Fear is the mind killer
Yes, I’m stealing the phrase from Dune, and the meaning is very similar. Many local activism groups or Democratic efforts quickly focus internally and stop looking externally for solutions to problems. Local organizations, even ones part of a national organization, are fond of falling into the trap of saying: “things are different here” and deciding to move on independently.
This sounds attractive because there is some truth to it—each city or state is different, and they will have to customize their efforts. Rather than dismiss the impact of national or regional input entirely, though, groups benefit by taking in input and localizing it.
So, let’s talk about the activists we have in our group. For those that remember, we began with activists looking to form a citywide effort to take on issues. How, exactly, will national input help them?
One of the most effective tools available to activists from a regional or national body is field-tested knowledge along the lines of: “We tried X, it was effective” or “We tried Y, bust.” As time goes on and groups within a network share this information, you can develop more successful events and outreach efforts. While not every plan in one state transfers, many core components or ideas can be localized almost anywhere. Activists can spot good core ideas, translate them into their community and succeed, sometimes adding local flavor or improvements.
Information is a two-way street
Part of making your organization successful and making more resources available can be accomplished by sharing the information resources you do have available. That’s right, the more information you share with a state, regional or national infrastructure, the more likely you are to gain some influence within that body. This can make a huge difference as you plan your events.
Our activists begin planning an event at a state house. Because they are perceived as very helpful and strong planners by other groups within the same state, they will often find themselves in leadership roles to help advance their efforts. This can be good because it shows other groups how to also be effective, by sharing data and results.
Remember, this isn’t a sport, and there are no prizes. We want all groups in our effort to be successful, so model sharing and outreach, we help to build a philosophy within our group.
What is regional?
While the concept of city, state and national are easily defined, many get confused when regional organizing is brought into the decision-making process. Regions can be large—like multiple states, or small, like one or two counties or a few cities.
A region is defined by the issue being advocated and the end goal. If the issue being debated has a direct impact on, say, two counties, then those counties are the “issue impacted region”, however you define it.
Do not get hung up on terms or geographic maps. Instead, focus on whether or not you want to build advocacy throughout any area based on any particular advocacy role or need.
Building regional strength takes effort, and it is not self-sustaining. Once you have effective regional advocacy, though, you’ve built fertile ground for developing and identifying local and national talent.
Final thoughts: no one is an island
It is easy in your advocacy to think you are the only group doing the work on an issue you care about. It is also easy, if you are a member of a group with multiple state or regional chapters, to think your group is the only one that does things the “right” way. Take a step back, though, and remember that our end goal is always to elect and support great candidates and issues. Building up a strong regional, state or national advocacy is to all of our benefit, not a detriment. So, if you see other groups that struggle, think about how to build a regional or state network to help support them.
Advocacy and activism are not a contest, the end goal is not about proving which group is better than any other; it is about building up strong groups to work with.
Next week: DNC meets in Vegas!
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