Guide to Organizing from the Leading Change Network

Introduction

This is a curated a guide on Organising from the Leading Change Network. The Leading Change Network develops leadership and supports organisers around the world through a community of practice, ongoing learning and coaching. Rooted in community organising, social movement, and civic traditions, the Leading Change Network grew out of the work of Marshall Ganz, his collaborators, their students, and others.

The Leading Change Network Resource Center has many resources on Organizing, Narrative, and Campaign and Movement Building. This Guide includes a selection of resources from the Resource Center. To access all their resources browse the whole topic area of organizing. Note: Some resources are available to Leading Change Network members only. Here’s how to become a member.

Overview of Organizing

This curated guide is a compilation of the primary resources available on LCN’s Resource Center about Organizing. It includes videos, articles, and other tools.

Organizers identify, recruit and develop leadership; build community around leadership; and build power out of community. Organizers challenge people to act on behalf of shared values and interests. – Marshall Ganz

• Overview: What is Organizing? by Marshall Ganz (Article)
• Detailed Introduction: What is Organizing?

Guides and Manuals

• Organizing: People, Power and Change (Guide) (Available in English, Spanish & Turkish)
• Organizing Playbook for a World where She Decides
• Organizing for America OFA: Community Organizer Manual
• The Sierra Club Movement Organizing Manual
• Formerly Incarcerated Convicted People and Families Movement (FICPFM) Organizer Training Fellowship: Winning Campaigns to Transform the Criminal Justice System During Covid 19 and Beyond: Digital Manual

Mobilizing others to achieve purpose under conditions of uncertainty— what leaders do—challenges the hands, the head, and the heart. – Marshall Ganz

Tools and Graphics

• The Organizer’s Canvas: Mapping the critical elements for creating change
• Introduction to Organizing as taught by Marshall Ganz (Graphic)
• Visual and Explanatory Tools about Community Organizing by Ahel (Arabic & English)

Courses

• Resistance Bootcamp and Organizer Training by Americans Take Action (Videos and slides)
• ChangeMakers Organizing School (Video Training Course)
• Developing new civic leadership in the Arab World
• Enrol in Leadership, Organizing and Action: Leading Change at Harvard University

Training resources

• Guide for Trainers: A collation of resources by Leading Change Network
• Orientation to Organizing by Leading Change Network (Presentation slides)
• Recovery Advocacy Project – Organizing Institute – Training (Slides and Workbooks)
• The Facilitator’s Resource Guide: Facilitating an Organizing Training
• Community Organizing Facilitators’ Notes
• Training Showcase: Enabling teams to take action with WiLD Academy (Video)
• Teaching on WhatsApp: Leadership and Storytelling for Grassroots Community Organizers

There’s a real sweet spot between challenge and hope – leaders make pathways that keep both firmly in view. -Marshall Ganz

Videos and Podcasts

• The Art of Organizing with Marshall Ganz (Podcast)
• Community Organizing with Marshall Ganz: Get out the Vote: Voter Mobilization and Civic Education Series at Harvard’s Making Caring Commons: Episode 4 (Video)
• TED talk: The Power of Organizing: Betsy Hoover at TEDxDePaulU (Video)
• Organizing for Health: People, Power and change Marshall Ganz (Video)
• Faces of Change Podcast by Leading Change Network
• ChangeMakers Podcast: Episodes about Social Change Stories and People

Organizing skills

Building Relationships and One and Ones

• One on One Meetings to Find and Develop Leaders

House Meetings

• House Meeting Handbook: Harnessing the power of personal networks and storytelling to build leadership and support for your campaign

Team Building

• Resistance School training by Marshall Ganz on How to Build a Leadership Team (Video)
• Resistance School “Complete Lesson” on How to Build Leadership Teams
• Jeremy Bird: Scaling Grassroots Movements with the Obama Campaign (Video)

Developing Leadership

• Developing Leadership Action Planning Worksheet: Planning a motivational action

Creating Strategy

• Creating Shared Strategy: How to Strategize?

Public Narrative

• See the comprehensive collection of resources under the Public Narrative topic, including the Curated Guide to Public Narrative.

Organizing resources in different languages

• The Organizer’s Canvas: Mapping the critical elements for creating change (available in Danish, English, Russian, Serbian, Spanish and Swedish)
• Danish 2½-day Organizing Workshop Guide – Lederskab ob Organisering (Danish)
• Organizando: Pueblo, Poder y Cambio – Organizing: People, Power and Change (Spanish) (E-book)
• Liderazgo, Organización, y Acción: Guía del Participante — Leadership, Organization, and Action: Participant Guides (Spanish)
• أدوات تفاعلية ومواد مرئية حول التنظيم المجتمعي من إعداد أهل – Visual and Explanatory Tools about Community Organising by Ahel (Arabic) (Videos and graphics)
• Les Voix pour la Santé (Guide de l’Atelier) – The Voice for Health Organizing (French) (Participant Manual)
• リーダーシップ・オーガナイジング・アクション – Leadership, Organizing and Action (Japanese)

Books

• Community Organizing by David Walls
• Building Powerful Community Organizations: A Personal Guide to Creating Groups that Can Solve Problems and Change the World by Michael Jacoby Brown
• Why David Sometimes Wins: Leadership, Organization, and Strategy in the California Farm Worker Movement by Marshall Ganz
• Groundbreakers: How Obama’s 2.2 Million Volunteers Transformed Campaigning in America by Hahrie Han and Elizabeth McKenna

When we consider action in the face of uncertainty, we have to ask ourselves three questions: why must we act, how can we act, and what must we learn to do. – Marshall Ganz

Explore Further

• Marshall Ganz Courses at Harvard University – List of Recommended Readings
• Guide to Public Narrative from the Leading Change Network
• Guide to Campaign and Movement Building by the Leading Change Network
• Guide for Trainers about Organizing, Narrative, Campaign and Movement Building
• Leading Change Network Collection in the Commons Library