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)

Wellstone Action

• 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 ??

Wellstone Action

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.

Wellstone Action

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

Wellstone Action

• 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

Wellstone Action

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.

Wellstone Action

Other Potential Allies

Other Stakeholders

Core Constituencies

Finding potential allies

Wellstone Action

Community Mapping

Step 3: Reach out and inventory community assets and resources

• Identify capacity: resources/assets

• Determine interest

• Identify relationships with other groups/parties

Wellstone Action

What are Community Assets?

• Person

• Infrastructure

• Business

• Financial

• Expert knowledge

• Relationships or access

Wellstone Action

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:

Wellstone Action

• 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.

Wellstone Action

Developing Strategic Issue Campaigns

Building Power to Win on Our

Issues

Wellstone Action

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

Wellstone Action

•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

Wellstone Action

• 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

Wellstone Action

• What’s your capacity? (Organization or coalition)

Strengths

Weaknesses

• What is the political environment you are operating in?

Opportunities

Threats

SWOT AnalysisSWOT Analysis

Wellstone Action

• 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

Wellstone Action

Who do we need &

What do we need to do to win?

Wellstone Action

Power Analysis & Mapping

This is a powerful tool to analyze power relationships and

help develop a strategy for winning.

Wellstone Action

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:

Wellstone Action

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

Wellstone Action

• 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

Wellstone Action

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

Wellstone Action

• 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

Wellstone Action

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