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Anna Rose reflects on how to chair a not-for-profit board
When I left as AYCC’s National Director and stepped into the role of Chair, I had some idea of what the role would entail because of my law degree. Well. So I thought. I’d studied board mismanagement as part of corporate law, so I knew what...
Anatomy of a Modern Campaign
“So lets kick the door down on the secrecy and see how a modern campaign actually runs – the research involved, the technology, the analysis, the logistics of the ground game and the capabilities that get brought to the table when all of these things become...
Always look on the bright side of life: The AIDEX 91 story
In November 1991 over 1000 protesters blockaded the National Exhibition Centre in Canberra with the goal of shutting down the Australia International Defence Exhibition. Over 12 days AIDEX 91 saw the most police violence and the highest number of arrests in the...
Advocacy Evaluation Update: Centre for Evaluation Innovation
The growing interest in using advocacy as a strategy for achieving social change has sparked a lively discussion on how to document and measure the success of advocacy strategies.
Advice to White indigenous activists
Indigenous activist Dr Gary Foley offers poignant advice to White would-be activists: Know Thy Self. This footage was taken during a public discussion forum, ‘Deactivating Colonialism / Decolonising Activism’ (Melbourne Australia)
How to write a letter to a politician
Sitting down and writing an original letter to a politician isn’t as convenient as sending a form letter or email composed by someone else, but it is much more effective and much more likely to receive a personalised response.
Activists and difficult people
Brian Martin (2001): All of us encounter people whose behavior we find difficult, and many of us are difficult ourselves, at least at times! Some people might imagine that there are fewer problems in groups that are concerned with “good causes,” such as...
Active Hope How to face the mess we’re in
Active Hope is about finding, and offering, our best response to the crisis of sustainability unfolding in our world. It offers tools that help us face the mess we’re in, as well as find and play our role in the collective transition, or Great Turning, to a...
ActionSprout
Powering Social Campaigns for Good Engage supporters beyond like, comment, and share. ActionSprout connects to the services you already use and love like Salesforce, MailChimp, Salsa, and NationBuilder. When a supporter takes action, their contact information is...
A users guide to advocacy evaluation planning
This new tool from Harvard Family Research Project and developed by Julia Coffman takes users through four basic steps that generate the core elements of an advocacy evaluation plan, including what will be measured and how. The tool includes a comprehensive list of...
A sometimes provocative guide on story-based strategy
If you’re trying to influence, persuade, or convince others to believe in your message, you’ll want to read this book. This storytelling manifesto is designed to provoke, inspire, and get you thinking in a more expansive manner. In the process, you’ll learn to see the...
6 Degrees Listening Tour report
In November 2008, the Queensland-based action group Six Degrees undertook a listening tour of coal affected communities in Queensland. The purpose of the tour was for the action group to improve their understanding of the impacts of the coal industry in Queensland and...
Five things I wish I knew when I first became politically active
At this year’s awesome George Brown College Labour Fair Conference, I gave a presentation that outlined five things I wish I knew when I first became politically active. What do you think of what I’ve learned? What have you learned that you wish you knew...
Know thine enemy
Noam Cohen dissects right wing attacks on town hall meetings – a curious interpretation of Saul Alinsky’s ‘Rules for Radicals’. Republican organizers are adopting Alinsky-style tactics to shut down public meetings organised by public health...
Empowering people not elites: Interview with Saul Alinsky, 1972
In the course of nearly four decades of organizing the poor for radical social action, Alinsky has made many enemies, but he has also won the respect, however grudging, of a disparate array of public figures: French philosopher Jacques Maritain has called him “one of...
Saul Alinsky: Community organizing and rules for radicals
Saul David Alinsky (1909-1972) was both a committed organizer and activist (founding the Industrial Areas Foundation in Chicago) and an influential writer. His books Reveille for Radicals (1946) and Rules for Radicals (1972) were, and remain, important statements...
10 ways to work together: An organizer’s view
Useful tips and perspective from legendary organiser Dave Beckwith, based on his review of articles on the Comm-Org site.
Community toolbox: Learning how to be a community leader
Community leaders take responsibility for the well-being and improvement of their communities. Are you a community leader? Are you interested in becoming one? Community leaders are often self-appointed. Even people who run for office first make a decision that they...