Organizing :
People, Power, Change
What is Organizing?
So, what is organizing? Here is a basic introduction based on the work of Marshall Ganz.
Welcome to learning the organizing framework, this article introduces the essential parts of the five Leadership Practices of Organizing and coaching!
PEOPLE
Introduction
This guide aims to support you in developing your capacity for effective community organizing to build people power for change. It is originally adapted from the work of Dr. Marshall Ganz of Harvard University and resources from the Leading Change Network and the New Organizing Institute. Below are excerpts from the guide. You can download the See below for other languages.
POWER.
“Organizing is a fancy word for relationship building.”
Mary Beth Rogers
The first question an organizer asks is “Who are my people?” not “What is my issue?” Effective organizers put people, not issues, at the heart of their efforts. Organizing is not about solving a community’s problems or advocating on its behalf. It is about enabling the people with the problem to mobilize their own resources to solve it (and keep it solved).
Identifying a community of people is just the first step. The job of a community organizer is transform a community – a group of people who share common values or interests – into a constituency – a community of people who are standing together to realize a common purpose. The difference between community and constituency lies in the commitment to take action to further common goals.
For example, a community could be residents of a town that are against a new dam project, while a constituency would be residents of the town against the dam who have signed a petition to take action to stop the dam from being built.
NEOS
CHANGE.
Indeed, if organizing is about enabling others to bring about change, and specifically, securing commitment from a group of people with shared interests to take action to further common goals, then it’s critical to define exactly what those goals are..
In organizing, change must be specific, concrete, and significant. Organizing is not about ‘raising awareness’ or speech-making (though these may contribute to an organizing effort). It is about specifying a clear goal and mobilizing your resources to achieve it.
