When Will Wealth Meet Organizing?

My friends know that my biggest gripe about organizing is the stigma against business. I feel that organizing will not fulfill its total potential until organizers take business and entrepreneurism more seriously. It is a well known fact that power can be obtained two ways: by having the money, guns, and lawyers or by having the people. We've been focusing on the people for far too long and I think it is high time that we at least get some money and lawyers.

Membership Retention

I met with a bunch of student leaders and one of the reoccurring themes is the problem of membership retention. I believe the key to membership retention is membership selection. The ability to select willing and committed members will naturally increase your retention rate.

The Three Models of Youth Organizing

1) Independent Groups
These are groups that are organized exclusively by youth for youth with little to no adult supervision. They tend to be organic and grassroots in nature.

2) Multi-Generational Groups
These are youth groups that are apart of larger multi-generational groups where youth may be mixed in with young adults, middle aged adults, or the elderly.

3) Youth Groups Apart of Larger Institutions
These are groups such as the YMCA or Girl Scouts of America where adults are largely responsible for the operations of the group and act as service providers for the youth recipients.

National Service Bill to Become Law

Today President Obama will sign into law the National Service Bill. This bill will triple the size of the AmeriCorps over the next 8 years and provide college money credits for people who volunteer. This bill also includes up to $1,000 school credits that people over 55 can earn and transfer to a child, grandchild, or even someone who he/she mentors.

You can find out more about this bill at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30322060/.

Meet a Commuity Organization: the Center for Third World Organizing

Today we will take a look at the Center for Third World Organizing. You can find them in the cyber world at http://www.ctwo.org/.

The Center for Third World Organizing (CTWO) is "a racial-justice organization dedicated to building a social-justice movement led by people of color. CTWO is a 25-year-old training and resource center that promotes and sustains direct-action organizing in communities of color in the United States." They have programs including the training of new and experienced organizers, creating model multi-racial communities, and aggressively building networks activists of color to achieve racial justice.

Some of their formal programs include Community Action Trainings (CAT), Movement Activist Apprenticeship Program (MAAP), California Lead Organizers Institute (CLOI), and they provide custom consultation services.

You can contact CTWO by calling (510) 533-7583.

National People's Action and the Fight Against Redlining

Today we remember a great moment in organizing history: the National People's Action's victory against redlining.

Before the NPA came into existence, it was influenced by Saul Alinsky in Chicago through the Northwest Community Organization. Tom Gaudette and Shel Trapp worked on the organizing efforts that addressed issues such as panic peddling by real estate companies, and FHA abuse of new homeowners, who were mostly minorities. This grew into a larger campaign against redlining of low income areas by banks and insurance companies.

In 1972, this fledging organizing effort decided to attempt the incredible: cajole Congress into passing federal anti-redlining legislation. So before the 1972 presidential election, they called a national meeting on the issue and formed what is now the National People's Action. They held their first convention and invited the presidential candidates to come (only the democrats showed up). This served as a critical action to gain more support within organizing circles.

As momentum grew, the NPA and other groups planned a strategy to pass CRA (the Community Re-investment Act) and FHA Payback (reimburse homeowners who had been sold substandard homes). This effort led to the passing of the CRA in 1977 (At the end of 2006, $1.2 trillion had been invested in low income communities throughout the country) and in the process FHA passed as well.

This remarkable moment in community organizing history illustrates the impact a few determined and well organized groups can do to bring substantial change at the national level.

Community Organizing's Moment?

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for community organizing. Organizing has entered the national spotlight in a big way led by the new President himself. The question is whether we will capitalize on this rare opportunity.

Unfortunately for organizing, we are fragmented and rarely collaborate on larger issues. Organizing groups generally work in small bubbles around the country although their may be dozens of other organizing groups addressing the same issues in the same city. This can be due to turf battles over funding from foundations, media attention, low profiles, etc.

We will need to overcome these petty turf battles and stubborn isolationist thinking if we are going to fully seize the moment. Opportunities to galvanize a generation around organizing do not come around often. Therefore, we have to act now!