Organizing

The Work of Organizers

Organizers are people developers in every possible way. They help people come to see why they should act to change their world—that is, they help people find motivation for change—and they also help people figure out how they can change their world (they help people formulate their strategy). To arrive at motivation, organizers help people get a deeper understanding of who they are, what they want, and why; they mobilize people's feelings of anger, hope, self-worth, solidarity, and urgency while challenging feelings of fear, apathy, self-doubt, isolation, and inertia. People's motivation, once developed, is articulated as a shared story of the challenges they face, why they must face them, and why others should help them.

When it comes to understanding how people can act, organizers help by creating opportunities for people to deliberate about their circumstances, reinterpret them in ways that open up new opportunities, and strategize to make creative use of their resources. They challenge people to take the responsibility to act. For an individual, empowerment begins with taking responsibility; for an organization, empowerment begins with its members' commitment to it, that is, with the responsibility its members take for it. Responsibility, in turn, begins with choosing to act. Organizers challenge people not only to understand, but also to commit, and to act.

The primary vehicle for action is the campaign, a highly energized, intensely focused, concentrated stream of activity with specific goals and deadlines. People are recruited, programs launched, battles fought, and organizations built through campaigns. One dilemma inherent in campaigning is how to depolarize campaigns when inevitable conflicts rear their heads. Another dilemma is how to balance campaigns with the ongoing work of organizational growth and development.

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