Organizing and Mobilizing your Volunteer Base

Organizing and Mobilizing your Volunteer Base

• 3 Years as a union organizer for Registered Nurses in South Florida. (Jackson Memorial Hospital, Holy Cross Hospital and St. Mary’s)_

• 3 Years as a Union Representative for Professors and Professional Staff at the City University of New York (CUNY).

•Labor educator with Wellstone Action

•Attorney, Minnesota State Bar.

•Currently, Lead Organizer with SEIU Local 26.

Organizing vs. Mobilizing

MOBILIZINGRallies : mass mobilizations, public demonstrations

Phone Banks

Lobbying

Non partisan get-out-the-vote efforts

All activities where you turn out your membership (your volunteers)

Canvassing (door knocking)

ORGANIZINGNot a short-term task.

One-on-one conversations

Extract or solicit information helps you decide whether or not you have enough common/shared goals to move forward together.

Think of it as networking.

Developing long term relationships

IssuesIssuesInterestsInterests

ValuesValues

Issues: What does person this

care about at school? At

work? In the Larger world?

Interests: Why? Why

is that particular

issue important

to this person? Values:

Guiding principles.

IssuesIssuesInterestsInterests

ValuesValues

capacitycapacity

commitmencommitmen

tt

capacity

com

mit

men

t rememremember ber

math?math?

rememremember ber

math?math?

case study: case study:

SEIU/C.N.A. California Safe Needle Stick

Legislation

organizatioorganizationn

a mission a mission broader than broader than our campaignour campaign

Lead Lead organizerorganizer

responsible for responsible for leading the leading the campaign campaign (strategist)(strategist)

Staff organizerStaff organizerImplement strategy; ID Implement strategy; ID leaders (mem-org); recruitleaders (mem-org); recruit

Member Member organizerorganizer

Member Member organizerorganizer

Member Member organizerorganizer

Keep their co-Keep their co-workers workers

informed; informed; activate when activate when

necessarynecessary

Dues Payers Dues Payers (co-workers)(co-workers)attend events, attend events,

make phone calls, make phone calls, etcetc

Community supportersCommunity supporterscontribute, receive contribute, receive newsletter, vote, etcnewsletter, vote, etc

= cmty supporter

= co-wrkers

= mem - org

= staff org

= lead org.

com

mit

men

t

capacity

MAKE AN APPROPRIATE ASK

Volunteer recruitment rap:

1.Problem

2.Solution

3.Opportunity

4.Ask

5.Ask #2

RETAINING VOLUNTEERS

1. Organized

2. Real purpose to task

3. Training

4. Inclusion

5. Have fun

6. Inside information

7. Show results