What You Need to Know to Affiliate Your Group With Move to Amend
If you're just getting started forming a MTA group, we encourage you to take a look at our Take Action Toolkit to get started.
Goals of the Affiliation Process
- To assure that applicants understand:
- The Move to Amend campaign, its goals, values and plans
- The criteria we expect them to fulfill
- The resources available from the national MTA campaign to assist them in community organizing to fulfill the criteria.
- To assist applicants in the application process.
Application Process
All applicants should fill out the application and submit it to Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap ( ) for review by the national Move to Amend Field Team. The Field Team will then invite the leadership of the applying organization to an orientation conference call.
This call will function as an interview of the applying organization, provide a chance for the applying organization to ask questions, and serve to establish shared goals, ideas and expectations. The Field Team will then approve or deny the application.
If you have any questions contact or 707-269-0984. Download the Affiliate Application below.
Important Information
Types of MTA Affiliate Organizations
Currently there are two types of local Move to Amend (MTA) organizations: Affiliates and Partners. As we see the success and proliferation of these grassroots organizations we will add State Chapters.
Affiliates (Local Dedicated Organizations)
Local organizations that form explicitly to work on Move to Amend issues may apply for Affiliate status. A requirement of becoming an Affiliate is that your organization's name include the phrase "Move to Amend" (for example, "Move to Amend Springfield" or "Move to Amend Sonoma County"). When a state-level Chapter is formed, Affiliate organizations are expected to participate as Chapter members.
Partner Affiliates (Local Pre-Existing Organizations)
Local organizations that are already established but wish to work on Move to Amend issues may apply for Partner status. Any statewide, countywide, municipal or other local organization is eligible to apply, as are coalition organizations and local chapters of statewide or national organizations. When a state-level Chapter is formed, Partner organizations are expected to participate as Chapter members.
Move to Amend treats Affiliates and Partner Affiliates the same.
Chapters (State-Level Coalitions)
Once numerous Affiliate and Partner organizations exist in a state, they may come together to form a state Chapter. A Chapter is a coalition organization that facilitates interactions, and cooperation, between its member organizations.
To apply for Chapter status, a coalition must consist of enough active Affiliate and/or Partner organizations to cover the diverse populations and regions of the states, and express interest in expanding its membership in the future. Chapters will be expected to participate on the national Move to Amend Steering Committee, and to eventually take on the responsibility of managing applications for Affiliate and Partner status from organizations within their states.
State Chapters will be expected to institute a democratic decision-making process for making decisions, choosing leaders and electing representatives to the national Steering Committee. Each Chapter will be required to clearly describe its decision-making process in written form and submit it to the national Move to Amend organization.
Affiliates and Partners are Move to Amend organizations of equal status. Chapters are coalition organizations composed of Affiliates and Partners. Only Chapters will be represented at the level of the national Steering Committee. As the movement grows (and therefore the size of the Steering Committee), the exact representative structure may change. However, Move to Amend's commitment to fair representation will not.
Support for Affiliates Provided by Move to Amend National
- Material generation for local organizing and national action and event opportunities
- Web, telephone, and in person conferencing/networking opportunities
- A page on the MTA website for each group to serve as a website
- Access to Move to Amend petition signers in a group's area
- Database infrastructure to support local organizing and public engagement
- Online and in-person training opportunities and strategy discussion
- Transparency on decisions made by the MTA Executive Committee
- Support and mentorship via telephone and email as much as possible given limited resources
Affiliate members are also eligible to participate in national organizing work through Working Groups, provided those individuals meet requirements and expectations as outlined by the Working Group(s).
Expectations for Affiliates and Affiliate Responsibilities
- Institute a democratic decision-making process for making decisions and choosing leadership
- Clearly describe decision-making process in written form and submit to the national Move to Amend organization.
- Share local membership/supporter/organizing lists with the national Move to Amend organization by collecting petitions and regularly uploading data to the Move to Amend database
- Keep web page on movetoamend.org current and updated with relevant and appropriate content
- Participation in monthly Coalition Conference Call, internal email-list-serves, and monthly Take Action webinars
- Commitment and adherence to Move to Amend's "Statement of Values"
Criteria for Affiliation with Move to Amend
- Acceptance and support for the Move to Amend Amendment and our Statement of Values
- Support for Move to Amend's emphasis on movement building and grassroots organizing
- Has applied to the Move to Amend for affiliation and has included written decision-making process, leadership and other documentation with that application.
- Has implemented a functional structure that allows for new people to participate and get involved and also make decisions democratically, with accountable leadership, and a commitment to anti-oppression (leadership and involvement of women and people from oppressed communities such as people of color, LGTB, etc.)
- Has a history of networking with other organizations (eg. social justice, labor, environmental, faith, etc.), or is involved in that networking from the start of formation.
- Evidence of good faith efforts to achieve gender balance in group leadership and organization.
- Evidence of good faith efforts to empower individuals and groups from oppressed communities, through, for example leadership responsibilities and alliances with community-based organizations.
Move to Amend Organizing Principles
Move to Amend will only succeed if its local organizations build a broad-based movement in communities across the country. To this end, we stress that we are nonpartisan and welcome people with diverse viewpoints. All Chapters, Partners and Affiliates are expected to gain the skills needed to build a movement that is inclusive across lines of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and socio-economic class.
To assist local organizations in this process, the national Move to Amend organization will provide training and support to the extent that resources allow. In addition, we will provide information on locally available resources, and will assist local organizations in establishing channels of communication so that they can educate and support one another.
Local Move to Amend organizations are expected to work to build excitement at the state and local levels about being part of a larger movement, and about the process of movement building itself. All local Move to Amend organizations should also strive to empower their members, and help them develop the skills they need to be effective.
