Moving Forward - Strategy of OWS

Submitted by Occupy417 on Sat, 01/21/2012 - 6:58pm
This is a living document and changes frequently, so check back often
 
Answer the following about your current group to develop your groups strategy;
 
Current Situation in the Community
Program Goals and Expectations
  • An overview of what your Occupy group is doing
  • How your Occupy group will complement other community programs
  • How many people will be trained and empowered in the first year
  • An estimate of how many people will be trained and empowered over the first 5 years
  • How skill levels and communication will be maintained
Training Strategy - yes training is critical (Civil, legal, history, etc)
Team Organization
Linkages With Occupy movement
  • Protocols for "self-activation" and "call out"
  • Procedures for communicating with local members
  • Procedures for communicating with regional groups
Building partnerships - Partner with local businesses
For your Occupy movement to be successful, it will be critical for you to identify potential partners and to form and maintain partnerships.
Identifying the Benefits of Partnerships
Every member of the community–from private citizens to businesses to government officials–holds a vital stake in building a lasting movement. As you build partnerships, you will gain knowledge and a better understanding of the inequalities affecting your community and the roles that Occupy members / volunteers can play. Even better, you will identify and build resources as you meet knowledgeable and enthusiastic people, gain ideas, and obtain financial assistance.
 
Take some time to identify potential partners and stakeholders in your community. Some partners, such as homeowner's associations, Neighborhood Watch groups and school groups are "ready-made" partners. The Checklist for Developing Partnerships provides additional partnering suggestions, and you may add other potential partners to the list. After you have identified potential partners and stakeholders, review the questions that follow the checklist. It should get you started on assessing their stake in the Occupy movement.
 
Simple things can be a huge success such as down town clean ups or homeless food drives, which benefit not only the local residents and community but also builds moral and team work within the group.
 
Because many of your potential partners will be community leaders who are constantly bombarded with requests for financial and personal support, anticipate the question, "What makes your movement so important?" Be sure to have a response ready, and share some success stories.
 
Schedule and Prepare for One-on-One Meetings
Schedule individual meetings with the organizations you have targeted for participation. Here's where you will need to give careful thought to your approach. Consider how the organization will benefit from participation. You may need to do some research into the organization to discover motivating factors and leveraging points, such as protection of future profits or safety of employees. For some, a connection with damage prevention may be obvious, and community goodwill is always an important motivating factor.
 
For neighborhood partners, you will need to learn about any specific concerns they faced (is there a large number of foreclosed homes in the neighborhood, for example?) and the makeup of the neighborhood. Try to find a "champion" in the neighborhood who can promote the program to his or her neighbors.
 
After you have identified the factors you want to stress, develop talking points for one-on-one meetings. Be sure that you develop a clear message on why they should participate, what Occupy can accomplish if supported, and how they can help with the process.
 
Bringing Partners to the Table
It is important that potential partners realize that beyond the basic training, Occupy is a unique program that will be developed based on local needs, and that it is up to the partners to help create the strategy to implement a program that empowers the local community.
 
Every community has dynamos in the public and private sector who can lead with powerful effectiveness. The job of recruiting partners will be ongoing, so keep notes of contacts you make and the possible resources they can provide. Also, as you recruit partners, encourage them to identify others who can contribute, personally or financially, to the program.
 
Developing Win-Win Relationships With Partners
In recruiting partners and forming partnerships, you're looking to build long-term relationships. Anything less will limit the program's effectiveness and increase its operational costs. You should have a clear vision of how your partners can help you in the short- and long-term development of the program.
 
To benefit your partners as well as your program, take advantage of each partner's normal function in the community. For instance, the media is constantly looking for good stories. The media has the potential to be of critical assistance in promoting the Occupy movement and the community because:
The community relies on TV, radio, and the press for news.
The media has a responsibility for gathering and disseminating critical information to the community.
Media personnel are part of the community that you are trying to prepare to protect.
Because the media can be a great way to disseminate information about the benefits of Occupy, perhaps local stations or newspapers would be willing to broadcast or print program information and announcements. As a result, information about Occupy is disseminated more widely and in a more sophisticated way, while the public receives correct information about the program.
 
Leveraging resources in similar ways with organizations, such as utility companies, hospitals, volunteer organizations, and educational institutions strengthens both the Occupy movement and the organizations. However, these partnerships involve a high-level, long-term commitment to the program. Your potential partners are investing time, experience, creativity, and money. True partners will embrace Occupy and create momentum that inspires and encourages others to participate as well.
 
Develop an Outreach Program. After identifying audiences that could benefit from Occupy training, figure out a way to reach them. Arrange to speak to potential audiences.
 
Develop and Disseminate Marketing Materials.
Get your message out! Prepare media releases, distribute flyers in target neighborhoods, place articles in neighborhood association newsletters, or distribute information at community events. Think creatively about how to let your potential audience know that Occupy movement exists, what they do, and how to participate. Include a contact phone number or email address in case people have questions-and respond to inquiries promptly! When you do this, make sure the people who will receive these inquires know about Occupy. If they do not handle the inquiries deftly, it will reflect badly on your program.
 
Pitch to the Media.
Go public! Provide the media with footage or photo opportunities involving Occupy work groups or marches in action. Ask Occupy volunteers to speak to the media about the benefits they've received through Occupy training. Develop media releases that send the message about Occupy. Be prepared for the results of media coverage!
 
When meeting with business leaders:
Spell out what you can offer them and how they can assist you.
Present a complete plan (your "white paper," including goals and objectives, the respective roles of all partners, your proposed time line for implementing the program, and how business leaders can evaluate the benefits of the program).
Stress what's in it for them. Emphasize the benefits of increased preparedness and of having trained response teams onsite. Point out the benefits to the larger community as well. Bring examples of how Occupy's have been successful in other communities to demonstrate your points.
 
Follow Up.
Send a letter to thank the business leaders for allowing you to speak to them. Use the thank you as an opportunity to market your key points one more time. Indicate a time frame when you will contact them again to see how you can work together.
 
Continuous Involvement.
Provide courtesy copies of the educational material for review. Ask members to provide feedback on the materials, and solicit suggestions for "customizing" the program to better meet the community's needs. Use Occupy members as trainers, facilitators, and coaches during the training. Feedback from many Occupy groups indicate that group involvement during training is a very positive experience for everyone.
 
Get Buy In From Community Leaders
Get elected officials and businesses and industry leaders involved, get their buy in–civic organizations and other service organizations. Encompass as many groups as you can mobilize.
 
Develop a White Paper
Develop a "White Paper" on the work groups. It's essentially a business plan for the first year or two. It should include an outline of the programs.
 
Try Using Anything and Everything
It would be nice if there was one technique for recruiting, but there's not. Try using anything and everything. People come to the program for many different reasons. You have to appeal to them at every level you can. It's like advertising. The more positive projects they see and hear about Occupy movement the better chance you have seeing them in one of your work groups or GA's.