Research Team: Kristine Lu, Jane Booth-Tobin, Maya Jenkins, and Hahrie Han

Research Partner: Movement Innovation Collaborative

Key questions: How do organizations define the role of an organizer, what does that look like in an organizer’s day-to-day work, and is there a gap between an ideal and the reality of an organizer’s role?

Description:

This pilot project, led by the Movement Innovation Collaborative, was developed by a group of California organizing leaders and research partners in Summer 2023. It is intended to generate learnings that increase the quality and impact of staff community organizers. We seek to understand: How do organizations define the role of an organizer, what does that look like in an organizer’s day-to-day work, and is there a gap between an ideal and the reality of an organizer’s role? Throughout 2024, we will work with four California organizations to identify new and innovative strategies that support the development and retention of organizers. In this two-part pilot project, we will first interview participating organizations to understand their approach to organizing. Next, we will work with these organizations to track their organizers’ time over 6 months to gain a clear picture of their organizing activities. We will use these analyses to reflect with participating organizations on how their definitions of organizing align with organizers’ practice and identify potential opportunities for interventions that increase the impact of their organizing.