community mapping & power analysis
DESCRIPTION
Community Mapping & Power Analysis. Community Mapping → Tool to assess community resources and networks Power Mapping → Tool to analyze power relationships around an issue or agenda (more on this later). ?. Community Mapping Learn more about our community - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Wellstone Action
Community Mapping
&Power
Analysis
Wellstone Action
Community Mapping → Tool to assess community
resources and networks
Power Mapping → Tool to analyze power
relationships around an issue or agenda (more on this later)
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• Community Mapping– Learn more about our community– Identify resources and community assets– Develop lists of key contacts/social networks– Help prioritize and focus outreach
• Power Mapping (more later)– Analyze current power relationships– Help determine who/what you need to win– Help formulate strategy to move a target
What we learn from each ??
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Community Mapping
Step 1: What defines and shapes your community?
• Culture & Language
• Public Institutions/Agencies
• Shared Stories/History/Tradition
• Community Groups
• Informal Networks Impacted by a demographic, economic and social environment.
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Our CommunityOur Community
Public Sector Institutions
• Health Care
• Social Services
• Schools
• Police/Justice
• Politicians
Private Businesses
• Hospitals
• Key employers
• Banks
• Developers
• Manufacturing
• Retail
• Counseling centers• Senior support• Family support• Child care/development• Crisis intervention
• Health care services• Housing services • Immigrant services• Issue advocacy groups• Food shelves/shelters
Service Organizations
• Youth organizations• Mutual support groups• Sports leagues• Fraternal organizations• Anti-tax/govt. groups
• Religious institutions• Cultural organizations • Unions• Business associations• Neighborhood groups
Community Organizations/Associations
Informal Networks
• By culture
• By activity
• By geography
• By unique skill
• By service
Opportunity/Threat
Environment
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• Demographics– Age– Income– Family status
• Socio-Economic– Public service funding– Community public infrastructure (e.g. parks, transportation,
schools...)
– Crime– Health/health care issues/access– Racial relationships– Age and condition of housing stock
What does your community look like? What does it face?
Opportunity/Threat
Environment
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Community Mapping
Step 2: Narrow your scope and keep in mind:
• Why am I collecting this information?
• What do I want to use it for?
Hint: Community mapping can be very involved and time consuming. It is helpful to narrow your scope to the task at hand – e.g. a specific geography or issue focus. It should be an ongoing process that evolves as you learn the community.
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Other Potential Allies
Other Stakeholders
Core Constituencies
Finding potential allies
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Community Mapping
Step 3: Reach out and inventory community assets and resources
• Identify capacity: resources/assets
• Determine interest
• Identify relationships with other groups/parties
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What are Community Assets?
• Person
• Infrastructure
• Business
• Financial
• Expert knowledge
• Relationships or access
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Our challenge as organizers is to connect the interests of community members and groups with our campaign.
Only if the community sees our campaign as their campaign and in their interest will their resources be made available to build the power needed to pass our shared agenda.
Our Organizing Challenge:
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• Every issue has at least one opinion leader
• Every agenda affects at least one stakeholder
• Every organization has at least one gatekeeper
Summary: Key Points !!
Mapping helps identify them, so we can reach out to them.
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Developing Strategic Issue Campaigns
Building Power to Win on Our
Issues
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Why plan?• Provides focus and direction –
people know where they are going
• Uses resources and people efficiently
• Establishes benchmarks– Creates accountability– Know if you are winning
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•Step 1: Establish clear goals•Step 2: Power Analysis
•Identify key players•Assess strength: yours and your
opposition•Develop a strategy to move targets
•Step 3: Put together plan•Message, Tactics, Resources, Timeline
Step by Step Step by Step Strategic PlanningStrategic Planning
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• This is your overall “victory” goal
• Be concrete about the issue or problem to be solved? (Hint: this is harder than you think)
• Be concrete and specific in order to identify a solution.
Overall Strategic Goal
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• What’s your capacity? (Organization or coalition)
Strengths
Weaknesses
• What is the political environment you are operating in?
Opportunities
Threats
SWOT AnalysisSWOT Analysis
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• Your strategy is a general plan for building your power to achieve your goals.
• Your assessment of existing power relationships determines what you will need to do to rearrange them.
Strategy
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Who do we need &
What do we need to do to win?
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Power Analysis & Mapping
This is a powerful tool to analyze power relationships and
help develop a strategy for winning.
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Decision-makers = The people/groups who can actually make the decisions to change or resolve the problem, not the people who can influence the process
Organized Opposition = Organized groups who oppose our agenda
Organized Allies = Organized groups who support our agenda
Definitions:
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Primary TargetsPrimary Targets=
The people/groups who can actually make the decisions to change or resolve the problem.
Secondary TargetsSecondary Targets
=
The people/groups who can influence the decision makers
TARGETSTARGETS
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4Taken into Account
Can Get Attention
3
6Power to have Major Influence on decision-making
8Active Participant in Decision-making
10Decisive Decision making Power or Influence
1Not on Radar
Amount of Power
Die Hard AgainstDie Hard Support Inclined Against Active AgainstActive Support Inclined Towards
Position or Perspective
on our Agenda
Power Map
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• Who do the decision makers listen to? Who has influence over them?
• Note: This often requires people who know the decision makers and the process, or additional research.
Key Influencers
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Using the map we have picked our targeted decision makers, developed a strategy for winning, and identified the key members of our coalition.
Now we need to develop our message and write our plan, which will outline the activities we will deploy to demonstrate our power to the targeted decision makers, and assign responsibilities and a timeline with deadlines for action and outreach.
Next Steps
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• Who is your audience? – Your message must be in a language that
makes sense to your audience
• What is the vision you are communicating?
• Develop an overall campaign message– What are 2-3 specific talking points to
emphasize with different audiences
Key Messages
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Putting it all in a plan
Whowill do
Whatto
Whom
Whenfor
How much?
Assign who is responsible
The most effective activities and actions to demonstrate and leverage our power
How many resources – time, people, and money – will it take?
Key decision makers and outreach targets
A timeline for the campaign with each action and activity