James is co-founder of the Change Agency and director of our Community Organising Fellowship.
Developing a theory of change
A guide to developing a theory of change as a framework for inclusive dialogue, learning and accountability for social impact. The process of developing a theory of change is an exciting and often liberating process of interaction and discovery that helps...
The art of advocacy | The Democracy Center
At the Democracy Center, for nearly 25 years we have worked to support people all across the world with one area of activism especially – advocacy. That is a word with many different meanings. Most of all it means to have a specific objective in mind – passing a law...
Simple theory of change exercise
We use this exercise to jump start a group thinking about the changes they really hope to make, what will get them there, and most importantly, why. Sometimes it is helpful to start by drawing a vision for change for the top of the map, or the long-term goal (rather...
Knowledge tree
We have used the Knowledge Tree as a tool for doing a “learning review” or a systemization of what has been learned through for example past monitoring exercises, and more in-depth discussions with staff and community members. At the bottom of the tree are...
Road Journey: A community-friendly approach to Theory of Change thinking
This activity can take the shape of either a road, river, or even a chain of cenotes! We suggest inviting as diverse a group as possible, people from the community of course, but also community leaders, religious leaders, educators, other actors from NGOs and...
10 Things You Need to Build Clever Coalitions [Gemma Mortensen]
There are many ingredients that make up clever coalitions, and it is only in rare, heady moments that they all coexist perfectly together. The process requires stamina and patience on behalf of all involved. In my work at Crisis Action, an organization that builds...
Interview: Organizing to Learn, Learning to Organize
For decades the Highlander Center has been at the heart of some of our country’s most important social movements. In the 1930s it became the official training center for unions in the Congress of Industrial Organizations, the labor federation that organized millions...
MIT offer $250,000 for civil disobedience for the benefit of society
MIT are now accepting nominations for the first-ever MIT Media Lab Disobedience Award, which carries a $250,000 cash prize, no strings attached. This award will go to a person or group engaged in what we believe is an extraordinary example of disobedience for the...
People Power training guides: Campaign Strategy and Community Organising
The People Power manual has been written primarily for educators, trainers and facilitators who are looking for processes to use in their activist education work. The first two volumes focus on Campaign Strategy and Community Organising, with dozens of participatory...
You Got to Move: Stories of Change in the South (documentary)
Lucy Massie Phenix’s You Got to Move: Stories of Change in the South is about individuals who have dared to change the world for the better and Tennessee s world-renowned Highlander Folk School (now Highlander Research and Education Center), the place that for...
Civil resistance online library
The International Centre for Nonviolent Conflict aims to build the most accessible online library on civil resistance, with resources for activists, scholars, members of INGOs, journalists and the policy community. Whenever possible, we include links to download or...
Logic Model Workbook (Innovation Network)
A logic model is a commonly-used tool to clarify and depict a program within an organization. You may have heard it described as a logical framework, theory of change, or program matrix—but the purpose is usually the same: to graphically depict your program,...
Networked Change Campaign Grid
The Networked Change Campaign Grid provides a clear path for integrating top-performing approaches into your strategic planning and design process. This worksheet reviews the principles of the directed-network campaigning as presented in the Networked Change...
NGO climate action strategies: A Ugandan case study
Kristen Lyons and Peter Westoby’s (2017) case study of NGO strategies to re-climate solutions. An analysis of selected NGO strategies in Uganda, based on the researchers’ long-term fieldwork and utilising Bill Moyers’ Movement Action Plan framework....
Can The Democrats Get Organized? An Interview With Marshall Ganz
In the spring of 2007, famed union organizer Marshall Ganz began meeting with the Obama campaign. Ganz persuaded them to create a field operation using the techniques that Ganz had developed with the United Farm Workers in California. Thus the army of thousands of...
Beautiful Democracy (short documentary)
Beautiful Democracy is a bright and vibrant exploration of the art and activism surrounding the Pro-Democracy movement in New Zealand. This short documentary follows three groups who are finding dynamic and unconventional ways to engage with, and defend their...
A guide to email writing for action
Ben Brandzel’s excellent guide ‘From moment to movement and beyond’ (text and slides): moment, crisitunity, ‘ask’, reader focused theory of change…
Nonviolent campaign strategy
This website is designed to teach you how to plan and implement a nonviolent strategy for your campaign to achieve a peace, environmental or social justice outcome.