Introduction
Creating and implementing an effective relational organizing strategy can supercharge your campaigning. These resources from the Climate Advocacy Lab will help you develop a relational organizing strategy, think about how to use your existing network to build power, and provide a few tactics you can use to push people up your ladder of engagement.
What is Relational Organizing?
Relational organizing starts with a group of people who have relationships with each other. It is a type of community organizing that relies on and prioritizes relationships both inside and outside of an organization in order to build stronger, more dynamic and creative collective power. It includes base building, political education, issue identification, training & action. – Southerners on the Ground (SONG), Source
Tip Sheet
This tip sheet covers six principles to help organizations interested in developing and implementing a relational organizing strategy.
These tips include:
- Relationships are key to keeping people engaged and ready to take action
Familiar relationships provide better opportunities for contact and increase the likelihood a person will take action. - Developing a relational organizing strategy takes time
Like any good organizing strategy, building out your relational organizing program will require dedication, so start early! - Variety of relational organizing approaches is the spice of life!
Test different approaches to find which strategy works best in your network. Communities will respond to different types of tactics. - Relational organizing is power building
Relational organizing can be a big part of base-building given you are utilizing the relationships you already have with people to further build power by developing clear ladders of engagement. - 1-on-1s are about creating long-lasting transformative relationships
1-on-1s are one of the most fundamental aspects of organizing, useful for building new relationships and strengthening existing ones. - Relational organizing and cultural organizing can be very effective together
The 5 Cs for cultural organizing are Culture, Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, and Community. Cultural organizing is a strategy to shift cultural norms away from the dominant culture, which aligns with relational organizing’s focus on raising up people power as a viable solution for change.
Work Sheet
Watch Video
Relational Organizing Part 1 and Part 2
1-on-1s are the cornerstone of relational organizing and knowing how to do these properly can lead to transformative relationships – Source
About Climate Advocacy Lab
The Climate Advocacy Lab equips the U.S. climate movement with the evidence-based insights, skills, and connections needed to build durable power and win equitable solutions. Become a Member and access more resources from their Resource Library.
Explore Further
- The Power of Reaching Out to Others: Organizing One on One Meetings
- Organizing: People, Power and Change – The One on One 1:1 Meeting
- Leaderful Organizing Tool: Flipping the Script
- Scaling Organising: The Incubating and Cascading Approach
- How Rural Organizing Can Build Power
- High Trees Community Organising Self Assessment Toolkit
- A Guide to Power Analysis in Community Organising
- Tending the Soil: Lessons for Organizing
