobs and Livable Neighborhoods Coalition –Milwaukee, WIPam [email protected] (414) 443-2090

Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy –Los Angeles, CAMadeline [email protected](213) 977-9400, ext. 108

New Economy Working Solutions – Sonoma County, CAMartin [email protected] (707) 527-4873

Orange County Communities Organized for ResponsibleDevelopment – Orange County, CAEric [email protected] (714) 392-0959

Pittsburgh UNITED – Pittsburgh, PATom [email protected](412) 231-8648

Puget Sound SAGE – Seattle, WADavid [email protected] (206) 622-0897

San Bernardino/Riverside, CADerek Smith (Interim Contact)[email protected](310) 801-1410

Syracuse Alliance for a New Economy – Syracuse, NYMark Spadafore (Interim Contact)[email protected] 315-422-3363, ext. 11

Working Partnerships USA – San Jose, CAPhaedra [email protected](408) 269-7872

The Partnership for Working FamiliesPartner Organizations Contact Information

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436 14th St., Suite 1126Oakland, CA 94612

(510) 834-8503

www©communitybenefits©org

149 Natoma StreetSan Francisco, CA 94105

(415) 227-4200

www©spinproject©org

WORDS THAT WORK · WORDS THAT WORK Community Benefits Effectively communicating Community Benefits is essential to the movement’s success. If you took an informal poll, most people

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