Roots to Power: A Manual for Grassroots Organizing

Foreword Richard A. Cloward and Frances Fox Piven......Page 12
Preface: From Roots to Tips......Page 18
Acknowledgments: With a Lot of Help from My Friends......Page 22
1 “Power to the People” Basic Organizing Philosophy and Goals......Page 24
Elemental Elements: Turf, Issue, Identity, and Workplace......Page 27
Two Routes to Power: Community Development and Social Action......Page 29
Limits and Possibilities......Page 35
Ten Tools for Taking Power......Page 37
Building a Power Base......Page 43
An Overview of Underlying Principles......Page 50
Insider/Outsider Upsides and Downsides......Page 57
Who......Page 70
What......Page 76
From Whom......Page 78
How......Page 79
The Organizing Process......Page 84
The Model: Groundwork, Organizing Committee, Recruitment, and Formation......Page 85
Choosing Issues......Page 122
Organizational Mileage Considerations......Page 125
Unity......Page 126
Capacity......Page 128
Growth......Page 129
Education......Page 130
Credit......Page 132
Resources......Page 133
Tactics......Page 135
Victory......Page 137
Developing a Winning Strategy......Page 138
Cutting and Framing the Issue: Action Group, Goals and Objectives, Target System, and Handles......Page 139
Conducting a Strategic Analysis: Opposition, Support, Objective Conditions, and SWOT Assessment......Page 150
Tactics......Page 166
Countertactics and the Seven D’s of Defense......Page 170
Deflecting......Page 171
Delaying......Page 172
Deceiving......Page 173
Dividing......Page 174
Denying......Page 177
Discrediting and Destroying......Page 178
Timetable......Page 180
A Multiphase Action Plan......Page 182
Recruitment......Page 185
Preparation......Page 188
Assessment......Page 191
Background......Page 193
Household Finance......Page 195
Building the Case......Page 196
Direct Action......Page 197
Media......Page 198
Legal Action......Page 199
Legislation......Page 200
Regulatory Strategy......Page 201
Legal Settlement......Page 202
Conclusion......Page 205
Broadening the Base......Page 208
Characteristics and Qualities......Page 214
Developmental Methods......Page 215
Composition, Contracting, and Culture......Page 219
Decision Making......Page 222
Membership and Leader Roles......Page 223
Conflict......Page 225
Conducting Successful Meetings......Page 226
Making Change with COINS......Page 233
Decision-Making Structures......Page 234
Operating Policies and Procedures......Page 235
Staffing......Page 236
Introduction......Page 242
Research for Organizing Will Collette......Page 245
Real Clout: Rules and Tools for Winning Public Policy Campaigns Judith C. Meredith and Catherine Dunham......Page 257
Using the Law for Leverage Mac McCreight......Page 277
Media Relations Eric Weltman......Page 287
Using Technology for Grassroots Organizing Maria Roberts-DeGennaro......Page 293
Negotiations: Using a Weapon as a Way Out Mark J. Splain......Page 305
Grassroots Community Organizations and Voting: How to Do Voter Registration, Education, and Mobilization for 501c3 Organizations and Related Nonprofits George Pillsbury......Page 312
Community-Labor Coalitions Louise Simmons......Page 325
Coalitions and Other Relations Tim Sampson......Page 332
Coalitions: Essential Tools for Organizing Beth B. Rosenthal and Terry Mizrahi......Page 339
Memberships and Dues David Beckwith......Page 354
Dues and Grassroots Fundraising Helene O’Brien and Madeleine Adamson......Page 358
Meetings: Grab Those Details by the Tail Lee Staples......Page 362
Appendix......Page 366
References......Page 376
Afterword: After Words, Take Action......Page 380
Index......Page 382
About the Author and Contributors......Page 390