Iraq Veterans Against the War
Organizing: A WORKING MODEL
ivaw field organizing program
Iraq Veterans Against the War
Compiled by
Aaron Hughes
Iraq Veterans Against the War
Organizing Team Leader
[email protected]
Lily Hughes
Civilian Soldier Alliance
Organizer
[email protected]
Printed January 2010 by Iraq Veterans Against the War
IVAW National Office
630 9th Ave, Suite 807
New York, NY 10036
Contents
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Title
A Brief History of Military ResistanceA working model
Emergence of the current GI Movement
IVAW Timeline
A Working Model
Organizing Principles
Levels of leadership
Leadership Development
Steps (of leadership development)
Ongoing work, evaluation, and reflection
Chapter developemnt
Strategic Campaign Development
Checklist for choosing an issue
Midwest Academy Strategy Chart
Checklist for tactics
Allies
Resources
Battle of the story worksheet
Plugging people in
The tactic star
Campaigning for social change
A Brief History of
Military Resistance
As long as there have been militaries and war, soldiers around the world have resisted, deserted,
and refused combat duty for both moral and political reasons, and civilians have supported them.
The term “GI,” meaning “Government Issue,” came into use in World War One to refer to Army
soldiers and their equipment. It emphasizes the service members’ status as pieces of property
belonging to the government, which GI resisters are all too aware of!
•
1781 - The Pennsylvania Militia mutinies against
war profiteers and for food.
•
1919 - U.S. soldiers sent to oppose Russian
Revolution desert and rebel.
•
The National Guard refusing to fire on strikers (and
at times joining them) in the 1870s–1890s.
•
•
GI-organized “Bring Us Home” committees
throughout Japan and the Philippines in 1945-1946.
•
During the Mexican–American War, 9,000 U.S.
soldiers deserted. Among them were deserters from
at least 12 regiments who switched sides to form
a new battalion called St. Patrick’s, as the majority
were Irish immigrants who found they had more in
common with the Mexicans they had been told to
fight.
1932 - Bonus Army, thousands of veterans of World
War One, march and camp-out in DC demanding
back-pay from war. General Smedley Butler
addresses troops with rousing speech of support.
The Cavalry eventually repressed the veterans and
ends the protests.
•
1964-75 - Huge GI movement rocks United States
Military, both in Vietnam and at bases at home and
around the world. Over 300 GI anti-war newspapers
are printed on base or near base, 10 percent of
the U.S. military deserts or goes AWOL, and major
incidents of combat refusal, mass draft resistance,
refusals to deploy, and on-base protests and sit-ins
occur. Movement brings the draft to an end and is a
major force in bringing the Vietnam War to an end.
GIs sabotage ships and stories of GIs switching
sides (the so-called White Cong and the "Salt &
Pepper" duo of white and black GIs) and fighting
alongside the Vietcong are numerous.
•
1914/1915 Christmas Truce - Soldiers from multiple
armies (French, German, Australian, British, many
others) refused to fight during Christmas 1914,
and to a lesser extent a year later. Known as the
Christmas Truce, soldiers played sports, drank
and fraternized with each other for a few days until
officers forced them to continue fighting, though
some officers joined in.
Resisting the draft and declaring conscientious objector status have also been significant strategies
for people seeking to deny their labor to the military. Draft resisters and conscientious objectors,
as well as people resisting from inside the service, have endured beatings, jail (including solitary
confinement), and social discrimination—and their courage has helped to create more political and
social space for increased questioning and dissent.
For most of this guide, our historical reference point is the powerful GI resistance movement to end
the war in Vietnam. The combination of the unyielding determination of the Vietnamese people, and
the fierce GI resistance that built to a boil during the course of the war, eventually forced the U.S.
government to end that war—achieving a historic victory!
The visible acts of resistance—like the tens of thousands of soldiers attending rallies, protests, and
sit-ins on U.S. bases around the world—are only the tip of the iceberg. Soldiers took great risks in
everyday acts as well as with overt defiance. Some tactics were cribbed from workplace organizing,
like slowdowns, strikes, and sabotage of equipment. Others, like the GI Coffeehouse movement,
grew directly from the conditions that soldiers confronted. Over 300 newspapers, most distributed
clandestinely, spread the word and provided a sense of how many GIs were resisting.
Individual acts of resistance gave way to more and more collective action, including rebellions
on bases and riots in brigs (military jails). One in seven soldiers deserted or went AWOL, and a
few switched sides and fought alongside the Vietcong. Soldiers built an alternative culture among
themselves that supported a different set of values and actions.
The cumulative results of all this dissent and disobedience had three powerful effects:
• Greater public pressure on the U.S. government to withdraw
• An incapacitated military
• A new generation of politicized veterans
It is important to note that during Vietnam, the majority of GI resisters were not draftees. People
who had enlisted, most of whom were working class, rebelled at a higher rate. Much of the public
misunderstand Vietnam-era resistance as a result of the draft, but remembering that “volunteers”
were the backbone of the resistance is hopeful for us in this moment. We look to this era for strategy
and inspiration, and are lucky to have many active veteran organizers in the peace movement who
were part of the resistance to the Vietnam War.
Emergence of the
current GI Movement
Over the last few years, recognition of how important
GI resistance is to ending U.S. wars abroad has
grown within the peace movement. Organizing within
communities directly connected to the military—
veterans, GIs/service members, and military families—
has built strong organizations and commanded
national attention for their infectious determination and
courageous voices.
For the first years of the Bush Administration’s “endless
war,” the peace movement in general made little effort
to organize with veterans and GIs. GI resistance was
largely off the radar of the peace movement, except
for a handful of groups that worked to support war
resisters.
In July of 2004, just months after the first units returned
from deployment, Iraq Veterans Against the War was
founded and quickly emerged as a significant political
force. Veterans for Peace, Vietnam Veterans Against
the War, and some other long-time peace activists and
groups supported IVAW in its growth.
The founders were:
• Kelly Dougherty, USA
• Tim Goodrich, USAF
• Mike Hoffman, USMC
• Alex Ryabov, USMC
• Jimmy Massey, USMC
• Isaiah Pallos, USMC
• Diana Morrison, USA
From its inception, IVAW has been unified by three
points:
• Immediate withdrawal of all occupying forces
from Iraq,
• Reparations, and other compensation, for the
destruction and corporate pillaging of Iraq so
that the Iraqi people can rebuild their lives and
control their future, and
• Full benefits, adequate healthcare, and other
supports for returning service members
IVAW has added to these points of unity resolutions
against the continued occupation of Afghanistan,
against the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy, and in support
of GI resisters.
Veteran and GI leadership, a critical element of the
domestic anti-Vietnam War movement, re-emerged to
help shift national opinion away from supporting the
Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
At first, the majority of the peace movement recognized
IVAWs leadership mostly by asking them to speak at
rallies and hold their banner at the front of marches.
Beyond a few local and national organizations offering
resources and political support, there was little strategic
and collaborative organizing between IVAW and civilian
groups. However, as the peace movement came to
terms with its need for a deeper and more inclusive
strategy, the understanding of GIs as the “work force”
that makes the wars possible began to take root.
IVAW and other strategy-minded organizers helped
centralize the strategic importance of organizing with
antiwar veterans, conscientious objectors, and GI
resisters, and the need for supportive allies. Strategic
campaign-based organizing to build a GI movement is
just now beginning to develop.
IVAW Timeline
July 2004
• IVAW was founded at the VFP convention in
Boston
August 2004
• IVAW marches in NYC during the RNC
October 2004
• IVAW national office established in Philadelphia
• Amadee Braxton is hired on as our first staff
person
• Membership reaches 50
November 2004
• IVAW members work on filling speaking
requests and attending events around the
country
March 2005
• IVAW marches at Ft. Bragg; meeting in
Fayetteville
August 2005 – September 2005
• IVAW participates in the VFP Convention in
Dallas
• Members decide to travel with Cindy Sheehan
to the Crawford ranch - Camp Casey is
established
• Camp Casey is followed by the “Bring Them
Home Now” bus tour
• IVAW marches and meets in Washington D.C.
January 2006
• IVAW hosts an Organizer Training in
Philadelphia, PA
• As IVAW’s membership begins to grow, the
decision is made to begin developing chapters
across the country in an effort to connect
members to one another
• Four Regional Coordinators are assigned the
task of assisting with chapter development
across four areas of the country
• As chapter development gets underway,
IVAW’s primary focus remains on filling
speaking requests and participating in actions
across the country in an effort to get IVAW’s
message out to the public and attract new
members
February 2006
• IVAW’s first chapter is formed in Colorado
Springs
• Followed by our second chapter in NYC
March 2006 • March to New Orleans
April 2006
• Chapter 3 formed in Central NY
• March for Peace, Justice and Democracy, NYC
May 2006
• Chapter 4 formed Atlanta, GA
• Silence of the Dead, Voices of the Living, DC
June 2006
• Chapter 5 formed in Toronto, Canada
August 2006
• First IVAW national meeting held at the VFP
Convention in Seattle and Board of Directors
are elected
September 2006
• Chapter 7 formed in Madison, WI
• First all member board meeting called in
Philadelphia
October 2006
• Chapter 8 and 9 formed in Seattle, WA and
Washington, DC
November 2006
• Executive Director moves to the national office
in Philadelphia
• Chapter 10 formed in the Bay Area, CA
2007
In the beginning of 2007, the decision is made to capitalize on IVAW’s growing
membership and chapter/regional development by calling four regional strategy
sessions to allow members to discuss where we wanted IVAW to focus our
efforts
o First National Strategy Session held in Philadelphia
o West Coast Strategy Retreat held in Los Angeles
o Midwest/Mountain Strategy Retreat held in Chicago
o Northeast Strategy Retreat held in Laurel, MD
Members in the strategy sessions decide to shift our focus from participating in
other organizations’ events to undertaking actions of our own as we organize to
further IVAW’s strategy to end the war
o Operation First Casualty
o Truth-in-Recruiting and Befriend-a-Recruiter
o Active Duty outreach and GI resistance are highlighted as areas
where IVAW members can have the greatest impact in bringing
down the war machine
o Active Duty chapter building
o IVAW Active Duty bus tours – Active Duty outreach
o Chapter Building and Regional Development remain important
areas of focus as we continuously work to build our membership
and organizational capacity
The members also developed a grand strategy:
Our goal is to end the war by organizing soldiers and veterans to withdraw their
support for the war from within the military. IVAW hopes to accomplish this end by
building a movement of soldiers and veterans who work together strategically to
end the war. Organizing is key!
January 2007
• Chapter 11 founded in Olympia, WA
February 2007
• IVAW member Lt. Ehren Watada charged with
refusing to deploy and speaking out against the
war; mis-trial
• Chapter 12 founded in Chicago, IL
• IVAW member Spc. Mark Wilkerson charged
with desertion and missing movement; 7-month
sentence
March 2007
• IVAW member Spc. Agustin Aguayo charged
with desertion and missing movement; 8-month
sentence
• Operation First Casualty, Washington DC
• Chapter 13 founded in Denver, CO
• Membership reaches 400
April 2007
• Chapter 14, our first active duty chapter, is
founded at Fort Drum, NY
• Chapter 15 founded in Burlington, VT
• Chapter 16 founded in Philadelphia, PA
May 2007
• Operation First Casualty, NYC
• Chapter 17 founded in Boston, MA
June 2007
• US Social Forum
• Chapter 18, our second active duty chapter, is
founded at Fort Meade, MD
• Chapter 19 is founded in Eastern North
Carolina
• Chapter 20 is founded in Kansas City, MO
July 2007
• IVAW Active Duty Bus Tour hits the East coast,
traveling throughout the South, up the east
coast, and ending in Fort Drum, NY
August 2007 – VFP Convention, St. Louis
• Over 90 IVAW members came to St. Louis, MO
for this year’s VFP Convention, marking the
largest gatherings of IVAW members to date
• IVAW participation in this year’s convention
marked a stark contrast to previous years as
our members moved from simply participating
in the convention to leading presentations and
trainings rooted in IVAW strategy
• Active-duty organizing, chapter building,
lateral communication, and building a common
orientation towards the strategy amongst all
members are highlighted
• Over 70 members participated in the “War is
not a game” action
August 2007
• Chapter 21 founded in San Diego, CA
• Chapter 22 founded in Minneapolis, MN
September 2007
• Chapter 23 founded in Central Illinois
• Chapter 24 founded in Manchester, NH
October 2007
This month marked our greatest climb in IVAW’s
chapter building history as members founded five new
chapters across the country
• Chapter 25 founded in Cleveland, OH
• Chapter 26 founded in Oklahoma City, OK
• Chapter 27 founded in Asheville, NC
• Chapter 28 founded in Austin, TX
• Chapter 29 founded in Miami, FL
Novembers 2007
• Chapter 30 founded in Providence, RI
• Chapter 31 founded in Gainesville, FL
December 2007
• Winter Soldier Planning Committee holds its
first in-person meeting in Philadelphia, PA
• Midwest Organizing Retreat is held in Chicago
in preparation for Winter Soldier
2008
Throughout 2008 IVAW grew exponentially doubling in member size and chapter
size. Twenty-six new IVAW chapters were formed across the United States. This
is that largest expansion of members and chapters in one year two date. This
growth was in large part to the success of Winter Soldier and the protests at the
DNC and RNC. Local chapters and regions are also organizing their own actions,
speak outs, guard tower, and Winter Soldier Testimonies.
New Chapters in 2008 included:
• Chapter 32 Bellingham, WA
• Chapter 33 Newark, NJ
• Chapter 34 Rochester, NY
• Chapter 35 Carbondale, IL
• Chapter 36 Lawton-Fort Sill OK
• Chapter 37 Milwaukee, WI
• Chapter 38 Fort Hood, TX
• Chapter 39 Amherst, MA
• Chapter 40 Iowa City, IA
• Chapter 41 Chesterton, IN
• Chapter 42 Fort Collins, CO
• Chapter 43 ?
• Chapter 44 Santa Cruz, CA
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Chapter 45 Lehigh Valley, PA
Chapter 46 North Bay, CA
Chapter 47 Ventura, CA
Chapter 48 Honolulu, HI
Chapter 49 Houston, TX
Chapter 50 Fort Wayne, IN
Chapter 51 Frankfurt Germany
Chapter 52 Coastal NC
Chapter 53 Las Vegas, NV
Chapter 54 Connecticut
Chapter 55 Savannah, GA
Chapter 56 Fort Lewis, WA
Chapter 57 Columbus, OH
February 2008
• Winter Soldier Planning Committee holds its
second meeting in Washington, DC
March 2008
• Winter Soldier Iraq and Afghanistan is held in
Silver Spring, MD. It is the largest gathering of
IVAW members to date with over 225 members
in attendance. The gathering highlighted the
legal and moral implications of occupation.
May 2008
• Chapter 38 Fort Hood host an active duty
outreach BBQ on military property near Fort
Hood
• Winter Soldier on the Hill: Nine members of
IVAW testify in congress to the Congressional
Progressive Caucus
August 2008
• The Denver IVAW Chapter and Mountain
Region organize a non-violent march at the
Democratic National Convention to demand the
withdraw troops from Iraq
• The Minnesota IVAW Chapter hosts the forth
IVAW National Convention and a march on the
Republican National Convention to highlight
the failure of the Republican Party to care for
troops
October 2008
• The New York City Chapter of IVAW organizes
a protest at the last presidential debate.
Members are arrested and brutalized by police.
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January 2009
• IVAW officially adopts a position on
Afghanistan: Demanding for a withdraw of
all occupying forces and reparations for the
Afghan people.
• First IVAW GI Organizing Training was hosted
by Coffee Strong at Fort Lewis, WA
• Wars Real Impact the first collaborative action
between US Labor Against the War and IVAW
is held in Chicago
• Chapter 58 Albuquerque, NM
• Chapter 59 Sacramento, CA
August 2009
• IVAW turns five at the Veterans For Peace and
IVAW National Convention at the University of
Maryland
• The Field Organizing Team presents a new
organizing model to the membership and hosts
it’s first organizing training
• IVAW hires two new Field Organizers.
• Chapter 62 is founded in Louisville, KY
March 2009
• IVAW sends a delegation to the First
International Labor Conference in Erbil, Iraq.
This is in support of the second point of unity to
win reparations for the Iraqi people.
• IVAW hosts local actions across the United
States in protest of the continued occupation.
September 2009
• IVAW attend the AFL-CIO convention furthering
its ties with organized labor
• IVAW and US Labor Against the War organize
an east coast tour of Iraq Labor Leaders and
IVAW members. The tour stops in Pittsburgh,
New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington
DC
• “We will not sacrifice for your profit’” IVAW
protest the G20 in Pittsburgh
• Three Field Organizers come on staff and go
through a week long organizing training and
goal setting session
May 2009
• Winter Soldier Southwest is organized by the
LA Chapter and is held in Pasadena, CA
• IVAW’s first Executive Director Kelly Droughty
resigns and Alex Bacon from the Seattle
Chapter is hired.
• Chapter 60 is founded in Indianapolis, IN
• Chapter 61 is founded in Pittsburgh, PA
October 2009
• The National Office moves from Philadelphia to
New York City
• For the first time in IVAW History field
organizers are working in the field
• Field Organizers do sit downs with chapters
in Philadelphia, New York, Atlanta, Indiana,
Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Fort Hood
February 2009
• Winter Soldier Testimony is held in Austin, TX.
July 2009
• IVAW hires its first member Organizing Team
Leader and initiates the development of a Field
Organizing Program based on leadership and
campaign development
• Alex Bacon the second Executive Director
of IVAW resigns and Jose Vasquez from the
New York City Chapter becomes IVAW’s third
Executive Director
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A WORKING MODEL
IVAW’s goals are to end the occupation of Iraq, take care of returning vets, and get
reparations for the Iraqi people. The organization also has resolutions against the
continued occupation of Afghanistan and in support of GI resisters.
To accomplish these goals, IVAW’s field organizing program will encourage chapters
and regions to engage in leadership development and non-violent direct action
campaigns. The objective of this program is to develop and implement a strategic
organizing model based on leadership and campaign development consistent with
IVAW strategy.
Iraq Veterans Against the War Organizing Model:
A Transformative Model
1. Vision: Building a GI and Veterans Movement to end the war in Iraq and Afghanistan,
attain quality veteran’s healthcare, and rebuild Iraq.
2. Develop leaders who are committed to a leadership development process and
participation in movement building toward long-term collective transformation.
3. Execute Focal Point Campaigns as an arena in which to develop leaders.
Definition of Transformational Organizing:
IVAW’s organizing model is based on transformational organizing. That means
it is different from transactional organizing (i.e.: you are organizing solely for your selfinterest on an individual level, and for one discrete gain, like a pay raise or lower rent,
that is not linked to a larger strategy for systemic change.)
Transformational organizing includes winning short-term gains. However, the long-term
focus is on the transformation of individuals and society through empowerment, an
understanding of our humanity and common human rights based values.
Why Use Transformative Organizing Model:
•
•
•
To develop leaders who will stick around for the long haul
To prevent leaders from settling or being co-opted by the power structure
To practice REAL solidarity and cooperation in a movement
Roots of Organizing Model:
The civil rights movement, and particularly the leadership development legacy of
organizers like Ella Baker, is our inspiration. These organizers demonstrated both the
principle that leaders must prioritize building up more leaders, and also the importance
of “spadework” (the slow, patient work of building a movement’s foundations). The
lessons from earlier struggles are vital to us as we rebuild a broad, dynamic GI and
Veterans movement. Movements are strongest when their power is not concentrated in
a single public icon, but based in conscious, engaged communities.
This model also draws inspiration from other organizations such as:
• Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign (www.economichumanrights.
org)
• Poverty Initiative (www.povertyinitiative.org)
• The United Workers (unitedworkers.org),
• Coalition of Immokalee Workers (www.ciw-online.org).
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Why Use Leadership Development Process:
• We need as many leaders as possible to grow sustainable and effective
movements. Everyone has the potential to be a leader, and our organizing
processes and culture should support people building up their power as
emerging leaders. Good leaders do not need to have “followers”; strong leaders
work to develop the leadership of newer members, who will in turn work with
others.
• Real leaders should be willing to make the commitment to this process, and
expect to continue to participate in “a movement” always.
• Long-term relationships are what make trust and accountability possible. We
must support the development of new members by helping them take on more
responsibility at an appropriate pace as the member builds trust and skills..
Building trust and accountability among members engenders their assumption
of greater responsibility.
Using our power to win:
Our power as a movement of veterans doesn’t come from having a lot of money
or a lot of people, but usually takes one of three forms:
• We can deprive the other side of something it wants
• We can give the other side something it wants
• We can hurt someone’s election chances or tarnish their public image
• We directly with draw support or consent with non-violent direct action
• We demon straight or show (not tell) power through numbers
There are a variety of ways to assert our power under this framework that include
political and legislative, consumer, legal and regulatory, and strikes/disruption. However, we must avoid believing that we’re going to win because:
• Truth is on our side
• We are morally right
• We have the best information and can present it in a slick way
• We speak for large numbers of people
Our opponents rarely have any of these, and yet they are consistently winning.
This model relies on chapters, regions, and the national organization adopting
issue campaigns, which means demanding a specific solution to a problem or at
the very least anticipating a measurable result from a campaign. The campaign
becomes a victory when a specific demand, set of demands or other measurable goal
is achieved, and is this all happens through a series of connected events over time. Each of these events and campaigns build the strength of the chapter, region or national
organization and bring us closer to victory. To realistically do this we must dramatically
increase the size of many of our local chapters, increase the number of members
actually participating, and better engage allies who can provide critical support to our
campaigns.
We need to develop an internal vocabulary to describe where our chapters are at in their
capacity building process to accurately understand where we stand as an organization. Additionally, our field organizers will spend the most time working with chapters who are
close or have the potential of becoming a chapter taking on these sorts of campaigns.
13
Organizing
Principles
Principles of leadership development:
•
Understanding member’s self-interest:
Members join IVAW for a myriad of reasons,
and for us to successfully catalyze and
facilitate we have to understand what
motivated them to join IVAW, and what they
need in their daily lives. We can only gain this
by listening, and once we’ve identified what
they need individually we must help them find
collective solutions to their individual problems.
•
Building relationships with members:
Organizers must form good relationships
with members, which include caring about
them, treating them with respect, not judging,
and encouraging the development of deep
relationships between members. This is
critical to the establishment of a participatory
organizational culture.
•
Skills and confidence development: In all
aspects of our work, we will focus heavily
on developing the skills and confidence of
veterans and GIs so they can organize local
campaigns and achieve the goals of IVAW.
Furthermore, organizers must work to create
space for more leadership throughout the
organization. Leaders that are able to articulate
the needs and goals of a group of members
and provide roles for members to plug into
expands the organizations capacity and
creates space for further empowerment to
change “identified problems.”
•
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Accountability: Accountability measures a
person’s responsibility, which means being
accountable to one’s fellow organizers (through
commitment, conciseness, and cooperation),
to the goals of IVAW, and ultimately to the
membership.
Principles of campaign development:
•
Win Real, Immediate, Concrete
Improvements in People’s Lives: Our
organizational goals are broad. We need
more short and medium-range goals that can
bring us closer to our long-term goals in a
measurable way. If we only measure success
by whether or not we end the occupations, we
have no way of measuring how close we are
getting.
•
Give People a Sense of Their Own Power:
By having clearly winnable short and mediumrange goals and directly mobilizing our
members and allies to achieve them, we
can win real victories that will build the selfconfidence of our members and chapters.
Additionally, by directly mobilizing our members
and not relying on courts, politicians and other
elite institutions, we are showing our members
what we can accomplish together.
•
Alter the Relations of Power: In addition to
winning smaller victories, we must build strong
chapters, regions and a national organization
capable of taking on progressively larger
campaigns. The more we win, the more our
opponents will take us into account.
Levels of
LEADERSHIP
1.Organizers: Are responsible for ensuring the growth of IVAW by developing
members to lead the process of building the base, developing campaigns and
building the organization.
• Develops leaders (through training and learning goals)
• Supports campaign development
• Supports chapter development
2. Leaders: Identified Leaders: Are members who take initiative in analyzing problems
and thinking through solutions, gain the loyalty and trust of other members of the
organization and show commitment by being actively involved in the planning and
execution of campaigns.
• Identifies potential leaders
• Holds a consistent role with substantial responsibilities
• Organizes & facilitates meetings & set agendas
• Defines roles for events and actions
• Builds teams
• Organizes events & actions
• Makes membership PHONE CALLS and gets members out
• Orients new members etc.
3. Activists: Emerging Leaders: Are members who have demonstrated commitment
and have taken on a specific temporary role in a particular action, event, or campaign.
• Takes on roles and responsibilities in temporary projects or campaigns (in teams)
• Speaks at events
• Helps conduct outreach
4. Active: Potential Leaders: Are members that show commitment to the organization
and the willingness and responsibility to take on roles. However, they still have not been
active in a particular role of a campaign.
• Participates/speaks at events
• Completes tasks occasionally
5. Inactive: Member Base
• Identifies with IVAW
• Articulates frustrations and concerns
6. Constituency/ Potential Members: GIs & Veterans of the Global War on Terror are
the people impacted by the issues that IVAW addresses. This is our potential base/
“community” to be organized.
• Just waiting to discover IVAW!
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Leadership
Development
Leadership development is the foundation of chapter and campaign development.
It is a series of steps for developing commitment and accountability.
This work must be continuously carried out, and include ongoing evaluation and
reflection.
Definition Of Leadership Development
Leadership development is a process for developing the skills, analysis, and confidence
of individuals who are transforming into leaders. Leaders must be committed, conscious,
and competent, so they can organize effectively for social justice around a broad array of
issues in
their community and participate in building a movement.
The Three C’s of Leadership Development:
•
Commitment- Means being engaged and reliable, taking responsibility and
being accountable to your chapter, allies and IVAW as a whole.
•
Consciousness- Means having a solid understanding of the issues we are
addressing, IVAW’s values and goals, and the historical, political, social and cultural
context for our work.
This requires ongoing analysis, research, and reflection.
•
Cooperation- Means being able to work and communicate as a member of
a chapter, team, national organization, and in relationships with allies towards your
collective goals. This also means practicing solidarity in movement building.
•
(Silent C = Competency)- Means to poses skills to effectivly contribute to the
organizing work of IVAW and engage in ongoing training to develop these skills further
and learn new ones.
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XERCISE: UNDERSTANDING
HE ROLE OF THE ORGANIZER (30 minutes)
reak people into pairs to complete a matching exercise to introduce
ple to the different terms used to describe the different roles that people
in the organizing process, using the following definitions:
GANIZER: a person who is responsible for ensuring the growth of the
anization by developing members to lead the process of building the base,
eloping campaigns and build the organization.
Steps
ADER: a member of an organization who takes initiative in analyzing problems and thinking through solus, gains the loyalty and trust of other members of the organization and shows commitment by being acy involved in the planning and execution of campaigns.
MBER: a person who is part Steps
of the organization’s
constituency
meets the organization’s
criteria for
of membership
andwho
leadership
development:
mbership (e.g. pays dues, completes
organizational
orientation, participates
in actions or activities).
Developing
commitment
and accountability
1. Initial conversation
SE: the people from the constituency
that an organization can readily mobilize for events, actions and
Set goals for the conversations/ interactions you will have with potential members.
etings although they may not beExamples:
formal members.
•
Get a flyer in their hand, and make sure they hear the name IVAW
NSTITUENCY: a group or class
byhow
an organization
or institution,
specifically the people impact• served
Find out
GI relates to “the
problem/ issue”
•
Gauge
how
willing
they
are
to
do
something
about it
by the issues that the organization works. This can also be thought of as an organization’s
potential base or
•
Get
their
contact
information
(PHONE
&
Email)
he “community” to be organized.
• Set a date with them to meet up one on one
BEFORE you go on outreach mission: Role play these interactions/ conversations with in
pair
put
out the
definition
for atscenarios
least one&term.
Check for
understanding at
your
group.
Practice
all possible
de-escalation
tactics.
n the report-back, have each
end of the exercise. Stress that (in an organizing model) the base, members and leadership need to come
One
on One
Meeting/hangout
m the specific constituency (i.e.2.the
people
impacted
by the issue). People who are down with your cause
Always
schedule
a casual
one or
small
group meet
before
aren’t from your base should be seen as “allies.”
Askone
theongroup
for
an example.
Youup,can
also inviting
utilize the
thisGI to a
meeting. This will increase your new member retention rates. Even the most welcoming
mple:
and inclusive groups tend to develop their own meeting culture that can unintentionally
make new people feel like outsiders.
A youth organization is organizing against the expansion of the juvenile hall in their town. Their constituIn a one
one
meeting:
ency is young working-class people
of on
color
from
their town, particularly youth who have been involved in
•
Get
to
know
theactions,
person.they turn out their youth base; they also turn
the juvenile justice system already. When they have
• Ask them about how their job and experience in the military is going. -What’s
out their allies, including teachers, prison
activists, and other progressive people.
their story?
•
Tell them more about IVAW’s mission, values, campaigns and resources offered.
Utilize the “Role of the Organizer”•chart
a visual
method
to help
understand
Askasthem
about
what’s going
on people
in their unit/
on basethe continuum of
•
Are
there
other
GI’s
who
feel
the
way
you
do?
What
are theypeople
doing about
icipation. The ORGANIZER is responsible for making this process move forward:
recruiting
from it?
•
If
you
feel
the
GI
is
interested
getting
involved
with
your
campaign/
IVAW
CONSTITUENCY to get involved in organizational activities (join the BASE), become MEMBERS and thenmake
an “Ask” of them and set a next meet up date or date by when they should get
evelop as LEADERS.
this info to you.
EXAMPLE of an “Ask”:
Note that there are fewer people
each
as youinfo
move
into the
circle
center
everyone
Caninyou
getcategory
me the contact
for you’re
friend
who
is alsobecause
questioning
the war?
Can
you
find
out_________?
s through a process of development that takes time and work. It is important that leaders stay accountable
he base and the membership and connected with the constituency overall.
Adapted from a tool developed by SOUL (schoolofunityandliberation.org).
Please credit SOUL if you use it. Thank you!
17
3. Member is invited to attend an event
Once you build some trust with the GI, and gauge their level of interest, invite them to an
upcoming IVAW event or activity THAT YOU WILL BE AT.
4. Member orientation
Give every new member a solid orientation to IVAW’s national structure and your local
chapter, including:
• Mission/ vision
• Values
• Campaign
• Projects
• Roles
• Decision making process
Ideally we develop as many leaders as possible that can have a specific role in the
work of the organization. However, we must accommodate multiple levels of member
participation:
o Being a member of IVAW can have a range of meanings from: being a
member “on paper” and just identifying with the group, (potential leader)
to being an active organizer (emerging or identified leader).
o Members have varying amounts of time and comfort levels, especially
active duty members who are risking a lot more by organizing with IVAW.
o Members with more time or experience to lend should avoid projecting
this as an expectation onto others. A foolproof way to drive new
members away is to consistently ask them to make a bigger commitment
than they are able.
5. Member participates in event
• The new member participates in a speaking event, film screening, show, IVAW
protest, action etc.
• Member shares their experiences and listens to the experiences of others in an
informal/ social setting.
NOTE:
If the member does not show up to the first event, follow up and keep inviting them to
future events
6. Member takes on and completes tasks
• Learn what kind of time commitment is realistic and sustainable for a new
member. Ask what their skills and interests are. Help them plug into tasks and
roles that suit their availability and skills.
• Ask members to take on small tasks and responsibilities in the planning and
executing of an event or action. These can be done with a partner that is an
identified leader or organizer.
7. Member commits to a role & responsibilities for specific projects (short term
commitment)
• After the new member has participated in a certain number of events/ actions
and has demonstrated a commitment and ability to accomplish tasks and work
collectively plug them in to a specific role in a short-term project or campaign.
• Based on their identified interests and skills choose a role together that will suit
them.
18
8. Leadership skills & deepening commitment
• Help leader identify and make a commitment to a consistent role with substantial
responsibilities. (Ongoing commitment)
• Facilitate the leaders development of teams
• Ask the leader to identify potential leaders and set up a plan to plug those
members into a role.
• Ask the leader to organize & facilitate meetings & set agendas
• Ask leader to provide input and work on campaign planning and campaign
startigy.
• Set goals with leader around the leadership development process.
o How many members are they going to ask to come to this event/action?
o How many potential members are they going to speak with over a set
amount of time or at an event/action?
o How many one on ones will they do over a set amount of time?
• Ask leaders to orients new members etc.
9. Leadership organizer/ developing new leaders
• Develop leaders by doing one on ones with leaders and potential leaders and
sets clear learning and training goals with them.
• Support campaign development by facilitating the development of campaign
teams and roles
• Support campaign development by working with campaign team/s to identify next
steps, goals, timeline, week points, and goals.
• Support chapter development by supporting chapter leaders and facilitating
chapter goals setting.
o What will it take for your chapter to be sustainable?
o What will it take to grow your chapter?
19
ONGOING WORK,
EVALUATION &
REFLECTION
1. Check-ins
• Continuously check in with new members
about how it’s going. Are they feeling
overextended, or would they like to take on
more? Listen.
• Take responsibility for helping new members
avoid over-commitment and burnout. Make
sure they are achieving the learning goals and
feeling supported.
• Make people feel valued and appreciated.
• If you want to inspire people to stick with your
IVAW for the long haul, you’ll need to make
them feel valued and appreciated. It’s basic.
People like to be around people who respect
them, and who are nice!
• Be a model of leadership
NOTE:
If social movement groups want to compete with the
myriad of often more appealing options for people’s
free time, then we have to treat each other well and
take care of each other. Notice and acknowledge new
member’s contributions, however small. Make time
to check in with them outside of meetings. Ask their
opinions often: What did they think about the meeting?
the event? the action? Bounce your ideas off of them
and ask for their feedback.
2. One on One
• Introduction
o Be friendly
o Be clear about who you are and why
you are there
o Express urgency
o Ask engaging questions
o Three C’s and
F: Clear, Concise, Confident,
and Friendly
• Listen and be curious
o Ask open ended questions,
o Ask follow up questions
o Body language (eye contact, posture,
be aware of personal boundries)
o Empathize
o Do not fish for issues, do not feed
issues
20
•
•
•
Educate
o Present vision of IVAW (What is your
vision of IVAW)
o Ask questions to help member get
vision of IVAW
o Explain process of building IVAW
(leadership development/organizing
model)
o Explain roles
o Explain new members role
Inoculation: Prepare member for what we are
up against
o What is IVAW really up against?
o What do you think the military thinks
about IVAW? Why?
o Why would the military care if you are
in IVAW?
o What do you think the military is really
afraid of?
o What do you think the military will do to
convince GIs not to join IVAW?
o If GIs dont join IVAW do you think
things will change?
Ask assessment questions and mobilize
o Ask member what they want to do
about the issues
o Ask member to do more then be a
member
o Ask them to call other veterans and
GIs they know about IVAW or issue
o Ask them to call other members
o Set expectations
o Set next steps
o Set time line and follow up NOTE
Never leave a one on one with out setting next steps
and a follow up.
3. Training
• Organize trainings to continuously develop the
skills of emerging and identified leaders
• Training Topics: Strategy & Campaign
development, organizing, GI outreach, non
violent direct action, facilitation, decision
making, media & messaging, fundraising,
political education/ keeping up with conditions
in Iraq, Afghanistan, the US, and with in military
etc.
• Organize local and/or regional strategy/
campaign development and reflection retreats
• Build a facilitation team that consists of
emerging and identified leaders that can work
together closely to develop the training
• Facilitators and organizers of any of the above
trainings should be:
o Facilitators:
Member leaders who are familiar
with IVAW, who have organizing
experience, and facilitation skills.
o Co-facilitators:
1. Emerging member leaders who are
developing their skills in organizing
and facilitation (this is an opportunity
for them to strengthen their skills and
confidence)
2. Allies with strong facilitation
& organizing skills and a strong
understanding of IVAW’s culture and
values and commitment to our work.
3. You can also invite facilitators from
various activist training organizations
to run training or help you develop
training.
4. Setting learning goals
This is the process of discussing with members and
potential, emerging, and identified leaders what they
need to grow and develop as a leader and as an
organizer. All of these should be set with on a timeline
and with clear follow-ups.
• What skills does the leaders need to learn?
What trainings are needed?
• What leadership experience is needed
(campaign planning, action organizing, public
speaking, outreach, messaging development,
facilitation)?
• What support structures does the leader need?
What teams should the leader be building?
• How many members should they be working
with?
• How many leaders should they be developing?
• How many potential and emerging leaders
should they be identifying?
5. Reflection and accountability
This is similar to an After Action Review. The concept
is to constantly be learning and growing from the
experiences and work that has been done. This can be
in a one on one or in a group.
• What has happened?
• What are the positives? What went well?
• What are the negatives, mistakes, things that
can be improved?
• What was learned?
• What needs to be learned, researched, and
explored?
• What were you suppose to accomplish?
• Were learning goals met?
• What corrections need to be made?
• What are the next steps?
NOTE:
Send members to trainings lead by other organizations
as supplemental to the trainings you organize. See
the resource section in the back for suggested training
organizations.
21
Chapter
Development
Leadership Development is Chapter Development
In order to develop a chapter leaders must expand the leadership of the
chapter. This happens through the Leadership Development process laid out
earlier. It is important for chapter leaders to think through both what it will take
for the chapter as it stands to be sustained and what it will take to grow.
What is needed to make a sustainable
chapter?
1. Communication
• Calling members: Phone tree with all members
and potential members plugged in
• One on ones
• Regular meeting
• Regular social events
2. Roles and responsibilities
• Who calls chapter meetings?
• Who facilitates meetings?
• Who takes notes?
• Who is responsible for accounting the funds?
3. Decision making process
• What is the process of decision-making?
• Who has the power to make decisions?
NOTE
If you are uncomfortable with having a clear decision
making processes please read the article in the back
titled the Tyranny of Structurelessness.
4. Fundraising process
• How much will it coast to carry out actions,
events, campaigns?
• Who are the donors in your area?
• Who are your financial allies?
• What will it take to set up fundraisers
o Where do you have it? (A donors
house, a members house, a venue)
o Who is invited?
o How are they invited?
o From who and how is money asked
for?
• What does a one on one with a donor take?
o How much are you asking for?
o Were do you meet them?
o What are the interests of the donor?
o What follow up need to be done?
o Don’t forget to thank the donor
• What are the other ways of raising funds?
o Mailings
o Selling merchandise
o Honorariums
o Grants
o Sustainer program
o Member dues
5. What else will it take for your chapter to be
sustainable?
22
What is needed to grow your chapter?
1. Identified goals and time lines
• What are the issues your chapter is dealing
with?
• What internal goals does your chapter have?
o Communication
o Fundraising
o Leadership development
o Recruitment
• When should these goals be accomplished by?
2. Leadership development process
Review the leadership development process
• Where are chapter members at in the
development process?
• Who can help develop leaders?
• Who are the emerging leaders?
• What needs to be done to move X number of
members up one step?
4. Campaign development process Review the campaign development process
• Criteria of a campaign
• Research, Investigate, Experience
• Identify Goals and potential targets
• Further research
• Identify primary and secondary target
• Campaign messaging
• Set campaign timeline
• Educate and build support
• Open communication with target
• Prepare to take action and demonstrate
• Direct Action
• Reflection and Escalation (Repeat)
• Evaluation
5. What else will it take to grow your chapter?
3. Membership orientation process
Give every new member a solid orientation to IVAW’s
national structure and your local chapter, including:
• Mission/ vision
• Values
• Campaign
• Projects
• Roles
• Decision making process
Ideally we develop as many leaders as possible
that can have a specific role in the work of the
organization. However we must accommodate
multiple levels of member participation:
o Being a member of IVAW can have
a range of meanings from: being a
member “on paper” and just identifying
with the group, (potential leader) to
being an active organizer (emerging or
identified leader).
o .Members have varying amounts of
time and comfort levels, especially
active duty members who are risking a
lot more by organizing with IVAW.
o Members with more time or experience
to lend should avoid projecting this as
an expectation onto others. A foolproof
way to drive new members away is to
consistently ask them to make a bigger
commitment than they are able.
23
Strategic Campaign
Development
Campaign development is a tool of leadership development
Campaigns must not only build towards a specific goal but also grow and expand the
capacity of IVAW. This means that for our movement to be successful the campaigns we
take on must develop leadership.
We must do more than just hold a rally or vigil to oppose a bad policy. Our campaigns
should be strategic in that we need to do the research when we pick the issue to discover
what is bad about the situation and define clearly what we want to happen, how it could
be changed, develop an analysis of why it hasn’t changed, figure out who has the power
to change it, and finally what actions we can take that are going to force the decision
maker to make the desired changes.
These campaigns will start locally and grow out of a chapter’s desire to launch them.
This allows for experimentation and for the campaigns to grow in sophistication and
strengthen as successful campaigns are shared. Campaigns that are a failure will stay
local failures.
Notes on using our power to win:
Our power as a movement of veterans and GIs doesn’t come from having a lot of money
or a lot of people, but usually takes one of three forms:
• We can deprive the other side of something it wants
• We can give the other side something it wants
• We can hurt someone’s election chances or tarnish their public image
There are a variety of ways to assert our power under this framework that include political
and legislative, consumer, legal and regulatory, and strikes/disruption. However, we must
avoid believing that we’re going to win because:
• Truth is on our side
• We are morally right
• We have the best information and can present it in a slick way
• We speak for large numbers of people
Our opponents rarely have any of these, and yet they are consistently winning.
24
Stages of an issue campaign:
1. Criteria of a campaign
Before any work is done on a given issue there needs
to be a clear understanding of the committed body of
what is needed to carryout a successful campaign.
IVAW has at least five criteria. The campaign team may
want to develop more criteria
1. Falls into IVAW strategic goals
2. Develops leaders (learning goals for group)
3. Local/tangible target
4. Clear timeline
5. Broadens support from constituency (GIs and
Veterans)
• Local additional criteria based on situation
2. Research, Investigate, Experience
• What are the issues that you, your chapter/
veterans/ GIs/ our constituency are dealing
with?
• How do these issues it fit into IVAWs long term
strategic goals?
• How will this step build leadership?
3. Identify Goals and potential targets
• What are the long term Goals?
• What are the potential targets?
• What are the short-term goals of the
campaign?
• How will this step build leadership?
4. Further research
• Identify:
o Allies
o Potential allies
o Obstacles
o Who/what has power
• What are possible tactics?
• What are their weaknesses?
• What are your strengths?
• What more needs to be investigated?
• What are the facts?
• How does this affect our base
and constituency?
• How will this step build leadership?
5. Identify primary and secondary target
• What are the weakest points?
• What plays into your power, constituency, and
base?
• Where are the win/win situations?
• What will the power structure react to?
• How will this step build leadership?
6. Campaign messaging
Messaging of a campaign is extremely important.
This is the tool used to win the story of the issue and
communicate with your base, constituency, possible
allies, and target. At the end of this packet is a Battle of
the Story worksheet that can be extremely useful when
working through messaging.
• What is the Conflict?
o What is the opponent’s story?
o In what way will your messaging
change the story of the conflict?
• Who are the different players?
o Who tells the story?
o Who are the victims?
o Who is credible?
• Show don’t tell
o What are the images, metaphors,
anecdotes you want to convey?
o How does the story engage your
values?
o What are the sides that you want
people to take?
o How does the story encourage the
taking of sides with out telling what you
think?
• Foreshadowing
o How does the story show us what
comes next?
o What is the vision of the story?
• Assumptions
o What are the unstated assumptions?
o What does someone have to believe to
accept the story?
• How will this step build leadership?
25
7. Set campaign timeline
All campaigns function on a clear time line. Steps,
goals, actions, can all be evaluated off of this time line
to determine the progress of the campaign
• Set goals and work backward.
• What are quantifiable goals for each step of the
campaign? Examples are
o We will have X number of members
involved with the campaign X
o We will reach out to X number of allies
by X
• In what ways do the steps on the time line
escalate the pressure on the power structure?
• How long will it take to accomplish each step?
• Are there external factors? (elections,
legislation coming up,holidays, annual events,
alliy’s events ect.)
• How will this step build leadership?
8. Educate and build support
• How will we educate our membership,
constituency & allies?
• Who needs to be involved?
• What allies are needed?
• What are ways to build pressure? • How will this step build leadership?
9. Open communication with target
• How will you negotiate?
• Who will you negotiate with whom?
• How will this step build leadership?
10. Prepare to take action and demonstrate
• What are ways to demonstrate power?
• What are methods of protest before direct
action?
• What training is needed?
• What is the story of the action? • How will this step build leadership?
11. Direct Action
• What actions will create a win/win?
• How will this action broaden support?
• How will this action catalyze the base?
• What are the symbolic points of the action?
• What is the conflict/choice this action will
create?
• How will this step build leadership? 12. Reflection and Escalation (Repeat)
• Are we accomplishing our short term goals?
• Are we on schedule with our time line?
• What has been successful? What do we need
to re-evaluate/ improve?
• How will the campaign escalate tactics to
broaden support?
• What will it take for the campaign to mobilize
more and more of your constituency and allies?
• In what ways will this campaign expand your
base?
• How will this step build leadership?
13. Evaluation
• After each step on the time line is
accomplished there needs to be time for
evaluation.
• What was successful?
• In what ways did the power structure react?
• How much of our constituency was mobilized?
• Which allies were mobilized? What new allies
do we have?
• What was won or lost?
• What was learned from the action?
• What needs to be done in the future?
• How will the tactics and campaign change
based on what was learned?
Learning by doing:
People learn in three different ways: listening, seeing and experiencing. As an
organization with very limited resources we need to spend every possible dollar and other
resources supporting our chapters and regions in actual organizing, and to incorporate
these different learning processes into each campaign. Every dollar we spend on a
strategy retreat or training that isn’t connected to a campaign and lacks strategic goals
is a dollar we’re not spending on organizing. Our campaigns must be transformative
experiences for our members and leaders that move them from one place to another and
help build IVAW.
26
Checklist for Choosing an issue
A good issue is one that matches most of these criteria. Use this checklist to compare issues or
develop your own criteria and chart for choosing an issue.
issue 1
issue 2
issue 3
Will the issue …
1. Result in a real improvement
in people's lives
2. Give people a sense of their
own power
3. Alter the relations of power
4. Be worthwhile
5. Be winnable
6. Be widely felt
7. Be deeply felt
8. Be easy to understand
9. Have a clear target
10. Have a clear time frame that
works for you
11. Be non-divisive
12. Build leadership
13. Set your organization up for
the next campaign
14. Have a pocketbook angle
15. Raise money
16. Be consistent with your
values and vision
from Organizing for Social Change, Midwest Academy, 225 West Ohio, Suite 250, Chicago, Illinois 60610
27
28
29
Goals
Constituents, Allies,
and Opponents
Targets
from Organizing for Social Change, Midwest Academy, 225 West Ohio, Suite 250, Chicago, Illinois 60610
Organizational
Considerations
Strategy Chart for
.
Tactics
Checklist for Tactics
All tactics must be considered within an overall strategy. Use this checklist to make sure
that the tactics make sense given your strategy.
Can you really do it? Do you have the needed people, time, and resources?
Is it focused on either the primary or secondary target?
Does it put real power behind a specific demand?
Does it meet your organizational goals as well as your issue goals?
Is it outside the experience of the target?
Is it within the experience of your own members and are they comfortable with it?
Do you have leaders experienced enough to do it?
Will people enjoy working on it or participating in it?
Will it play positively with the media?
from Organizing for Social Change, Midwest Academy, 225 West Ohio, Suite 250, Chicago, Illinois 60610
30
ALLIES
Building affective coalitions and choosing allies
Advantages:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Win what couldn’t be won alone. Many issues
require large numbers of people and many
resources to win. Coalitions can pool people
and resources to win important victories.
Build an ongoing power base.
Increase the impact of an individual
organization’s efforts. Not only does you
involvement help win a campaign, but you
make the work undertake more effective.
Develop new leaders. Experienced leaders
can be asked to take on coalition leadership
roles, thereby opening up slots for new leaders.
Increase resources. If the coalition’s issue is
central to your organization, you may directly
benefit from additional staff and money.
Broaden scope. A coalition may provide the
opportunity for your group to work on state or
national issues, making the scope of your work
more exciting and important.
Understand an respect institutional interest
•
Each organization brings its own history,
structure, agenda, values, culture, leadership,
and relationships to a collation. It is important
for all members of the coalition to understand
each together in order to build on strength and
avoid unnecessary conflicts.
Question to consider before joining a coalition
• Is it permanent or temporary?
• Who is behind the coalition?
• What’s your organizational self-interest?
• How can your members participate?
• How will participating in the coalition build your
organization?
Disadvantages:
•
•
•
•
Distracts from other work. If the coalition issue
not you main agenda item, it can divert your
time and resources.
Weak members can’t deliver. Organizations
providing leadership and resources may get
impatient with some of the weaker groups
inexperience and inability to deliver on
commitments.
Too many compromises. To keep the coalition
together, it is often necessary to play to the
lease common denominator, especially on
tactic (Organization that you choose to partner
with should share similar values and range of
tactics)
Inequality of power. The range of experience,
resources, and power can create internal
problems. One group, one vote does not
work for group with wide ranges of power and
resources
31
Resources
ORGANIZATIONS
• Civilian-Soldier Alliance: www.civsol.org
• War Resisters League: www.warresisters.org
• Courage to Resist: www.couragetoresist.org
• Veterans For Peace:
www.veteransforpeace.org
• Vietnam Veterans Against the War:
www.vvaw.org
• G.I. Rights Hotline: 877-447-4487
www.girightshotline.org
• National Lawyers’ Guild Military Law Task
Force: www.nlgmltf.org
• G.I. Voice: www.givoice.org
• Dialogues Against Militarism:
www.againstmilitarism.org
• Warrior Writers: www.warriorwriters.org
• War Resisters Support Campaign (Canada):
www.resisters.ca
• The Soldiers Project:
www.thesoldiersproject.org
• Vet Art Project:
www.vetartproject.blogspot.com
• Combat Paper: www.combatpaper.org
• Give an Hour Mental Health Services:
www.giveanhour.org
• National Network Opposing the Militarization
of Youth: www.nnomy.org
• US Labor Against the War:
www.uslaboragainstwar.org
• Veteran Green Jobs:
www.veteransgreenjobs.org
G.I. COFFEEHOUSES
• Under the Hood, Killeen, TX
www.underthehood.org
• Coffee Strong, Ft. Lewis WA
www.givoice.org/coffeestrong
• Norfolk OffBase, Norfolk VA
www.offbase.ning.com
• Different Drummer, Watertown NY
www.differentdrummercafe.org
32
TRAINING ORGANIZATIONS:
• Training for Change:
www.trainingforchange.org
• Midwest Academy:
www.midwestacademy.com
• The Ruckus Society: www.ruckus.org
• The Highlander Center:
www.highlandercenter.org
ORGANIZING RESOURCES:
• Organizing For Social Change Manual from the
Midwest Academy
• Community Tool Box website: links for
organizing models and tools
http://ctb.ku.edu/en/
• Grassroots Fundraising Journal for great tips!
http://www.grassrootsfundraising.org/howto/
index.html
BOOKS AND FILMS:
• Sir! No Sir! (film by David Zeiger):
www.sirnosir.com
• This Is Where We Take Our Stand (film by
David Zeiger)
www.thisiswherewetakeourstand.com
• Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan
www.ivaw.org/wintersoldier
• Soldiers In Revolt: G.I. Resistance During the
Vietnam War by David Cortright
• Soldier Say No!
www.soldiersayno.blogspot.com
• Army of None by Aimee Allison and David
Solnit
• Full Spectrum Disorder: The Military in the
New American Century by Stan Goff
• War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning by
Chris Hedges
THE BATTLE OF THE STORY WORKSHEET
This exercise is intended to help activists create more compelling narratives to communicate their campaigns. The Battle of the
Story is the framework through which we can analyze the current “narrative landscape” around an issue – whether it’s the story
that specific power holders are telling about the issue or just the accepted status quo perception that we are campaigning to
change. The worksheet asks you to apply four different elements of story telling (conflict, characters, show don’t tell and
foreshadowing) to both the power holder’s story and our change story. Begin with the opposition story so you can understand
what the story you need to change is. Remember, tell the story, not the “truth.” The final row is the place to step out of the story
and analyze it by identifying the assumptions that allow each of the stories to operate. For our stories, these assumptions may be
our core values. Oftentimes the assumptions of our opponent’s story are contradictions and weaknesses that we can use to
challenge their story’s framing by exposing hidden agendas or contrasting alternate visions of the future. At the completion of this
chart you should be able to revisit each story in terms of frames and core messages that can be developed into a story-based
strategy.
STORY
OPPONENTS/Status Quo
CHANGE AGENTS
CONFLICT
What is the problem here? Who is
the conflict between (x vs. y)? Who
are the good guys and the bad guys?
What is in/outside of this frame?
CHARACTERS
Who are the messengers that tell the
story? Who are the specific
victims? Do they get to speak for
themselves or is someone speaking
on their behalf? Who is credible?
SHOW DON’T TELL
When you hear this story, what
images, metaphors, or anecdotes
come to mind? How does the story
engage your values and encourage
you to choose sides, without telling
you what to think?
FORESHADOWING
How the story show us what comes
next, and hint at the future? What is
the vision that the story offers?
How will this conflict be resolved
successfully?
ASSUMPTIONS
What are the unstated assumptions?
What does someone have to believe
to accept the story as true?
33
WAR RESISTERS LEAGUE
Orienting New Members & Volunteers to a Local Group
Side One:
Three Tips for
Plugging People In
Bringing in new members or volunteers is essential to any local group that wants to grow in size and capacity.
However, attracting or recruiting new people to your group is only the first step. Getting them to stick around can
be a much bigger challenge! The good news is that there are tried and true methods you can use to plug new
members and volunteers into tasks and roles that will build their investment and leadership in the group, and will
increase what your group is capable of achieving.
1. Schedule one-on-one intake interviews.
When someone says they’re interested in finding out more or getting involved in your group, don’t just
invite them to come to your next meeting. Even the most welcoming and inclusive groups tend to develop
their own meeting culture that can unintentionally make new folks feel like outsiders. To increase your new
member retention rates, schedule one-on-one intake interviews with new folks before they come to a group
meeting. Get to know the person. Find out about what attracted them to the group, what kinds of tasks
they enjoy or are good at, and how much time they have. Then tell them more about the group and discuss
with them what their involvement could look like. You can use and adapt the questions on side two of this
sheet. While this level of orientation requires more time in the short-term, it saves time in the long-term;
people tend to plug into the work faster and stick around longer. It may make sense for one or two members of your group to take on orienting new folks as an ongoing role.
2. Accommodate multiple levels of participation.
In short, some people can give a lot of time, and some can give a little. Organizers with more time on their
hands should avoid projecting this as an expectation onto others. A foolproof way to drive new folks away
from your group is to consistently ask them to give more time than they are able. Instead learn what kind
of time commitment is realistic and sustainable for them. Help them plug into tasks and roles that suit
their availability. Check in with them about how it’s going. Are they feeling overextended, or would they
like to take on more? Take responsibility for helping new folks avoid over-commitment and burnout.
3. Make people feel valued and appreciated.
If you want to inspire people to stick with your group for the long haul, you’ll need to make them feel
valued and appreciated. It’s basic. People like to be around people who respect them, and who are nice!
If social movement groups want to compete with the myriad of often more
appealing options for people’s free time, then we have to treat each other
well and take care of each other. Notice and acknowledge new folks’
contributions, however small. Make time to check in with them outside
of meetings. Ask their opinions often: What did they think about the
WAR RESISTERS LEAGUE
meeting? the event? the action? Bounce your ideas off of them and
warresisters.org / 212.228.0450
ask for their feedback.
339 Lafayette St. / NY, NY 10012
34
The Tactic Star
09<:6+88381+8./@+6?+>381>+->3-=
Choosing or inventing a successful tactic often involves some intuition and guesswork –
and always risk. But the more we study our contexts, the better we become at judging when
to pull which punches. Projecting and measuring success is complex, but we should not let
the murkiness of these waters deter us from diving into them. Patterns do emerge. We can
learn a great deal from our experiences when we critically analyze them. This tactic star
names some key factors that change agents should consider when determining their tactics.
The same tool can be used to evaluate actions after they have been carried out.
4USBUFHZ
How will the tactic move us toward achieving our goal?
5BSHFU
.FTTBHF
What message will the tactic send
to the people who have the power
to meet our demands? Will it
pressure them to capitulate, or
enable them to dismiss us
or retaliate?
3FTPVSDFT
What will the tactic communicate?
What will it mean to others? How
will it carry a persuasive story?
5POF
5BDUJD
Is the action worth our
limited time, energy and
money? Can we get
more out of it than we
put in? Do we have the
capacity to pull it off
effectively?
Will the action be
solemn, jubilant, angry
or calm? Will the
energy attract or repel
the people we want to
engage?
5JNJOH
"MMJFT
How will the tactic affect our allies
or potential allies? How will they
receive it? Will it strengthen the
relationship or jeopardize it?
Can we leverage unfolding events
and new developments as
opportunities? Does the political
moment hold potential for us, or
vulnerability for our opponents?
"VEJFODF
Who do we want to reach with our tactic?
What response do we want our action to
inspire in them?
XXX#FZPOEUIF$IPJSPSH JOGP!CFZPOEUIFDIPJSPSHt
"OBMZTJTt4USBUFHZt5SBJOJOH
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