Grassroots Organizing
Forming a Catholics in Alliance Group
If you are interested in forming a local network to work with Catholics in Alliance on both state and national issues affecting your community, here are some first steps for you to consider:
Check out the Grassroots Outreach section below for a how-to guide on Forming a Peace and Justice Committee and Organizing Actions to promote the common good.
Contact people from other organizations in your community (Pax Christi Chapter; Peace and Justice Chairs of local churches; justice promoters of religious orders, etc.) to gauge their interest in working with the Alliance and participating in an initial meeting.
Invite the Alliance to provide a media leadership training for your group or organization. Go to the Media Training section on our website for more details.
Review the Tips to Raise Awareness about Social Justice
Interested in becoming a Messenger for the Common Good? Click here.
A Catholic Grassroots Outreach Toolkit
Introduction
Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good seeks to make its core values of justice, human dignity and the common good part of the everyday lexicon of American public life. These values have been an enduring part of our faith’s social justice tradition for centuries. Over the past three decades however, a shared understanding of the common good has been obscured. The goal of Catholics in Alliance is to promote the essential themes that comprise the common good through a focused media and grassroots organizing strategy to reach the American public. Catholics in Alliance trains teams of Catholic leaders in states across the country year-round to be opinion leaders on common good issues as well as activists in their local communities. This tool kit provides some suggestions for taking action on the local level and it can be used in conjunction with the technical assistance provided by Alliance staff. The Alliance staff includes experienced organizers and media professionals who are ready to support local efforts with assistance in organizing events and activities, working with the media, conducting trainings and producing resource materials. For technical assistance in any of these areas, please contact our staff at: info@catholicsinalliance.org.
Citizens Actions to Promote the Common Good
Holding Public Forum: Public events can be effective tools to gain media exposure for your issue and organization and to put your group in a strategic position to impact public policy. Here are examples of two kinds of events with suggestions on possible formats, tips on planning, turn-out and logistics.
Candidates Forum: This event is race specific (Congressional, state legislature, county commissioner, etc.) usually held after the primary, so that only two candidates are invited. In instances where there are more than two candidates, all candidates should be invited according to a pre-established criterion. These forums are useful to determine candidates’ position on issues and then to hold a candidate accountable, if elected. Getting media coverage for these common good events is crucial.
Suggested format: a. Consider having candidates appear at two separate times during the event, giving equal time for each, rather than having a debate format. b. Determine the questions and assign specific people to ask a question prior to the event; send confirmed candidates list of pre-assigned questions and inform them of the format c. Get Church/University/School official to welcome candidates and participants d. Use skilled facilitator from the sponsoring group to chair the meeting; introduce panelists and keep things moving; assign another leader to open/close forum e. Assign a time keeper to warn candidates when allotted time is ending f. Allow each candidate to make a short closing statement g. Thank each candidate and follow up with e-mail or card.
Speaker Forum on Common Good/Faith and Public Life: This event usually involves a panel of experts in a particular field. The purpose of this event is to get media exposure for the issue and for your group efforts and to build a list of volunteers. Suggested format: a. Invite public officials, policy experts, theologians, etc. b. Allow invitees equal time to speak; inform then of the theme/topics beforehand c. Use skilled facilitator to chair the meeting; introduce panelists and keep things moving; d. If audience participation is desired, have audience submit questions on index cards e. Ask panelists to address specific questions on key issues or topics f. Assign a time keeper g. Thank each invitee and follow up with a card or email
A petition is a specific request (in writing) of some public official or person in authority that is signed by many individuals. Official petitions, with language and form approved by the state, are used to place an issue on the ballot for a vote of the people (referendum or initiatives). These can include passing or repealing laws; recalling legislators, or even amending the state constitution. Laws governing these initiative petitions and referendum vary from state to state. Less formal petitions can be used by groups to impact law makers on specific issues. The more signatures collected, the greater the pressure on an elected official to yield to public pressure. These petitions can also be used to expand an organization’s database, especially if the petitions are available on line or if emails are included on the sheet. Having a list of supporters on one issue can lead to identifying supporters on similar issues in the future.
In general, these are some guidelines for petitions: 1) Use a header to explain the reason for the petition 2) Be able explain the background of the situation in one or two concise sentences. 3) State precisely what you want to done and how the action is to be carried out 4) Indicate where and to whom you are going to send the petition 5) Collect the name, address and signature and email of people who agree with you. 6) Number the forms and number each line of the form so that you can easily tell how many signatures you have collected. 7) Recruit volunteers to get signatures for the petition 8) Plan your strategy to ensure petition campaign gets as much media exposure as possible
ADVOCACY AND OTHER ACTIONS 1. Legislative Advocacy: Visits, calls, emails and letters on a specific piece of legislation. Grassroots lobbying can have a significant impact on an elected official, especially when done with a media strategy. Tax exempt organizations (501c3) have strict limits on their lobbying activities. Groups like NETWORK: A Catholic Social Justice Lobby (a 501c4) have information on legislative advocacy on their website: www.networklobby.org 2. Speakers Bureau: a trained group of individuals who speak to the media or make presentations to groups on a specific issue. Speakers bureau are most effective when used in the context of a specific campaign. When done as part of a campaign, it’s important for the speaker to ask the audience take an action: endorse the campaign, financially contribute, volunteer for phone calling, literature distribution, petitioning. 3. Phone Banking: Phone calls with specific messaging to a targeted group of people. The key to successful phone banking is a good list and a short compelling message. It also helps to be in relationship with an organization (unions are the best places) that has lots of phones (and lines) and is willing to let you use them. 4. Canvassing: Going door to door with a specific message and literature. Much like phone banking, successful canvassing depends on having a targeted list of people to visit and trained volunteers (with good legs). 5. Monitoring: Seek out candidates or an elected official at various events to ask questions with a specific issue “frame” (common good, anti-war, rights of workers, reducing poverty). 6. Media Outreach: Press Releases, Letters to the Editor, Op-eds, radio/TV or billboard ads, YouTube, blogging. Any action worth doing is worth getting media coverage. See the Media Training section of our website for more information. For help on any of these actions, please contact Vicky Kovari.
Tips to Raise Awareness about Social Justice
Differentiate between Social Service (Charity) and Social Change (Justice)
Charity means service: soup kitchens, clothing drives or tutoring kids. Involvement in service activities is often the starting point (not the endpoint) on the road to working for justice. Equally important, is asking: “Why are people hungry?” or “Why do kids living in poverty lag academically?” These questions begin to get at the causes of problems and lead to actions that address a specific policy change. Justice means creating change.
Avoid Isolation and Marginalization
In their 1993 pastoral letter “Communities of Salt and Light,” the U.S. Bishops cautioned against the temptation of social justice leaders to isolate themselves and approach the parish “as a target rather than a community to be served and empowered.” Approach a broad cross section of your parish or school and invite them to be members—don’t just invite the “activists.” People who volunteered for service projects in the past are a good place to recruit new members.
Build Relationships and Communicate
Regularly communicate with many people in the parish. Individual one-on-one conversations are vital to finding out what issues directly concern parish members and make the work of justice more central to the life of the parish. These conversations can also help identify other possible leaders. Remember: it’s about building relationships, not about passing out flyers or making announcements in the bulletin.
Seek Common Ground and Focus on Concrete Issues
Start with where people are and move from there. It’s important to connect any issue to people’s everyday lives. Avoid concentrating just on global issues or broad social problems. For new groups, it’s helpful to focus on one to two concrete issues – specific, short-term actions with some chance of success. Research and discussion are vital prior to deciding which issues and actions to undertake.
Ground the Work in Faith, not Politics
Spend some time with scripture and Catholic social teaching as a way to connect one’s faith to issues of justice. Making this connection leads to developing the kind of moral courage required to take part in an action. Being open-minded and grounded in faith is a way to prevent bitter partisan disputes that may surface. Convening issue or candidate forums can also promote healthy debate.
Develop a Culture of Learning
Any action worth taking is worth reflecting upon. Ask group members how they felt about an action, what they learned, including how they handled their own roles. Don’t be afraid of tension, it’s an essential element of growth. A cycle of action and reflection can lift up healthy tensions and help determine the next best move for the group.
