Introduction

This book is for people who want to change the world and know that they cannot do it alone.
It is a practical, step-by-step guide to starting or strengthening a community organization.

It is for those who care about the world around them and know that improving it requires the active involvement of the people closest to the problem. It is for people who know that they need the power, perspective, and sense of community that come from being part of a group.

You might be thinking of starting a new organization. Maybe you’ve never joined a group, but you see a problem brewing in the world around you that just won’t go away. It could be in your neighborhood, at the local school, in your congregation, at your workplace.

Contents

• The inside story
• What is community organizing, anyway?
• Step by step – building a community organization
• Developing a mission, goals, and objectives
• Structure: how to build your organization to last
• Power means mobilizing your resources
• Developing power: why recruit?
• How to recruit: the nuts and bolts
• The way to develop power is to develop leaders
• Mobilizing resources: meetings
• Mobilizing resources: raising money
• Making change
• Organizing: pathway to change
• Taking action, solving problems, getting results
• Building community
• Our future
• Where do we go from here?
• Your turn.

See Sample Chapter

Chapter 11 Taking Action, Solving Problems, Getting Results

Videos

See Videos on author’s website

• What is community organizing?
• Training community organizers – Telling your story and finding your purpose
• How to do a one on one relational meeting
• Pay attention to the people closest to the problem
• How to Get Out the Vote (GOTV)

Access Resource

Book