Community Mapping & Power Analysis

1. Community Mapping & Power Analysis

2. 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)

3. ? 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

4. Culture & Language Public Institutions/Agencies Shared Stories/History/Tradition Community Groups Informal Networks Impacted by a demographic, economic and social environment. Community Mapping Step 1:What defines and shapes your community?

5. Public Sector Institutions • Health Care • Social Services • Schools • Police/Justice • Politicians Service Organizations • Health care services • Housing services • Immigrant services • Issue advocacy groups • Food shelves/shelters • Counseling centers • Senior support • Family support • Child care/development • Crisis intervention Opportunity/Threat Environment Our Community • Private Businesses • Hospitals • Key employers • Banks • Developers • Manufacturing • Retail • Informal Networks • By culture • By activity • By geography • By unique skill • By service Community Organizations/Associations • Religious institutions • Cultural organizations • Unions • Business associations • Neighborhood groups • Youth organizations • Mutual support groups • Sports leagues • Fraternal organizations • Anti-tax/govt. groups

6. 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 Opportunity/Threat Environment What does your community look like? What does it face?

7. Why am I collecting this information? What do I want to use it for? Community Mapping Step 2:Narrow your scope and keep in mind: 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.

8. Other Potential Allies Other Stakeholders Core Constituencies Finding potential allies

9. Identify capacity: resources/assets Determine interest Identify relationships with other groups/parties Community Mapping Step 3:Reach out and inventory community assets and resources

10. Person Infrastructure Business Financial Expert knowledge Relationships or access What are Community Assets?

11. Our Organizing Challenge: 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.

12. ! 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.

13. Developing Strategic Issue Campaigns Building Power to Win on Our Issues

14. 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

15. 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 Strategic Planning

16. Overall Strategic Goal • This is your overall “victory” goal • Be concrete about the issue or problem to be solved? (Hint: this is harder than you think) • Be concreteand specificin order to identify a solution.

17. What’s your capacity? (Organization or coalition) Strengths Weaknesses What is the political environment you are operating in? Opportunities Threats SWOT Analysis

18. Strategy • 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.

19. Who do we need & What do we need to do to win?

20. Power Analysis & Mapping This is a powerful tool to analyze power relationships and help develop a strategy for winning.

21. Definitions: 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 Allies = Organized groups who support our agenda Organized Opposition = Organized groups who oppose our agenda

22. TARGETS Primary Targets = The people/groups who can actually make the decisions to change or resolve the problem. Secondary Targets = The people/groups who can influence the decision makers

23. 10 Decisive Decision making Power or Influence 8 Active Participant in Decision-making Amount of Power 6 Power to have Major Influence on decision-making 4 Taken into Account Position or Perspective on our Agenda 3 Can Get Attention 1 Not on Radar Die Hard Support Active Support Inclined Towards Inclined Against Active Against Die Hard Against Power Map

24. Key Influencers • 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.

25. Next Steps 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 responsibilitiesand a timeline with deadlines for action and outreach.

26. Key Messages • 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

27. Assign who is responsible The most effective activities and actions to demonstrate and leverage our power Key decision makers and outreach targets A timeline for the campaign with each action and activity How many resources – time, people, and money – will it take? Putting it all in a plan Who will do What to Whom When for How much?