Stages of Civic Organizing
Stages of Civic Organizing A civic organizing approach is implemented in four stages. Civic leaders use civic organizing strategies and civic organizing disciplines to achieve the goals of each stage.
Stage 1: Develop a Civic Organizing Agency
Stage 2: Demonstrate the Capacity of a Cross-Sector Base
Stage 3: Influence Existing Approaches to Public Policy
Stage 4: Sustain Civic Institutions into Next Generation
Stage 1 – Develop a Civic Organizing Agency
Overarching Goals
- An individual leader with primary authority in a designated jurisdiction (institution, community, region) meets the criteria for being a lead organizer because they have organized a base of 5-10 key leaders within the jurisdiction to be a civic organizing agency.
- Members co-author and sustain a document called the jurisdictions operating principles which is the primary policy document for the jurisdiction. This document is in alignment with the Civic Organizing Framework.
- Members have the authority to organize a broader base of key leaders within the jurisdiction and agree to participate in a cross-sector base of leaders beyond their jurisdiction to make a case for civic organizing.
- Determine criteria for stage 1 based upon practice that advances a civic organizing approach.
Stage 2 – Demonstrate the Capacity of a Cross-Sector Base
Overarching Goals
- Sustain criteria for stage 1 while achieving stage 2 goals.
- Expand the civic organizing agency to include the diversity of interests needed to organize a broader civic infrastructure within the jurisdiction while sustaining governing membership within a larger cross-sector base.
- Develop an educational track within the jurisdiction in alignment with the Civic Organizing Framework. The outcome develops the internal capacity to organize a civic infrastructure to achieve particular goals while having a common approach to work with a cross-sector base committed to addressing issues that impact the common good.
- Members of the base are able to:
- Define the need for a new approach to policy making as it applies to institutional governance and capacity to achieve goals.
- Demonstrate how the use of civic organizing disciplines produces a new approach to policy-civic policy making-while achieving particular goals.
- Document outcomes and develop a civic policy agenda that shows the potential for civic organizing to restructure existing approaches to policy making within each jurisdiction and in the larger society.
- Sustain flexible ways to expand the base that includes recruiting new institutional members.
- Determine criteria for stage 2 based upon practice that advances a civic organizing approach.
Stage 3 – Influence Existing Approaches to Public Policy
Overarching Goals
- Sustain criteria for stage 1 and 2 while achieving goals for stage 3.
- The civic policy agenda is implemented at a scale that aims to transform and sustain institutions as the foundation for a strong civic infrastructure.
- Evidence that the civic policy agenda is impacting existing approaches to policy and practice outside of the base.
- Develop criteria for stage 3 based upon practice that advances a civic organizing approach.
Stage 4 – Sustain Civic Institutions and the Civic Policy Agenda into Next Generation
Overarching Goals
- Members have driven civic organizing deep into the fabric of their own institutions, have sustained a cross-sector civic organizing initiative whose civic policy agenda makes a case for civic organizing into the next generation of leadership.
- Stages 1 to 3 can be replicated in other locations to produce a larger scale of influence.
- Develop criteria for fourth stage from practice that will advance civic organizing into next generation.
