MOSES Community Organizing Strategies to Effect Change: Information and Relationship Building

To be effective, MOSES needs to: Gather “core” (central to our goals) information Know how to use this information Know who should use this information Develop online information resources

To gather “core” information… We need to understand: Key words How issues inter-relate Who the key decision-makers are & how they interact Decision-making processes Money Who has it How it gets allocated & spent Personal stories

Knowing how to use our information… Means we know how to use it to: Build relationships to influence legislative & executive action --at formal, informal, and personal levels Interact with key decision-makers (office visits, letters, , legislative action day) Influence the public (letters to the editor, media contacts, use of personal stories…)

To know who should use this information… Means knowing who speaks for MOSES and for themselves Those who use it to speak for MOSES are empowered by MOSES to implement formal actions Those who use it to speak for themselves to make individual comments on an issue to help solve a personal problem -- These individuals always acknowledge that, while MOSES provided the information, they are not speaking for MOSES

Develop online information resources Why? Efficient storage of, and access to, the information Effective processes to: Update/expand the information Keep track of how it is being used For whom? Wide audiences (broadcast via website, Facebook, etc.) Specified MOSES groups (interactive use via Google Docs, etc.) Important to train members in the use of these online resources.