Identify supporters and potential allies – Much of the work we need to do in communicating with others the importance of what we are doing can be eliminated by taking a moment and listing out for ourselves an initial list of supporters and allies. When we do this it helps us create in our own minds the directions we can go in and the possibilities of where the alliances we create in and out community mobilization can go.
Make contacting members simple and easy – Quick mobilization can be of the utmost urgency. How do you get a hold of people? There are times in every community mobilization program when quick and significant turnout can mean difference between success and failure. Every list should be set up with ease of use in mind. Provides a means of quick mobilization for activists
Record everyone you speak to - Make a record of their contact information and make a note about their level of interest, skills, or concerns.
New volunteers need to be contacted – New people should be contacted within 24-48 hours. This is critical to bringing in new energy and activist. If they request additional information get it to them in a similar timeframe. Remember most people are moved to action through personal contact.
Make information accessible – your list should be structured in such a way that you can easily access names and phone number as well as other key information.
Set guidelines for using the list – Access to names and addresses is power. Set some working ground rules for their use. In one community mobilization drive a married couple working on the issue was having problems. As a means of retaliation one of the spouses wrote a letter detailing how their partner was not a good parent because they were using politics to ignore their family. They then mailed this letter to everyone on this list. Needless to say that was the end of that community mobilization movement.
Constantly update your list – Assign someone to systematically maintain and update your list. List can quickly become outdate – don’t wait for a crisis to find out about yours.
Invest resources in maintaining the list – Computer Software is cheap and easy to obtain. Computers come with database software.
Within each organization are individual members that will serve as contacts or liaisons for your mobilization effort. These individuals are very important. When experienced organizers talk about having good relationships with different organizations what they really mean is that they have taken the time to cultivate strong relationships with certain individuals within that organization. Business people call this networking - if it works for them why not us?
What you need to know for organizational networking. Identify other groups and make contact: Everyone has potential allies. Make a list of different organizations who you think maybe yours. Think of groups that may be economically affected by a particular issue. Try to meet with organizational leaders before arranging to address the larger gathering of its members.
Develop a plan for contacting area organizations by gathering the following information.
Contact person
Home, Work and Fax number
Pager or Cell Phone if possible.
Size of each organization and
Schedule of each organizations meetings
Far to often people are lazy in their mobilization. They think because they have created an email list with hundreds of addresses or a webpage that everyone who needs to know about something. Ask yourself; do you email everyone? Does everyone you know have email? More importantly and take a moment to consider this. Does everyone who might be interested in what you are doing have email or access to the Internet?
The answer is obviously no.
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