The headline in the local paper reads, "100 Rally in Worcester Against Police Brutality." The first paragraph of the story reads, "...more than 100 people met on the Common Saturday night..." In reality, the count was closer to 200 than 100, and they came from all walks of life, in all ages and from all backgrounds. They came out in a city that's famous for its apathy. They came out in the pouring rain and they marched nearly 4 miles in under an hour - then stood around, soaked to the skin, for another hour afterwards to talk about their hopes and their experiences. It was a manifestation of that "something" I've been feeling in the air - that fed-up-with-the-bullshit hunger for change. That energy is there, and if I could harness it, so can you. Follow me below the orange squiggle for tips and lessons I've learned about making things happen since I accidentally organized my first rally.
Identify people in your network or your town who are doing things.
Salt your Facebook friend or Twitter Following list with local folks who are doing things. I know it's popular to eschew social media, but it's a powerful tool for making connections and organizing action. The trick is learning how to use these platforms for activating and organizing people. The first step is to follow/friend local activists, poets, newspaper reporters, people who go to meetings and who share information about things going on in your city. Don't be shy. Most of them will accept friend requests and automatically follow you back on Twitter because local connections are important to them, too.
Cultivate the connections you've made.
Make yourself known. If a city councilor shares an article you agree with, click that Like button. If there's a conversation going on in a friend's Facebook status and a stranger makes a comment you like, Like it. Re-share things that you support, always with your own comment. Comment on their statuses and shares. When you see someone who consistently says things you agree with, click the friend request. It's not as cynical as it sounds. It's just a great way to start building a network of other people who care enough to get involved and to let other people know who you are and where you stand. As a bonus, your social media feeds will get a whole lot more informative and interesting - and the people you wish would just go away... will just go away.
Use hash tags - especially your city/town name.
Lots of folks on Twitter - and more and more on Facebook - search for things going on in their town by using their city name as a hash tag. It's especially important if you're trying to put out the word to people outside your immediate circle but in your local area. Using the hash tag as a search on either Twitter or Facebook can also help you find other people who are doing things in your town. (Big BIG Tip: Surround yourself with other doers, even if they're not doing the same things you want to do. The guy who does free haircuts for the homeless is probably also pretty interested in social justice causes.)
Take the first step.
If you sit around waiting for someone else to do something, you could be waiting for a very long time. Post about what you're doing, where it will be and when you'll be there and invite them to show up to stand with you. And then be there, whether anyone answers you or not. If no one else shows up, you've still made YOUR stand and trust me, you'll feel good about it. If you've spent some time growing a network of doers, though, there's a pretty good chance you'll have at least a few other people. Get their contact info so you can keep in touch beyond your first event.
Create a public Facebook event.
The Facebook event platform gives you a couple of major benefits. First, when you create a public Facebook event, anyone can share it or invite people. That alone can hugely expand your reach. Potentially, you have the ability to reach every person on the Friends lists of every person you invite to the event. Second, and more importantly, you have a page where people can ask questions and get answers, and where you and fellow organizers can post updates, photos, videos and stories of interest to build anticipation and excitement.
Keep lines of communication open.
After our second last-minute rally, one of the guys did something I would never have thought about doing. He started a Facebook chat and added 8-10 people that he thought might like to work together on his planned event. We've kept that chat going for four weeks now, with people dropping in and out at need. It's been a vital tool for getting quick feedback on ideas, asking for help and checking in with each other between face-to-face meetings.
Recruit someone with some graphic skills.
Visual stuff is is vital. Make sure at least one of the people in your planning group knows how to put together a compelling flyer that you can share everywhere - and then make the image available to everyone in your group so they can share it everywhere.
Have your next steps planned before your first event.
That way, you can add the date and time of your next step to flyers you hand out at your event. And don't forget to ask for contact info from all your attendees. They'll be your soldiers going forward.
Share early. Share often. Share during. Share after.
The most important thing you can do in the leadup to your event is to share and like, like and share, share and share and share. Share the flyer image. Invite people to the event page. Share photos and updates. It's also important to "like" the post anytime someone else shares the event, flyer or posts from the event page. Every time someone interacts with a post - by sharing it, like it, commenting on it or liking a comment on it - the post gets pushed further up on the visibility list.
Finally, if you want to keep the energy strong after an event and turn an event into a movement, keep sharing after the event. Take lots and lots of pictures. Take video. Encourage other people to do the same. And as soon as you can, upload those photos to the event page and say thank you, thank you, thank you.