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What is Organizing?
We’ve got all kinds of words to describe the non-mass media work we do in the political/advocacy/activist realm:
“Grassroots.”
“Ground game.”
“Community building.”
Most practitioners agree that this stuff is important, and we’ve got stacks of research and generations of history to prove it. But what are we actually talking about? Are these all fancy ways of saying “organizing,” or is organizing something different altogether?
In order to get at this question, let’s start with what organizing isn’t:
It’s not tweeting, generating memes, running Facebook ad campaigns, buying billboards, holding rallies, publishing opinion editorials, running GOTV, collecting digital (or physical) petition signatures, buying TV ads, crowdfunding, blogging, debating, canvassing, or phone banking.
Each of those can be used strategically in an organizing process, but they are not organizing. Sociology professor and social movement expert Dr. Hahrie Han set out to discover what characteristics define highly successful organizers. Her research is fascinating and is a must-read.
