© Hany Khalil, [email protected]
An Organizing Approach to Palestine Solidarity Work
Tools from Community and Labor Organizing Traditions
A Workshop for Member Groups of the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, July 2008
Facilitator: Hany Khalil, [email protected] Times, http://www.war-times.org
Steering Committee member and former Organizing Coordinator, United for Peace and Justice http://www.unitedforpeace.org
© Hany Khalil, [email protected]
Objectives
1. Participants evaluate strengths and weaknesses of their groups in building power.
2. Participants understand key elements of a campaign.
3. Participants analyze power relations shaping Palestine work at the local and national level.
4. Participants design a campaign plan for a particular campaign.
5. Participants recognize the importance of recruitment and leadership development in building power.
6. Participants develop strategies to increase recruitment and involvement in their organizations.
© Hany Khalil, [email protected]
Time-Activity AnalysisActivities Importance to
building group’s power (1-5 scale)
resources devoted to this per month
Assessment: Does the importance of the activity match the resources we’re devoting to it?
© Hany Khalil, [email protected]
CoreElements of
Power PersuasiveNarratives
Resources, Infrastructur
e
Large MembershipBase Among
Core Constituencies
Developed Leadership
Effective Organization
alStructures
Broad Allianc
es
PoliticalConsciousne
ss
Effective Strategy &
Tactics
StrategicCampaig
ns
1. On a scale of 1 – 3, rank how important each element is to exercising power.
2. Note the % of resources your group currently devotes to each element of power.
3. Mark the areas that your group needs to make a higher priority.
© Hany Khalil, [email protected]
Elements of an Effective Campaign Plan
1. Goals: 1. Long-term: Major changes you eventually hope to win and toward which the campaign is a first step.2. Intermediate Campaign/Issue Goals: Main goals you hope to win in this campaign. Should alter the
relations of power and win improvements in people’s lives. 3. Short-term Campaign/Issue Goals: Specific, incremental victories/steps that allow you to attract
supporters, motivate your membership, make your target take you seriously, and weaken the opposition.
2. Target/Decision-Maker: The person and/or body who has the power to make the decision and/or take the action, i.e. give you what you want.
3. Power Analysis: An analysis of the various forces exercising influence over the decision-maker and where they line up with respect to your goals, including constituents, allies, and opponents.
4. Campaign Strategy: The overall approach to building and exercising the power to compel the target to accept your demands.
5. Tactics: Steps in carrying out your campaign strategy. Specific things constituents and allies do to make targets feel their power to give them goals. Target should not want it done and will make concessions to stop the pressure.
6. Organizational Considerations: Resources your group will put into the campaign, organizational gains you want to come out of the campaign, and internal problems requiring solution.
7. Time Frame: The time period from the beginning of the campaign to the end.
8. Tactical Plan: A timeline of key campaign tactics, major activities, and/or events.
© Hany Khalil, [email protected]
4Taken Into Account
Noticed3
6Decision-Maker Responds
8Active Participant in Making Decisions
10Decisive Influence to Make or Influence Decisions
2
Not Taken Into Account
Vertical Axis: Level of Power
Their Goals/DemandsTheir Goals/DemandsOur Goals/DemandsOur Goals/Demands Opposing Agendas
Strong SupportStrong Support Inclined Toward Active SupportActive Support Inclined Toward
Horizontal Axis: Opposing Agendas
Political Groups:Comm. Org., Unions
Opposition:Republican Party, Real Estate
Developers, etc.
Primary Targets:
Cong. Rep., Church Board,Weapons Manufacturer
POWER ANALYSIS
Community Institutions:
Churches, Block Clubs, etc.
Community Residents
Secondary Targets:
Banks, Members of Faith Community,
Source: Anthony Thigpenn, SCOPE
http://www.scopela.org/index.html
© Hany Khalil, [email protected]
10Decision Maker
8Active Participant
6Taken into Account
4Gets Attention
2Not on Radar
INCLINED TOWARDS
ACTIVE SUPPORT
INCLINED TOWARDS
ACTIVE SUPPORT
DIE HARD
DIE HARD
Workforce LA
Entertainment Industry Business
Associations
Business Associati
ons
OVERALL GOALS OF DREAMWORKS CAMPAIGN1. Get YCME/Jobs Programs funded to address a real need2. Set precedent in Corps giving back in return for subsidies3. Set precedent on how regional policies should be done
“TRICKLE DOWN” AGENDA:1. $90 million-plus in Subsidies as business incentives2. “Token” resources given to communities in need
Competing Agendas
RW CD9
RG CD6
JG CD13 MRT CD8MH CD1
RA CD7
RA CD14
MF CD5CM CD11
HB CD12
JF CD4
RS CD15
NH CD10
JW CD2
LC CD3
Playa Vista Developers
Dreamworks SKG
Decision Makers
Metropolitan
Alliance
Key Constituencies:• CBO’s in Communities of Color• Churches/Community Dev. Corps• Citywide CBO’s• Labor Unions• Students & Youth
General
Public
WEST LA
RESIDENTSEAST LA
RESIDENTS
LAUSDLACCD
CBOs in Commuities
of ColorSOUTH
LA
RESIDE
NTS
AFT
UTLA
CHURCHES
CHURCHES
Students/Youth
CITYWIDE
CBOs
Building
Trades
Service Unions
CBOs in
Commuities of
Color
Entertainment Unions
Source: Anthony Thigpenn, SCOPE
http://www.scopela.org/index.html
© Hany Khalil, [email protected]
4Taken Into Account
Noticed3
6Decision-Maker Responds
8Active Participant in Making Decisions
10Decisive Influence to Make or Influence Decisions
2
Not Taken Into Account
Vertical Axis: Level of Power
Their Goals/DemandsTheir Goals/DemandsOur Goals/DemandsOur Goals/Demands Opposing Agendas
Strong SupportStrong Support Inclined Toward Active SupportActive Support Inclined Toward
Horizontal Axis: Opposing Agendas
Political Groups:
Opposition:
Primary Targets:
POWER ANALYSIS
Community Institutions:
Community Residents
Secondary Targets:
© Hany Khalil, [email protected]
Campaign Strategy Chart
Campaign Goals
Organizational Considerations
1. Resources Invested
2. Organizational goals
3. Problems to Solve
Our Side: Constituents & Allies
1. Constituents
2. Allies
Targets & Opponents
1. Primary targets
2. Secondary targets
3. Opponents
Tactics
1. Long-term
2. Intermediate
3. Short-term
Modification of strategy chart in Kim
Bobo, et. al., Organizing for Social
Change
Counter-Tactics
© Hany Khalil, [email protected]
AIWA Garment Justice Campaign Strategy
Campaign Goals
Organizational Considerations
1. Resources Invested
2. Organizational goals
3. Problems to Solve
Our Side: Constituents & Allies
1. Constituents
- Asian-Am women workers
2. Allies
-Students
-Women’s groups
-Asian-Am groups
Targets & Opponents
1. Primary targets
- Jessica McClintock
2. Secondary targets
3. Opponents
Tactics
1. Long-term
2. Intermediate
Pay garment workers $15,000 in backwages owed by Lucky Sewing, contractor
3. Short-term
• Public letter
• Public support meeting for allies
• Announce boycott
• Endorsements from 400 church, labor, & community groups
• Organize core allies to picket in 11 cities
• Get other groups to pressure as they can
• Ad campaign to appeal to middle-class constituency (Let Them Eat Lace)
• Press from ally CIR, then corp. and Asian ethnic
• Endorsements from gov’t bodies (Berk. Alameda Cty Board of Sup’s)
• Get City Council to investigate industry conditions
Counter-Tactics•Discredit: really a union, financial shakedown
•List women who refused their deal, harrass and blacklist them
© Hany Khalil, [email protected]
Why must we build a membership base and develop leaders?
Organizations with membership recruitment focus
Organizations that do not build a membership base
© Hany Khalil, [email protected]
The 4 Core Layers of an Organization’s Base
Activists
Organizing Core
Supporters
Periphery
Organizing Core: The people who put the most hours in on a weekly basis.
Activists: People you can get to come to meetings or marches, make calls to targets, volunteer regularly, on a weekly or monthly basis, who identify with the organization.
Supporters: People who may donate or participate in an activity once every 6-12 months.
Periphery: People who take very little action but who may know and like your work.
Are our plans designed to increase the size of our base and move people into more active involvement?
© Hany Khalil, [email protected]
Base-building: Mapping Social Networks
vs.
Conception of people as isolated individuals
Conception of people as part of social
networks
•Most activists unconsciously think of people they want to organize as isolated individuals. In fact, most people who join political movements do so because someone in their everyday social networks encouraged them to do so. Effective recruitment identifies existing social networks, approaches people in their everyday life spaces, and focuses recruitment efforts on influential people within those networks.
•One reason we often don’t expand our ranks is because activists don’t consciously recruit people outside their own social circles. Mapping and recruiting from others’ social networks helps us avoid this problem.
© Hany Khalil, [email protected]
Recruitment Effectiveness/Success Factors
Cutting Issue/Campaign in Dynamic & Compelling Way Issue/framing appeals to constituency’s self-interest, values, relationships, and vision Having/articulating Goals/Demands which have VALUE to constituency Using language and images target constituency understands and is moved by Building on “good sense” contradicting dominant ideology Campaign strategy/tactics that are within experience of your constituency and will allow you to win Convincing examples that organizing is effective approach to changing conditions Recruiting to an activity, not a meeting
Effectiveness of the Organizer
Effective credentialing Listens Language, appearance, etc. appropriate to
that constituency Inspires trust, confidence, sincerity, sense
of urgency, and excitement Dynamic presentation (delivery) Tailoring based on clues Effective crunch Rigorous follow-up Effective record-keeping
Contacting Sufficient Numbers of People (Critical Mass)
Regular, frequent, systematic, one-on-one contact
Contact strategies that match constituency Execution of tactics Concentrated efforts Campaign activities/materials that give
opportunities to raise group’s visibility Echo chamber in media
Tapping into existing social networks Accurate mapping of social networks and natural leaders Targeting of natural leaders
Modification of tool developed by Anthony Thigpenn, SCOPE
http://www.scopela.org/index.html
© Hany Khalil, [email protected]
The 4 Core Layers of an Organization’s Base
Activists
Organizing Core
Supporters
Periphery
What can we do to increase the size of our base and move people into more active involvement?
© Hany Khalil, [email protected]
Components of a successful recruitment meeting
1. Get in the Door
2. Listen: Build relationship/trust/legitimize yourself
3. Listen: ID Issues/Self-interest
4. Agitate to People’s Self-interest Make people angry: Is that fair?
5. Lay out vision/demands, need to organize, & plan to win Must counter fear, cynicism, isolation, low expectations…
6. The crunch: Get commitment to group and specific tasks
7. Rigorous Follow-up
© Hany Khalil, [email protected]
A Process for Developing Leaders
Model leadership
Assess leader’s level/strengths, what they want to get out of participation, make a plan to take them to the next level
Give measurable, specific assignments through which others can develop. A good assignment Meets the organization’s needs Stretches the person Is manageable for that person Brings satisfaction or reward
Provide systematic, formal training, using popular education as much as possible Agitate, inspire, show how the small task fits into the campaign, the whole
Provide experienced person to advise and help, if necessary
Follow up on assignments and hold people accountable. Raise expectations of themselves and what they can do. Push where necessary. Check-in regularly.
Give one-on-one and public recognition
Re-assess where the person is at