Objectives

1. An Organizing Approach to Palestine Solidarity WorkTools from Community and Labor Organizing TraditionsA Workshop for Member Groups of the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, July 2008Facilitator: Hany Khalil, hanykhalil@igc.orgWar Times, http://www.war-times.orgSteering Committee member and former Organizing Coordinator, United for Peace and Justice http://www.unitedforpeace.org

2. Objectives • Participants evaluate strengths and weaknesses of their groups in building power. • Participants understand key elements of a campaign. • Participants analyze power relations shaping Palestine work at the local and national level. • Participants design a campaign plan for a particular campaign. • Participants recognize the importance of recruitment and leadership development in building power. • Participants develop strategies to increase recruitment and involvement in their organizations.

3. Time-Activity Analysis Assessment: Does the importance of the activity match the resources we’re devoting to it?

4. Effective Organizational • Structures CoreElements ofPower • Developed Leadership • Large Membership • Base Among • Core Constituencies • Resources, Infrastructure • Persuasive • Narratives • Strategic • Campaigns • Political • Consciousness • Effective Strategy & Tactics • Broad Alliances • On a scale of 1 – 3, rank how important each element is to exercising power. • Note the % of resources your group currently devotes to each element of power. • Mark the areas that your group needs to make a higher priority.

5. Elements of an Effective Campaign Plan • Goals: • Long-term: Major changes you eventually hope to win and toward which the campaign is a first step. • 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. • 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. • 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. • 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. • Campaign Strategy: The overall approach to building and exercising the power to compel the target to accept your demands. • 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. • 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. • Time Frame: The time period from the beginning of the campaign to the end. • Tactical Plan: A timeline of key campaign tactics, major activities, and/or events.

6. POWER ANALYSIS Opposing Agendas Our Goals/Demands Their Goals/Demands Primary Targets: Cong. Rep., Church Board, Weapons Manufacturer 10 Decisive Influence to Make or Influence Decisions 8 Opposition: Republican Party, Real Estate Developers, etc. Active Participant in Making Decisions Vertical Axis: Level of Power Secondary Targets: Banks, Members of Faith Community, 6 Decision-Maker Responds Political Groups: Comm. Org., Unions 4 Community Institutions: Churches, Block Clubs, etc. Taken Into Account Source: Anthony Thigpenn, SCOPE http://www.scopela.org/index.html Horizontal Axis: Opposing Agendas 3 Noticed Community Residents 2 Not Taken Into Account Strong Support Active Support Inclined Toward Inclined Toward Active Support Strong Support

7. Competing Agendas Dreamworks SKG Workforce LA Playa Vista Developers Decision Makers RG CD6 CITYWIDE CBOs Entertainment Industry Business Associations Students/Youth CBOs in Commuities of Color Service Unions JF CD4 RA CD14 Entertainment Unions JW CD2 MH CD1 LC CD3 HB CD12 JG CD13 MRT CD8 MF CD5 • Key Constituencies: • CBO’s in Communities of Color • Churches/Community Dev. Corps • Citywide CBO’s • Labor Unions • Students & Youth RA CD7 Business Associations RS CD15 LAUSD RW CD9 CM CD11 LACCD UTLA AFT Building Trades NH CD10 Metropolitan Alliance CHURCHES CHURCHES WEST LA RESIDENTS CBOs in Commuities of Color SOUTH LA RESIDENTS General Public EAST LA RESIDENTS OVERALL GOALS OF DREAMWORKS CAMPAIGN 1. Get YCME/Jobs Programs funded to address a real need 2. Set precedent in Corps giving back in return for subsidies 3. Set precedent on how regional policies should be done “TRICKLE DOWN” AGENDA: 1. $90 million-plus in Subsidies as business incentives 2. “Token” resources given to communities in need 10 Decision Maker 8 Active Participant 6 Taken into Account 4 Gets Attention Source: Anthony Thigpenn, SCOPE http://www.scopela.org/index.html 2 Not on Radar DIE HARD ACTIVE SUPPORT DIE HARD ACTIVE SUPPORT INCLINED TOWARDS INCLINED TOWARDS

8. POWER ANALYSIS Opposing Agendas Our Goals/Demands Their Goals/Demands Primary Targets: 10 Decisive Influence to Make or Influence Decisions 8 Opposition: Active Participant in Making Decisions Vertical Axis: Level of Power Secondary Targets: 6 Decision-Maker Responds Political Groups: 4 Community Institutions: Taken Into Account Horizontal Axis: Opposing Agendas 3 Noticed Community Residents 2 Not Taken Into Account Strong Support Active Support Inclined Toward Inclined Toward Active Support Strong Support

9. Campaign Strategy Chart Campaign Goals Targets & Opponents Our Side: Constituents & Allies Organizational Considerations Tactics 1. Long-term 1. Primary targets 1. Constituents 1. Resources Invested 2. Intermediate 2. Secondary targets 2. Allies 2. Organizational goals Counter-Tactics 3. Opponents 3. Short-term 3. Problems to Solve Modification of strategy chart in Kim Bobo, et. al., Organizing for Social Change

10. AIWA Garment Justice Campaign Strategy Campaign Goals Organizational Considerations Our Side: Constituents & Allies Targets & Opponents Tactics • Long-term 1. Resources Invested • Constituents • Asian-Am women workers • Primary targets • - Jessica McClintock • 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 2. Intermediate Pay garment workers $15,000 in backwages owed by Lucky Sewing, contractor 2. Organizational goals • 2. Allies • Students • Women’s groups • Asian-Am groups 2. Secondary targets 3. Opponents 3. Short-term 3. Problems to Solve • Counter-Tactics • Discredit: really a union, financial shakedown • List women who refused their deal, harrass and blacklist them

11. Why must we build a membership base and develop leaders? Organizations with membership recruitment focus Organizations that do not build a membership base

12. The 4 Core Layers of an Organization’s Base Are our plans designed to increase the size of our base and move people into more active involvement? 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. Organizing Core Activists Supporters Periphery

13. vs. Conception of people as isolated individuals Conception of people as part of social networks Base-building: Mapping 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.

14. Recruitment Effectiveness/Success Factors • Tapping into existing social networks • Accurate mapping of social networks and natural leaders • Targeting of natural leaders • 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 Modification of tool developed by Anthony Thigpenn, SCOPE http://www.scopela.org/index.html

15. The 4 Core Layers of an Organization’s Base What can we do to increase the size of our base and move people into more active involvement? Organizing Core Activists Supporters Periphery

16. Components of a successful recruitment meeting • Get in the Door • Listen: Build relationship/trust/legitimize yourself • Listen: ID Issues/Self-interest • Agitate to People’s Self-interest • Make people angry: Is that fair? • Lay out vision/demands, need to organize, & plan to win • Must counter fear, cynicism, isolation, low expectations… • The crunch: Get commitment to group and specific tasks • Rigorous Follow-up

17. 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