We generate non-traditional power through organized people, organized ideas, and organized money.
Our broad, organized base develops shared values, narratives, and analysis through deep relationships and capacity building. They leverage these collective tools to make public demands, shift public discourse, and offer alternatives to the status quo so that systems change to center their needs. Community power includes the ability to set the public agenda, win that agenda, and ultimately govern to realize that agenda. Our organizing model includes four iterative tactics:
Broad community outreach
We reach a broad base of people through common touch points, events, house meetings, and one-to-one meetings.
Membership recruitment
We approach membership recruitment through one-on-one conversations–the foundation of our power building efforts–designed to uncover clarity around self-interest. These conversations are focused on deep seated beliefs, values, and stories of the person we are meeting with, and have been a valuable tool in identifying potential active members and core leaders.
Strategy, narrative, and campaign development via local organizing teams
Our core leaders in Fort Morgan and Pueblo hold monthly organizing team meetings, campaign events, and one-on-one meetings with residents and partners in their counties to identify priority issues, and build momentum for our longer-term work in these communities. We’ve built an organizing team with health care workers across Colorado who do not hold positional power within their workplaces and who have a personal stake in our policy priorities.
Core leader development
The driving force behind our transformational organizing model is supporting and centering leadership of people most impacted by racist health inequities. Our core leaders get deep investments in their leadership and support for their involvement in our work, including through a formal leadership program. They set our campaign strategy, lead local organizing teams, take action regularly, and develop into campaign and organizational leaders that vote on our policy and organizational priorities.