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1. Getting Started: The Assessment Phase
• Who (or what geographic area) do we want to organize?
• Why do we want to organize this group/area?
• What problems can we already identify?
• Who will be involved in the organizing effort?
• What do we know about our community/issue?
• What are strengths?
• What are weaknesses?
• Who do we already know that we can involve?
• What is our self-interest in wanting to organize this group?
• What is their self-interest in becoming involved? Why would it make sense for them to become involved?
• What are some of the end results we hope to achieve?
• What resources do we already have?
• What challenges and/or obstacles do we know about?
• What is everyone involved willing and able to contribute to this effort?
2. Outreach
• How will we conduct outreach?
• Who is responsible?
• When will outreach be done?
• What is our timeline for outreach?
• What will the focus of our outreach be? What will we ask people about? What do we hope to share with them?
• Do volunteers involved in outreach need training and practice?
• What do we want to happen after the initial outreach? (Form a group, increase involvement, have new set of issues identified, etc.)
• When is our goal to have our first meeting/event/action?
• How will we identify major issues?
• How will we facilitate developing an action plan with the group?
• What else do we need to know to work on this issue?
