Step-by-Step Organizer Toolkit for the People's Campaign for the Constitution
- Step 1: Reach Out (see below)
- Step 2: Build a Coalition
- Step 3: Hold Representatives Accountable
- PCC Resources
Step 1: Reach Out
Objective: Invite people you know to work with you on the local campaign and plan further outreach
1. Join the PCC and recruit new members
- Join the PCC.
- View the map of members to see how many people from your community have joined. Contact us to find out how to get in touch with other local PCC members.
- Send e-mails to your lists of friends and colleagues, and post to your blog.
- Distribute literature at meetings and events and post fliers on community bulletin boards.
- About the PCC brochure and half-page flier
- General flier with tear-off tabs
- Congress's Complicity in Constitutional Violations flier
- The "War on Terror" and the Constitution booklet (Printed copies available for $3 plus shipping; bulk discounts available.)
- See more resources...
2. Hold an initial meeting
Once you’ve started spreading the word about the PCC and gotten a few local members, hold a meeting to plan your local strategy. This first meeting may be just a few interested friends and family members, but your focus should be on recruiting new members to help with the campaign. See our sample agenda for ideas on how to run your first local PCC meeting.
Brainstorm potential coalition members and decide which members will make initial contacts. If your members are involved with or have contacts within potential coalition partner organizations, see if you can make a presentation about the PCC at those groups’ next meetings. If you’re not sure whom to contact, here are some likely allies:
- Local chapters of national organizations
- Teachers, professors, students, and student groups
- Librarians
- Attorneys
- Political party chapters
- Civic groups and neighborhood associations
- Religious leaders
- Activist groups
- Local unions
- Groups that have been victims of ”war on terror” laws and policies
- Organizations that work to address “war on terror” policies or human rights abuses
You’ll also want to make sure that your local coalition represents a diverse cross-section of your community, politically and demographically. Having a diverse core group helps build a broad coalition and show candidates and representatives that there is broad support for your agenda.
You may want to assign certain tasks to subcommittees. We have provided a list of subcommittees to consider.
3. Reach out to community members and local groups about the PCC strategy
Implement the outreach plan you developed at your initial meeting. Prepare a presentation that explains the PCC and how it can work in your community, and present it at meetings of potential coalition partner groups. Ask members to join the PCC and enlist the organizations’ partnership in your local coalition.
If you have subcommittees, these outreach efforts and presentations can be assigned to the Outreach Committee. We have provided the following resources to help with your outreach efforts:
- FAQ: On the Strategy of The PCC
- Honing the Message of the PCC and Challenging the “War on Terror” Rhetoric
- Sign-up page for PCC partner organizations
4. Analyze the power bases of your coalition and your representative
Find out who funds and supports your representative as well as who supports the PCC in your congressional district. Use these questions and tools for assessing your power.
