Fundamentals of Organizing

From George Goehl, a new season of To See Each Other is out on September 24! This season George travels to Merrill, Wisconsin - population 9,000 to get to know a group of small town folks fighting for community and dignity for the elderly - and a better future for us all. A beloved public nursing home is unexpectedly up for sale and a group of locals thinks there’s something fishy going on. There are closed door meetings, unknown outside buyers, and the threat of private money coming in to change public institutions. Folks are angry about being treated like they’re expendable – and they’re deeply afraid about what this means for them. It’s a heart-pounding roller coaster of a fight - in a swing state that could determine the election.

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In this special bonus story of The Fundamentals of Community Organizing audiobook, George Goehl shares why “Having A Practice” is essential to being a good organizer.

The Fundamentals of Community Organizing is George Goehl’s bedrock principles of organizing — the modern organizer’s bible, much as Shel Trapp’s Basics of Organizing was for George 30 years ago. Use these fundamentals to hone your craft and become a more effective organizer. The book is available for sale on fundamentalsoforganizing.org, and now, available for listening as an audiobook in this special offering of the podcast. Listen and re-listen to your most necessary fundamentals as many times as you need.

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In this special bonus story of The Fundamentals of Community Organizing audiobook, George Goehl details the importance (and occasional misunderstanding!) of one of the key tools of organizing, “The One on One.” 

The Fundamentals of Community Organizing is George Goehl’s bedrock principles of organizing — the modern organizer’s bible, much as Shel Trapp’s Basics of Organizing was for George 30 years ago. Use these fundamentals to hone your craft and become a more effective organizer. The book is available for sale on fundamentalsoforganizing.org, and now, available for listening as an audiobook in this special offering of the podcast. Listen and re-listen to your most necessary fundamentals as many times as you need.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this special bonus story of The Fundamentals of Community Organizing audiobook, George Goehl expands on one of the key fundamentals: “Question the Be Nice Rule.” 

The Fundamentals of Community Organizing is George Goehl’s bedrock principles of organizing — the modern organizer’s bible, much as Shel Trapp’s Basics of Organizing was for George 30 years ago. Use these fundamentals to hone your craft and become a more effective organizer. The book is available for sale on fundamentalsoforganizing.org, and now, available for listening as an audiobook in this special offering of the podcast. Listen and re-listen to your most necessary fundamentals as many times as you need.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Fundamentals of Community Organizing is George Goehl’s bedrock principles of organizing — the modern organizer’s bible, much as Shel Trapp’s Basics of Organizing was for George 30 years ago. Use these fundamentals to hone your craft and become a more effective organizer. The book is available for sale on fundamentalsoforganizing.org, and now, available for listening as an audiobook in this special offering of the podcast. Listen and re-listen to your most necessary fundamentals as many times as you need.

1:44 / Introduction: Why the Fundamentals

3:27 / Chapter 1: Getting Started

10:11 / Chapter 2: Meeting People

17:18 / Chapter 3: Campaigns

25:37 / Chapter 4: Action

30:58 / Chapter 5: Developing Leaders

39:06 / Chapter 6: The Organizer

45:36 / Conclusion: You Are an Organizer

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In the final episode of the season, George talks directly to young organizers today - with the weight of the world on your shoulders, what can each of us do and learn? He shares wisdom and clarifying frameworks on how to win.  

We live in a time that is so humbling. A world that sometimes feels full of possibility, but just as often appears to be unraveling before our eyes. As someone who feels certain organizing will play a defining role in how it all turns out, George often thinks about what it must be like to be a new organizer, a young organizer, in this period.

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What do we need to train the leaders of the future? How can we meet the complex and quickly shifting needs of the political and economic landscape in front of us? Pamela Twiss is a longtime organizer and expert trainer who challenges us to get out of our comfort zone and imagine what we could become if we are willing to move past our fears. In our conversation we discuss some of the experiences that shaped the organizer she is and her vision for what kinds of organizers we are going to need. 

Pamela Twiss is a trainer and a coach with 35 years of organizing and leadership experience. She has worked with National People’s Action, TakeAction Minnesota, Service Employees International Union, and ISAIAH, a faith-based organization of 80 congregations in the greater Twin Cities area.

You can find more on Pamela here

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Sulma Arias takes us back to the basics of organizing by focusing on what matters. No matter the context, Sulma reminds us that the fundamentals require us to invest in people, to listen more than we speak to guide our actions and to sustain ourselves and others for the long-term work. In this episode, George talks with Sulma as she begins a new role as the Executive Director of People’s Action and discusses how she got started and where she goes from here. 

You can find Sulma at @AriasSulma.

Sulma Arias is the new executive director of People’s Action Institute and People’s Action, a national network of state and local grassroots organizations dedicated to fighting for justice and helping communities take control of their destinies – or what we call “power-building.” Arias is also the first Latina immigrant to lead the two organizations.

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For the past few years, we have been steeped in the language of crisis, of upheaval. At times it can be difficult to orient ourselves to slow, transformative work while also being responsive to the moment. Saket Soni is the exact person to help us through this moment. On this episode, Saket and I dig into how to build vibrant, resilient organizing networks on a foundation of strong, reciprocal relationships. 

You can find Saket at @saket_soni and @resilienceforce.

Saket Soni is a labor organizer and human rights strategist. He is founder and director of Resilience Force, a national initiative to transform America’s response to natural disasters by strengthening and securing America’s resilience workforce. As director, Saket crafts the organization’s advocacy and media strategy, and provides strategic counsel to social justice advocates and government officials across the country. Resilience Force follows a 12-year record of successful advocacy in the post-Katrina Gulf Coast.

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So much of organizing is about radical imagination; in order to struggle for change, we must believe that another way of living is possible. In this episode, George talks with Scott Reed, whose own work reminds us that this radical imagining must start within and spread outward. Join us as we discuss the transformative power of agency, what power can look like, the role of faith-based organizations in broader movements and more.

About Scott Reed:

Scott Reed has been a community organizer since the early 70’s, working with leaders, clergy and staff to build organizations throughout the country that are able to effective negotiate values and interests of working families. For more than 40 years, Scott Reed helped build the PICO National Network, renamed Faith in Action in 2018. Faith in Action organizes people through faith-based congregations in over 150 American cities, and multiple other countries. Scott stepped down as Director in 2018.

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