Move to Amend's advocates and affiliate groups raise local awareness about the nature of corporate rule and participatory democracy. Organizers connect the intersections between corporate rule and the issues most important to the community through petitioning and tabling public events, organizing public talks and forums, teach-ins, rallies, and presentations with community members and other groups to get their support. 

Below are a list of educational presentations and resources provided by our grassroots leaders to help educate, agitate, and empower their communities to take action: 

Timeline of Personhood Rights & Powers

Congressional Legislative Staff Briefing

This presentation was developed for the Legislative Staff briefing on December 14, 2021

➤➤ MTA Legislative Briefing - PowerPoint (.ppt)

Move to Amend Climate Workshop Presentation 

Abolish Corporate Personhood Talk

1. Initial Guides for Centering Communities Marginalized by Systems of Oppression
2. Best Practices
3. Video and Materials from Intersectional Events
4. Additional Intersectional Resources / Research

Organizing to get big money out of politics is frequently missing the voices of those who are the most marginalized by the failings of our democracy. Public discussions about money in politics and corporate rights can feel disconnected from people’s everyday realities because they focus only on concerns like the increasing amounts spent on elections, the donors and companies benefiting from the pay-to-play system, and Supreme Court cases like Citizens United, which have blocked our representatives’ ability to rein in the influence of big money.

Too often, efforts to limit the dominance of corporations and big money, and even conversations about these problems, have failed to consider how our big-money system hurts people marginalized by systems of oppression like structural racism and white supremacy, heteronormativity, transphobia, misogyny, and xenophobia. Pro-democracy organizations recognize the lack of diversity and want to engage more communities, especially communities marginalized by systems of oppression, but often do not have the tools to do so. As a result, we have collected some tools as a starting point.

First, what is intersectionality?

Critical Race theorist Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term intersectionality to refer to overlapping or intersecting social identities, such as race, class, and gender, and related systems of oppression, such as racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. People who live with multiple intersecting social identities tend to experience multiple systems of oppression, so their perspective and experience tends to be different from people with fewer subordinated intersecting identities.

Why do we need an intersectional democracy reform movement?

Those who experience the most harm from the unequal influence of money in politics are usually those who already face discrimination, oppression, or domination in other areas. A political system that favors the wealthiest few is particularly harmful for Native people, Black people, people of color, queer and trans people, and other communities who have been systematically excluded from economic opportunity. Our allies at Demos have written about both the racial wealth gap and how the racial bias in our big money political system undermines our democracy. We know that:

• Because of our country’s history and present practice of excluding people of color from our economy and our democracy, there are gaps of over $100k in the median household wealth controlled by white families and families of color.
• Trans and gender non-conforming people are 4x more likely to live in extreme poverty. Looking at the intersection of gender identity and race, black trans and gender non-conforming people are 8.5x more likely and Latinx trans & gender non-conforming people are 7x more likely to live in poverty than cisgender identified people.

Talking about money in politics without talking about systemic oppression ignores some significant structural challenges, which makes us less effective. Also, society and the money in politics movement are missing out on unique and valuable voices, which could allow us to build a more thoughtful and critical movement that would truly help everyone. The most successful movements to expand democracy have been multiracial, so imagine a movement with even more intersectionality and inclusivity.  

How can we promote intersectionality within the democracy reform movement?

Historically, organizing to get big money out of politics has been driven largely by straight, older, white, and male leaders, which means we are frequently missing the voices of those who are the most marginalized by the failings of our democracy. We need to actively work toward centering and listening to voices that are the most systemically excluded, as well as working toward understanding – in our own spaces – how power dynamics and privilege play a role in the advocacy we do.

Free Speech for People and Demos discussed how to promote intersectionality on this Every Voice Podcast.

WHERE DO WE START?

Free Speech For People has been working with other pro-democracy organizations to create an initiative that will provide people with some tools and resources to work toward engaging necessary communities in the fight for democracy and to make us a fully intersectional and inclusive movement. In partnership with Demos, we created a flexible framework for events that, instead of centering scholars and leaders in the money in politics advocacy community, centers the communities we are trying to reach. We developed this framework through our experience organizing events in Boston and D.C. on how money in politics affects the queer and trans communities. When planning these events, we worked with many other pro-democracy organizations as well as organizations in the queer and trans community to create a space for trans and queer activists to talk about how big money affects their advocacy. Free Speech For People has also worked with Move To Amend to host a national webinar on how to promote inclusivity and intersectionality in the pro-democracy movement. 

Below are materials and recommendations for how to work toward making our movement more intersectional.

INITIAL GUIDES FOR CENTERING COMMUNITIES MARGINALIZED BY SYSTEMS OF OPPRESSION

• Centering Marginalized Communities: A Framework for Intersectional Money-in-Politics Events – a framework for events that center voices and communities marginalized by systems of oppression
• Every Voice Podcast on Centering Marginalized Communities – a podcast dedicated to intersectionality in the money in politics movement, and the Centering Marginalized Communities intersectional framework
• Movement Educational Program (Move To Amend) – an educational program to help democracy activists build authentic and trusting relationships with people from groups hardest-hit by structural oppression
• How Racial Bias in Our Big Money Political System Undermines Our Democracy and Our Economy (Demos) – great background reading to understand some of the impacts money in our political system has on racial equity

BEST PRACTICES

• Specific Educational Materials – consider creating educational materials specifically related to the community you are attempting to reach.
  • Example:  one-page educational material on how money in politics and corporate personhood affects the LBGTQ+ community
• Mulilingual Options – translate educational materials to reach a broader and more diverse audience
• Example: Spanish translation of report on how money in politics affects immigration policy
• Example: webpage that hosts information around how money in politics and corporate rights affects the LGBTQ+ community
• Centralizing and Sharing Information – find useful ways to share the information and insight you gather when centering new communities

VIDEO AND MATERIALS FROM INTERSECTIONAL EVENTS

• Video: Inclusivity and Intersectionality in the Pro-Democracy Movement (March 29, 2018)
• Video: Inclusivity and Intersectionality in the Pro-Democracy Movement (March 25, 2018)
• Video: Queer and Trans Concerns Around Voting Rights and Money in Politics (Washington, D.C., June 2017) 
• Video: Queer and Trans Concerns Around Democracy, Money & Politics (Boston, April 2017)
• Facilitator’s Guide for Educational Program: How Money is Painting Your Life: Art, Money, and Politics – toolkit including facilitator’s guide, video of event, and photo of art 

ADDITIONAL INTERSECTIONAL RESOURCES / RESEARCH

• Queer and Trans Concerns Around Democracy, Money & Politics –  central resource listing for how money in politics affects the LGBTQ+ community
• Private Prisons & Political Contributions: How Big Money Shackles Immigration Policy / Prisiones Privadas y Contribuciones Financieras Electorales: ¿Cómo la Influencia del Dinero en la Política afecta a las Leyes de Inmigración? (available in English and Spanish) – research report looking at the impact of money in politics on immigration reform
• Op-Eds
  • The Hill, Mar. 17, 2017: “Trump’s Link to Private Prisons Proves Why Citizens United Must Go” by Jasmine Gomez
  • Truthout, Oct. 06, 2016: “Big Money in Politics Threatens Political and Racial Equality” by Jasmine Gomez
  • Honolulu Star-Advertiser, June 4, 2014: “Equal Protection for People, Not Corporations” by Ron Fein
  • The Hill, June 25, 2015: “Marriage Equality and Corporate Litigation” by Ron Fein
• Background Research: Money in Politics, Corporate Rights, and Queer/Trans Rights – information and linked resources from a panel in Boston that highlights how money in politics and corporate personhood affects the LGBTQ+ community 
• Educational Materials (one-pager): Money in Politics, Corporate Rights and the LGBTQ+ Community – one-page educational material on how money in politics and corporate personhood affects the LBGTQ+ community

Connecting the Indivisible and Move to Amend Movements

“It’s time to move past ideology to reality. Government is our tool, that when wielded properly can help the American people grow our economy and strengthen our nation. We cannot simply dismiss the use of government to help solve problems. Government is US – not something being done to US.”

Source: Indivisible, https://www.indivisible.us

The Indivisible grassroots movement of resistance to the Trump administration and many Republican policies has attracted legions of people, many previously uninvolved, dedicated to the principle that government belongs to We the People, not the super wealthy or corporate interests. Phone calls, letters and direct actions at Town Hall meetings, Congressional offices and public pressure in other public spaces have contributed to specific victories against Presidential decrees, cabinet nominees and proposed Congressional legislation. 

The Move to Amend grassroots movement is a non-partisan, broad coalition of organizations and individuals, who share common values, working together to end all corporate constitutional rights (“corporate personhood”) and demand real democracy. Launched following the Supreme Court Citizens United 2010 decision, Move to Amend is working to enact the We the People Amendment (https://movetoamend.org/wethepeopleamendment), a constitutional amendment to unequivocally state that inalienable rights belong to human beings only, and that money is not a form of protected free speech under the First Amendment and shall be regulated in political campaigns. Both are essential elements to counter the hijacking of our government by corporate entities and the super wealthy.

Why Indivisible and Move to Amend should collaborate with one another to promote real democracy?

√ Reacting and responding to individual destructive actions by the President and Congress is essential to prevent immediate harms. Resistance alone, however, is following someone else’s agenda. Reaction must be complemented by proaction – educating, advocating and organizing for what we want. Short-term electoral and policy changes must be complemented by fundamental structural constitutional change that alters the basic rules of society to become more democratic, just and sustainable – which transcends political parties and ideologies.  It’s important to put out fires, but we’ll forever be firefighting unless we stop the arsonists who start them.

√ Move to Amend groups can provide assistance and supporters for Indivisible-sponsored actions that relate to corporate rule, money in elections, and democracy. They can help research and frame issues of interest to Indivisible groups, including why there’s a growing disconnect between public needs and existing public policies, and how fundamental changes are so difficult without constitutional changes.

√ Move to Amend can offer material and volunteers to Indivisible groups to arm you with a deep understanding of how our government isn’t broken, but instead "fixed", or rigged, to benefit the few over the many. This is due to profoundly undemocratic provisions of the US Constitution, as well as numerous Supreme Court decisions that granted corporate entities with constitutional rights ... In addition, the US Supreme Court declared money is constitutionally-protected political “free speech” under the 1st Amendment, meaning those with the most money to spend (or invest) in elections have the most speech – drowning out the political voices of the 99%.. The High Court made numerous decisions over the last century that applied various sections of the Bill of Rights and other articles of the US Constitution to corporate entities, provisions that were originally and solely {intended or meant}  for human beings. These never-intended corporate “rights” prevent us from fundamentally governing ourselves. Examples of these “rights” and their negative impacts include:

• 1^st Amendment Free Speech rights -- Perverted by corporations to donate/invest in elections  (right to speak), to thwart unionization and free association of workers with public ad campaigns, to prevent disclosure of harmful product ingredients, like genetically modified organisms, that communities have voted to disclose (rights not to speak), and to exempt the corporation from regulations, such as contraceptive coverage, that its owners object to on religious grounds (right to religious belief of the corporation)  
   
• 4^th Amendment Search and Seizure rights-- Perverted by corporations to avoid environmental, and worker health and safety inspections of corporate property. It’s also been used to prevent the disclosure of information -- most recently by Exxon-Mobil corporation of documents from past decades revealing its statements and scientific findings about climate change.
   
• 5^th Amendment Takings, Double Jeopardy and Due Process corporate rights -- Perverted by corporations to oppose environmental regulations protecting people and communities as “takings” -- meaning regulations that impact a corporation’s ability to make a profit can sue for future profits lost, creating a chilling effect for communities who would be responsible to pay corporations for lost profits. Corporations cannot be retried after a judgment of acquittal in court. The granting of property to a corporation by a public official cannot be unilaterally revoked by a subsequent public official or Act of Congress. 
   
• 14th Amendment Due Process and Equal Protection corporate rights -- Originally intended to end discrimination of freed male slaves, this Amendment was perverted by corporations to claim any law that corporations had no authentic role in shaping (due process violation) or singles out a class of corporations (e.g. multinational vs local) or a specific corporation is unconstitutional “discrimination” (equal protection violation). Corporations have used these rights to build chain stores and erect cell towers against the will of communities; oppose progressive taxation and other public policies favoring local businesses over multinational corporations; and resist democratic efforts to prevent corporate mergers and revoke corporate charters through citizen initiatives.    
   
• Commerce Clause-related rights (Article 1, Section 8) - Perverted by corporations to claim that scores of laws at the local and state level protecting the "health, safety, and welfare" of people in communities involving actions that cross state lines are unconstitutional. It has been used, for example,  to ship toxic waste from one state to another over community objections claiming the waste isn't actually "waste" but "commerce."  
   
• Contracts Clauses-related rights (Article 1, Section 10) -- Perverted by corporations to claim that a corporate charter isn’t a state-issued license permitting the state to define permissible corporate actions (as was originally the case), but rather a “party to a private contract” and, thus, shielded from many forms of control by We the People, who define their purpose and boundaries. 

  More info at https://movetoamend.org/why-abolish-all-corporate-constitutional-rights

√ Indivisible groups can be a powerful force joining with Move to Amend as we lobby for passage of the We the People Amendment (House Joint Resolution 54), which has over 72 cosponsors in the US House of Representatives. The goal in 2024 is introduction of the Amendment in the US Senate and to secure more House co-sponsors. Indivisible members can be valuable voices in meeting with federal elected officials or their staff by sharing their specific issue concerns and the difficulty in their advancement due to the political power of corporate entities and the super wealthy. Enormous public support and pressure must be amassed to overcome the inherent fixed/rigged political system.

If you’d like to learn more, please contact Move to Amend at (916) 318-8040 or email [email protected]. We can connect you with Move to Amend folks in your area, send a speaker to one of your meetings (depending on where you are located) and more! Your group can also use our Challenging Corporate Power Study Guide (designed specifically for Indivisible groups) to hold self-study sessions learning about how corporate power undermines our democracy at every turn and what you can do about it.

Connecting the Indivisible and Move to Amend Movements

Indivisible Outreach Plan for Affiliates

Challenging Corporate Power Study Guide for Indivisible Groups

This “Introduction to Organized Labor” has been produced by the Move to Amend Labor Caucus to introduce Move to Amend volunteers to the “real world” labor movement as experienced by some of your colleagues. Our hope is that this and other materials we will make available on labor will help Move to Amend Affiliates start or expand your work with unions. Labor is still a potent force in society that we most definitely need if we’re to successfully amend the Constitution.

Since we know that law follows culture, the Move to Amend Labor Caucus believes that working with local unions, right in your own area, is the best place to start. The relationships we build as organizers are more important than any brilliant strategy or tactics. These relationships will develop trust, solid friendships you can count on in the movement and a wealth of creative ideas, skills and resources that will add greatly to Move to Amend. We will eventually have a long list of state and national labor bodies that endorse Move to Amend, but it will all grow out of the roots of our work with local unions.

Some things to know when approaching labor unions about Move to Amend:

• Labor is not a monolith. Your success or lack thereof in working with unions depends overwhelmingly on the relationships you develop with individual people.
   
• As with any new relationship, basic politeness and listening to the concerns of the people you meet will go a long way. These qualities are as important as they are rare in society.
   
• Learn something about the union you are about to call on. Union web sites (for those that have them) can be quite limited. Something as simple as reading the local paper can alert you to concerns a union might have such as layoffs, expired contracts or strikes. Larger unions may still have a regular newspaper of their own. Try assigning someone in the group to do some research to see if you can get more background about what the union has been up to lately.
   
• Know the kind of workplaces the union represents. For example, the UAW (United Auto Workers) can represent hospital workers, public employees, graduate students and others. Teamsters, Steelworkers and other unions also represent a wide variety of workers in industry and service jobs in the public and private sectors. Don’t go by the name alone -- do your homework!
   
• Union membership has declined drastically in the U.S. since the 1950’s – when 35% of all workers were in unions – and continues to decline today. In the U.S., only 11% of all working people are in a union (6.6% of the private sector workforce and 36% of the public workforce). In contrast, in Iceland, 83% of workers are in unions, in Finland 69%, Canada 27%, Germany 18%.
   
• In fact, union membership in the United States is lower than most other countries, which may help explain the corresponding low numbers in U.S. quality of life indicators such as education, infant mortality, income and wealth inequalities. (NOTE: This is in large part a function of the structural barriers in labor law regarding forming and certifying a union here in the U.S., more so than in any other industrialized country in the world.)
   
• Don’t rely on a union’s national reputation or even its national literature to determine how open to Move to Amend a given local may be. You can rely on Move to Amend’s message to cut across ideological lines and appeal to union members who know all too well the power of corporations.
•  
• Make sure your printed materials distributed to labor groups has a union "bug," indicating it was printed in a union shop or if printed or copied by you that it has typed at the bottom "printed in house." 

Typical Union Structure

Before you get started, it is good to have an idea of how unions are structured and wherein the structure you will be doing your outreach. Each union is different to some degree but this chart illustrates a typical union structure to give you a sense of how Organize Labor is structured.

International Union: e.g., United Auto Workers (UAW), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), etc.

Not all “international” unions in the U.S. are truly international in nature. Many typically include only Canada in their jurisdictions outside U.S. borders. One of the largest unions in the AFL-CIO, AFSCME, calls its top-level an “international” when by definition they represent state, county and municipal workers in the U.S., plus a smattering of federal workers. But regardless, the “international union” refers to the national level, national headquarters, and national staff.

Regional Body: Some internationals have structures that cover more than one state

State body: Most internationals have a state structure

Regional bodies within a state: depends on the union

Local unions: the organizational foundation

There is a related, parallel labor structure, the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), a national coalition of nearly every union in the country.

(Note: Prior to 1955, the AFL and the CIO were separate organizations. The CIO was formed in the 1930s as a way to promote unionizing steel, auto and other industrial workers who had historically not been eligible to join AFL unions based on individual crafts or trades. During the early Cold War era following World War Two, CIO unions were red-baited and required to sign loyalty oaths. One union, the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers (UE) refused to do so and remains outside the AFL-CIO.)

State AFL-CIO body: typically has its own officers, staff and treasury

Central Labor Council (CLC): covers a given city or metro area, a generic term for that city or area’s AFL-CIO coalition (ie, many different unions), usually has limited staff and treasury, depending on its size.

(NOTE: Contacting a Central Labor Council in your city or area is not necessarily a good “shortcut” when doing Move to Amend organizing. Depending on the politics of the CLC leadership, you could find it more difficult to meet with than individual unions. Even if CLC leaders are supportive and give you an opportunity to address a CLC meeting, you’ll address only the leadership of the local unions that attend that CLC meeting, not the memberships. So, if you happen to start with a CLC, be sure you let the local union leaders know you would also like to meet with their locals so you can talk directly with the membership.)

Additionally, there are usually organizations for “affinity groups” within the labor community, such as a public employees council (teachers, city, county, state workers), a building trades council (electrical workers, carpenters, ironworkers, sheetmetal workers, etc.) organized on a city, regional, state and national level as well. Typically these councils meet regularly, have their own officers, staff and treasury and are a good place to meet members of local unions you may not reach otherwise.

“Political action” in a union context almost universally means electoral politics. Depending on the union and the local practice, requests for endorsements/resolutions, etc. can be handled by the local union itself or may be sent through the union’s political action entity, such as the UAW’s Community Action Program (CAP) Council. Not to worry, this will all be explained appropriately for each case.

Be aware that many unions aren’t used to working in coalition with community groups.  “Active listening,” respect for busy schedules, patience and persistence are all important. 

Start Reaching Out

In the “old days,” the Yellow Pages were the go-to source for local union listings. Today, if YPs still exist, they’re likely very much truncated. Getting one from just a few years ago may likely have what you’re looking for. An internet search can probably find similar listings. But don’t forget to check with your public library as well.

Familiarize yourself with Move to Amend’s introductory “Phone Rap for Unions” and start calling.

You’ll likely get a secretary (the most important position in any office) who can work wonders relaying information to and from busy officials. Get the secretary’s name and use it when you call. Take a minute to chat if possible. What you’re looking for is a meeting with the local president or executive board to explain what Move to Amend is about.

Generally, a new idea needs to be vetted by the president and/or the executive board (usually called the “E-Board”) before it’s presented at a membership meeting. If they’re open to you making a presentation at a membership meeting, take it. How long you’ll have will vary greatly, but don’t expect more than 5-10 minutes, tops, if it’s at a meeting of the E-Board or the membership.

➤➤ MTA Intro to Organized Labor - PDF

Educational Resources:

• Glossary of Labor Terms
• Top Reasons Why Labor Supports Move to Amend
• Talking Points for Organized Labor

Outreach Resources:

• PDF: Labor Organizations Supporting Move to Amend
• Expand Human and Worker Rights
  • Full Page Handout 
  • Half Page Handout (PDF)
• Model Labor Union or Central Labor Council Resolution in Support of Move to Amend and the We the People Amendment
• Labor "Rap" for Outreach to Organized Labor

We aim to amend the U.S. Constitution to restore our democracy. This is a long-term campaign, because it requires the support of a large number of legislators and because large corporations will resist. However, most people will support our efforts if we reach out to them.

This Volunteer Kit provides guidance and resources for new and seasoned grassroots leaders on how to:

• Identify local events & opportunities to engage the community, educate about our campaign, and mobilize for actions
• Connect with supporters & organizations through tabling, teach-ins, public talks, and other Move to Amend activities
• Represent the coalition locally to community organizations and other potential partners to grow the coalition through endorsements and resolutions supporting the We the People Amendment

Bringing Move to Amend to Your Community

Polling shows that 80% of American public agrees with us that corporations shouldn’t have same rights of human beings and campaign spending should be limited, but they don’t know about our campaign or how to do it. That’s why we need to educate!

Organizing local events can be used to educate the public, to recruit members to your organization, to build relationships with other organizations, to get press coverage, and to raise money. Our grassroots leaders organize events like: 

• Public talks, teach-ins, and presentations to other groups to earn their support.
• Petitioning and tabling at local events, rallies, etc.
• We also stand in solidarity with marginalized communities and other groups by attending and sharing events they organize, building trust and authentic relationships in order to connect their causes with our cause to end corporate rule.

Tools:

• Bring Move to Amend to Your Community
• Hold a Public Forum, Teach-In or Movie Showing
  • Recommended Documentaries
• MTA Petitioning Kit
• Downloadable scan and sign petition QR code
• Downloadable and tearable scan and sign QR codes
• Downloadable and tearable flyers (4-per page)

Webinars:

• Taking Move to Amend to Your Neighbors (Sept 2012)

Engaging Your Community & Organizations

As you grow your local coalition, we encourage you to reach out to a broad spectrum of people, and to refrain from involving members of only one partisan group. Remember that diversity brings strength to organizations, and work to create a welcoming environment for everyone. If your membership reflects the diversity of your community, you will be more effective and less vulnerable to opposition than an organization that reflects the views of only a few community members. 

Take care in developing the group that will form the core of a new organization: making contact with people beyond your own circle and being willing to spend sufficient time in the development stage can pay off in the long run. Because our culture restricts our vision, it is important to actively reach out to the community to acquire diverse opinions and perspectives. Strive to create dialogue around how the goals of the organization will change as it is enriched by a variety of people bringing new opinions to the table. Expect resistance inside yourself to this process. When we passionately wish to begin a project, we are likely to be attached to our own vision of the goals, our methods and the contribution we make. This can make it hard to open up the process and collaborate, but doing this can lead to better responses to complex issues.

Tools:

• Principles of Democratic Leadership
• Dismantling Oppression Continuum
• Working with Volunteers

Webinars:

• Organizing with Students (June 2013)

Building Local Coalitions

If you are interested in bringing together a coalition of organizations, the first step is to carefully consider what role you expect the coalition to play. A coalition can be formed with a broad mission (such as working on Move to Amend issues generally) or to accomplish a specific task (such as conducting a resolution campaign). Of course, a coalition formed around a specific task may continue on after the task is accomplished and move on to broader, longer-term collaboration.

First, have a conversation within your own organization about forming a coalition. Then reach out to the leaders and members of other groups to present the idea and ask for their input. Explain the link between Move to Amend issues and each organization's primary focus, and describe clearly how participating in a shared effort would achieve specific goals. Once you have generated interest, set up a time for representatives of the prospective coalition partners to meet in person or conduct a conference call. Discuss the role of the coalition, identify goals and specific tasks, and create a timeline by which to chart progress. Select future meeting dates, decide how you will keep in touch between meetings, and discuss outreach to other organizations to grow the coalition.

Tools: 

• Solicit Organizational Endorsements
• Model Resolution for Councils & Organizations
• Building Coalitions Webinar (Presentation Only)

Talking Points:

• Outreach to Organized Labor
• Outreach to Faith-Based & Ethical Values Communities
• Outreach to Indivisible

Webinars:

• Recruiting and Retaining Volunteers (February 2013)

These days a lot of people use Social Media like Facebook and Twitter. Including outreach in these arenas will help spread the word about your event in an important way. Keep in mind that phone calls are still the most effective way to reach people, but using social media and email can help create a buzz about your event, especially with a younger audience.

Facebook

Invite everyone you’re connected to on Facebook. Using your personal Facebook profile, create a Facebook event invitation. This invitation will be the home base for getting people excited about your event.

a) When? Insert the date and start time of your choice.

b) What are you planning? Use a catchy title, provocative question, or funny pun to make your event memorable. For example:

c) Where? Don’t just put the street address, make sure people know that you’re making the extra effort to host the event because you really believe in this cause. Add a line like, “At my house, because I want to be there when this gets started!” Then add your street address or other instructions, such as where to park or how to call your apartment to be buzzed in.

d) More info? YES! Always include more info. A link to the online action page can be helpful, but your personal statement is always more powerful. Let folks know why you’re throwing this event and what you hope to accomplish.

e) Who’s invited? Select guests from your Facebook friends – invite people even if you know they can’t attend; they may know someone they can tell about the event. Check yes next to the boxes for ‘Show the guest list on the event page’ and ‘Non-admins can write on the wall’.

f) Add a photo! Use one of the images we’ve created or make your own perfect picture.

g) Shorten the URL. After you’ve created the event, use a URL shortener like TinyURL or bit.ly to create a shorter, more manageable URL for your invitation. A shorter URL is less likely to be lost in translation from one post to another.

Expand the audience by targeting existing groups that have similar audiences or issues of concern. Find the Facebook pages for the city council, PTA, political science association at your college, etc., and post a link to your invitation on their wall. Customize your message to suit the group.

Don’t forget to include your local news organizations – tell them why this action is newsworthy and important to their readers! For example:

• PTA: Parents are critical players in the fight for fair politics. Please come to a house party to hear Move to Amend's message about gearing up to take on Citizens United, the Supreme Court ruling that allows corporations to spend unlimited money in our elections. http://bit.ly/example [link to your FB event]
• Newspaper: Got a scoop for you – citizens in our town are getting together to plan a take- back of our democracy. Come on over on Nov. 9 to find out how Move to Amend is helping lead the people into battle for our government. http://bit.ly/example [link to your FB event]

Drill down to your inner circle and make a personal appeal to those closest to you. Use Facebook’s message feature to send a personal message to a handful of your closest friends, those who you believe will support your house party by attending, inviting others, or helping you in some other way. This message should be personal so they know it’s coming from you, not from a faceless organization.

Dear friends: you know I wouldn’t clean my house unless I had a very good reason. We all have a good reason, so I’m spiffing up the place and inviting you to a house party on November 9 to talk about how corporations are taking over our elections.

Because you’re my friend and because I know the combination to your secret lair, I’m asking you to do two things for me:

1. Please send this invitation to YOUR closest friends and ask them if they want a) government for the people or b) government for the corporations – anyone who answers A is invited to the party on November 9. 

2. Bring your soapbox to my place on November 9 to hear a message from Move to Amend about gearing up to take on Citizens United, the Supreme Court ruling that allows corporations to spend unlimited money in our elections.

Twitter

Use Twitter to drive traffic to your Facebook invitation by piquing the interest of those who follow your tweets. Starting conversations is helpful if you can commit the time to keeping them going.

• Send a tweet letting people know about the party and include a link to your Facebook invitation. Important: ask people to Plz RT!
   
• Identify people and groups you want to invite to the party and send tweets directly to them offering a personal invitation.
  • “Hey @nikki4cc, party at my house on 11/9 is just your thing—talking about taking on #MoveToAmend! Details: http://bit.ly/example [link to your FB event]
  • #RestonPTA – you’re all invited to one of the most imp mtgs of the year for parents http://bit.ly/example #MoveToAmend.
     
• Use the following tweet examples and write your own tweets. Make sure you are sending tweets at various times of the day, and feel free to repeat tweets that may have reached morning readers but not those who log on at night:
  • The fight for democracy begins on Nov. 9 at my house. http://bit.ly/example
  • Corps depends on power of $$, but democracy depends on power of the people who will party on Nov. 9. http://bit.ly/example #MoveToAmend
  • 2012 elections begin on Nov. 9 at a party to plan a take-back of our government and democracy http://bit.ly/example #MovetoAmend
  • Chips, dip, revolutionary democracy planning. You know, just another Nov. 9 at my house. http://bit.ly/example #MoveToAmend
  • If you’re not outraged, come to my house on Nov. 9 and find out why you should be http://bit.ly/example #MoveToAmend.

The following is an extensive list of ideas. Please feel free to use whatever ones work for you.

Reaching out to your friends and networks

• Make an invitation list: Invite friends and family, neighbors, co-workers, and colleagues. Early on, ask friends who’ve said they will attend to think of names of additional people to invite.
• Remember that not everyone you ask will be able to make it: Soccer practice, family trips, and work can always come up for even the most dedicated defender of democracy. Or, sometimes they are just tired and don’t have the motivation to go out. Whatever the reason, people who want to come may still not come. So, to have the best chance for good attendance, you'll need to invite about two or three times as many people as the number you want to attend.

Spread the Word

• Make invitations: These can be as simple or as fancy as you’d like. We recommend including a few key pieces of information, such as: the purpose of the event; the date, time and place; directions to the location; an encouragement to RSVP (include your contact info here), as well as to bring friends.
• Send out invitations and follow up: You can send out invitations via e-mail, Facebook, drop invites in mailboxes at work, or even send out paper invitations. The key here is follow up - make sure people have received the invite and ask them to RSVP. 
• Timing: Opinions vary on the best time to send out invites, but a good rule of thumb is about 4 weeks out, 3 at the most – well enough in advance so people can plan for the event and mark it on their calendars, but not so far out that folks will forget about it.

Some creative ideas for inviting people to your event:

• Put a short invite in your church newsletter
• Drop flyers in colleagues mailboxes at your place of work
• Post a note on your local co-op board
• Other great ideas you come up with!

Follow Up!

95% of organizing is follow-up. Sending out e-mail blasts is a great start, but without personal follow up from you or someone coming to the event, it’s less likely folks will show up. So, make sure you give yourself some time to follow up with your invitees to let them know how important it is that they show up and what a good time they’ll have!

• Calling: The single best way to reach people for follow up is either in person or with a phone call. E-mail is fast and efficient but doesn’t capture people’s attention the same way, and can be less personal than a one-on-one conversation. Plus, remember - not everyone is connected to the Internet! So, make sure you include some time to call people once the invites have gone out, as well as a week or so out before the event, to make sure folks are coming. These calls can be brief, friendly reminders – no need to pitch everyone on the whole event plan right there; a sneak preview and a friendly ask will do.
• E-mail can be a great tool to build excitement for the event – you can share updates via e-mail to invited participants on the event plans, who’s coming, what will happen. There are great online tools and services, such evites, which can help you do this as well.

Reaching Out to the Public

• Flyers: We will be designing and sharing a template flyer with you, to use as you like. You can fill in key information and copy and post your flyer in community centers, coffee shops, religious institutions, and local stores. You can also go to events where there are like-minded people and pass out copies of your flyers at these events.
• Organizations: Invite organizations that you know share our vision to overturn Citizens United, such as environmental groups, labor, civil rights, healthcare, faith-based, and legal organizations to participate in your event and ask them to share information with their membership.
• E-mail Lists, Event Websites and Listings: You can share your invitation with e-mail lists, newspaper event listings and post it to websites, such as craigslist.org and indymedia.org that have event listings.
• PSAs: Many local radio stations will let you come in and record a brief public service announcement for your event. Be aware that for PSAs and for event listings, there are often deadlines a few weeks in advance.
• Media: Inform your local media about your event with a press release and follow up with phone calls. 
• Social Media: You can create a Facebook event page for your event, tweet or blog about it.
• Your own ideas! You know your community best. Your own ideas on outreach will often work the best.