Movement

Strategy Movement Building 101 Packet

Center

CSTI Movement Building 101 Workshop Packet

Table of Contents

• MSC: What we Do
• SCS Framework
• Approaches to Change
• Movement Building Definitions
• Sustainablity Principles
• Movement Building Vehicles
• Collaboration Principles
• Collaboration Principles Worksheet
• Strategy Arrow
• Worldview, Vision and Values
Definitions
Blank Worksheet
• Relationship Between Levels of Strategy
Defintions
Worksheet
• Right-Wing Handouts
Radical Right
Right-Wing Education

© MSC 2007
 Movement
Strategy What We Do
Center

V EME
O N LABORATI
L V T
M O

C
E
alliance
building

spirit in field
motion building
ST
E

L
movement
sector
RA
T

intensive
E GI C

SUSTAINAB
organizational
development

BU
MSC helps build a more sustainable
movement by supporting ways of
working that embody the vision we
are trying to create in the world.
By implementing wellness practices
that align with our core values, we
prevent burnout and help groups
create greater impact over the long-
term.
IN G
ILD
MSC helps build a more collaborative
movement by increasing the ablity to
work together toward a comon vision,
while honoring difference and build-
ing lasting relationships.
We support organizations and indi-
viduals to play leadership roles and
grow the collective power of their
secto or alliance
MSC helps build a more strategic
movement through pro-active,
long-term planning that aligns
groups’ core values with a broader
movement vision.
We support groups to ground their
strategy and vision in their specific
role of current conditions.

© MSC 2007
 Movement
Strategy Movement Building Framework
Center

The Movement Strategy Center brings a cohesive plan to strengthen and build the progressive social justice movement. We do this by supporting
individuals, organizations, alliances and sectors to be more strategic, collaborative and sustainable.

Strategic Collaborative Sustainable

Individuals

Organizations

Alliances

Sector

Movement

© MSC 2007
 Movement
Strategy Movement Building: Approaches to Change
Center

Movement Building requires that we shift the way we approach change.This means we need to focus on making a cultural shift as well as structural
shifts. The following illustrates some of the key changes we need to make in how we work.

Past Approaches Emerging Approaches

Short Term Goals and Plans Long Term Goals and Plans

Reactive Proactive

Problem and Issue Focused Solution and Value Focused

Organization Focused Movement Focused

Divided by Geography, Issue, United within Sector and Broad

Sector, Approach, and Ideology; Unity accross Sectors, Geography,
Disorganized within Sectors and Approach

© MSC 2007
 Movement
Strategy Movement Building: Definitions
Center

Social Movements A Social movement is collective action in which the popula-

tion is educated and mobilized to challenge the power holders
and the whole society, in order to redress social problems of
grievences and restore critical social values. A social movement
may span a period of years or decades.

Social movements are the only way to fundementally trans-

form society.

Effective Social Movements have:

• Clear long term goals

• A clear plan to win these goals

• The patience and commitment to see this plan through

over the long haul

Movement Building Movement Building includes a fully active social movement

and the process of building one, which can take decades. The
following are 3 key principles about movement building.

MB is Developmental. It happens over time, each piece

building on the other.

MB is Dependent on Opportunity and Conditions. MB

means moving towards opportunities and building momen-
tum, even when the conditions are not right for the spark of
a social movement. Social movements are dependent on ripe
conditions; Movement Building is dependent on seizing op-
portunities to build momentum and readiness.

MB can happen at any point in time. The high point of

active social movements is different from movement build-
ing. “High points” aren’t that common. We can be movement
builders at any point in time and in any conditions.

© MSC 2007
Movement
Strategy Movement Building 101 Packet
Center

Sustainability Tools

© MSC 2007
 Movement
Strategy Levels of Sustainablity
Center

Movement Strategy Center builds movement sus-

tainablity at several different levels: individual,
organizational, alliance and movement. MSC’s
Spirit in Motion program helps organizers integrate
mind, body, and spirit, connect to our purpose,
build awareness of what sustains us and build a
practice towards that. The following are working
definitions for how we think about each level of
sustainablity.

• Individual sustainability: connecting to our

purpose, acting from core power, building self-
awareness, self-care, cultivating a practice that
builds energy

• Organizational sustainability: taking care of

each other, bringing our full selves to our or-
ganizations, resolving & dealing with conflict,
fundraising from a field-building perspective,
clarifying organizational niche

• Alliance sustainability: division of labor &

roles that complement each other, win-win ap-
proach to alliance-building, abundance model,
protocols for dealing with conflict, clear fund-
raising protocols, clear decision-making process

• Movement sustainability: shared vision &

values, clear understanding of movement-build-
ing process & roles, developmental approach to
movement-building, critical mass, momentum

© MSC 2007
Movement
Strategy Movement Building 101 Packet
Center

Collaboration Tools

© MSC 2007
 Movement
Strategy Movement Building: Definitions
Center

Strategic Alliances While there is no single formula for alliance build-

ing, there are some key steps and principles that
make alliances more successful. When alliance
builders combine these guidelines with their own
creativity and intuition, they tap into the art and
science of strategic and sustainable collaboration.
The following are four key principles that MSC
has identified. These hold true wheterh you are
building a strategic alliance, coalition, or network.

Single-Issue Coaltions Successful alliances need:

• Clear Purpose: clearly articulated vision, values,

and goals

• Engaged Leadership: a lead organziation that

maintains the group’s vision and purpose, and
facilitates others’ leadership and engagement

• Clear Strategy: a plan for how to use the

alliance as a movement building vehicle to
Networks complement and strengthen the work of the
organizations in it

• Transparent “Rules of the Game”: clear roles,

structure, and communication, including
a processs for preventing, working with and
resolving conflict

© MSC 2007
 Movement
Strategy
Center
Organizations
An organization is any formal
or informal group of people
who meet consistently over
time for a common purpose.
Organizations include a wide
range of groups, such as:
501(c)3 nonprofit organiza-
tions, political parties, affinity
groups, “kitchen table” orga-
nizing groups, student clubs,
artist collectives, etc. Organi-
zations use a wide variety of
movement-building strategies,
but a common function is to
connect and organize individu-
als within a movement.
Vehicles for Cross-Movement Collaboration
Networks
A network is a loose struc-
ture through which member
organizations and individu-
als share resources and infor-
mation over time. Networks
can help a broad group of
people and organizations
create a shared identity;
they also provide a space
for mutual support between
those who share a common
movement-building role or
interest.
Collaboration Principles Worksheet
Single-Issue Coalitions
A coalition is a vehicle that
helps individuals and orga-
nizations address a particular
issue, often through a joint
campaign. Because of their
narrow focus, coalitions can
include members who have
widely different political be-
liefs, values, and visions, but
who agree on the particular
issue at hand. Coalitions are
generally goal-focused and
time-limited: once they have
achieved their goal, they
disband.
Strategic Alliances
A strategic alliance:
• Builds ongoing relation-
ships between a set of
organizations that share
common long term vi-
sion, strategy, and goals
within a movement
• Articulates and advances
a multi-year movement
strategy
• Incubates and aligns
key movement building
organizations as part of
its strategy, and
• Provides space for net-
working within a sector
© MSC 2007
 Movement
Strategy Collaboration Principles Worksheet
Center
Reflection Activity
Using the boxes below, first identify which vehicle best represents the organizing or movement-building project you named earlier today. Put a mark or circle next
to that box. Then in the open space, write down which alliance building principles would have contributed to the success of this group and why.

Vehicles for Cross-Movement Collaboration

Organizations Networks Single-Issue Coalitions Strategic Alliances

© MSC 2007
Movement
Strategy Movement Building 101 Packet
Center

Strategy Tools

© MSC 2007
 Movement
Strategy Strategy Arrow
Center

Strategy is the plan for how to get from your current conditions to your vision of a better world. It asks us three basic questions: Where are we now?
Where do we want to go? How will we get there?

Assesment Vision
of Strategy for a
Current Conditions Better World

1 3 2
Where are we now? How will we get there? Where do we want to go?

• What are the key problems in the • What will it take to get from current • What are the long-term changes
community? conditions to our vision for a better you would like to see?
• What are the root causes of those world? • What core values are at the root of
problems? • How does your strategy impact your your vision?
root causes?
• How does your strategy align with
your values?

© MSC 2007
 Movement
Strategy Definitions: World View, Vision , Values
Center

Values
Long-term Vision
Beliefs about what
standards and
The vision for how you
principles are Intermediate Goals want the world to be.
important.

Major
structural changes
Short-term Goals in the system
that move you
closer to
Significant victories creating
that address urgent the world you
Strategies needs, promote want to see.
your values and
The methods you worldview and lay
use to build the the groundwork
power needed to for structural
achieve your goals. changes in the
larger system.
Worldview

Assumptions,
values, and beliefs
about how the
world works.

© MSC 2007
 Movement
Strategy Movement Strategy: World View, Vision , Values
Center

Values
Long-term Vision

Intermediate Goals

Short-term Goals

Strategies

Worldview

© MSC 2007
 Movement
Strategy Levels of Strategy
Center

Movement

Organization
A single organization’s
plan for how to make
Individual change, focusing on over a long period of
the organization’s role
Personal ideas about in the change process.
how change happens
and
the roles you play in
the process
Example: An organization’s
Example: I-MAP strategic plan
A plan for
Sector how a broad-based,
multi-sector
social movement
A plan for transforms the
how a sector fundemental
Alliance (i.e. multiple groups systems in a society
and alliances focused so it reflects the
on a single issue) movement’s values,
A group of makes change on vision and world-
organization’s plan that issue over time view.
for how to create in the whole society.
social change,
through
collaboratively
working together
time.
Example: Movement
Example: An alliance’s Example: Sector Initiatives Strategy (South Africa
strategic plan (Living Wage) Antiaparthied Struggle)

© MSC 2007
 Movement
Strategy Levels of Strategy: Worksheet
Center

Movement

Sector

Alliance

Organization

Individual

© MSC 2007
 Movement
Strategy The Right Wing: Worldview, Vision and Values
Center

Values 2
Long-term Vision
Competition
Profit-making 5
A world where
Intermediate Goals the poor serve the rich,
government is small
and
Privatize the markets and
4 Public System corporations
Short-term Goals by portraying the are large.
crisis created
as proof that
Implement TAX public systems
3 RELIEF policies don’t work and
Strategies that cut funding market systems
for public services work better.
Build the power to like education and
shape national throw them into
fiscal policy. crisis.
1
Worldview Weaken the power
of unions and
Core Belief: communities to
Markets are the protect the public
most efficent tool system through
to organize society vouchers, charters,
and run and removal of
institutions local control.

© MSC 2007
 Movement
Strategy The Right Wing Education Agenda
Center

Values
Long-term Vision
• Markets are good,
government is bad.
A world where
• The superior should Intermediate Goals the poor serve the rich,
rule over the inferior.
and the weak serve the
(Racism, Sesism,
Ablism) • Fully privatized strong
school system
• Individualism where church
• Competition Short-term Goals and state are not
• Survival of the fittest separated
• Gut the public • Teachers’ unioins
school system have no power
through prolif-
Strategies eration of charter
schools and vouchers
• Take control of the
• Promote individual
government, media,
accountablity for
economy and mili-
tary student success
through testing
• Build electoral power
Worldview systems
• Invest in ideas and • Criminalize students
ideology of color with zero-
Core Belief:
• Take control of the tolerance
Markets are the
media to communi- • Track students into
most efficent tool
cate ideas college, low-wage
to organize society
• Organize people jobs, military and
and run
prision tracks
institutions • Divide and destroy
your enemies

© MSC 2007