Organizing: Overview

Models for Lobby-specific Non-Profits

Successful political organizing requires a lot of things different pieces to work, all at the same time. Things like effective communication, influential tactics, recruiting a committed membership base and a securing source of fund raising all paly into the odds of a campaign's success. Probably the the more difficult question facing an organizer, whether an executive director or a simple campus organizer, is how best to maximize these basic pieces; while also weighting factors such as political context and organizational capacity.

Different groups, clearly, will organize a campaign differently based on certain judgements. Groups like MassPIRG - the subject of this paper - have a specific focus on public policy lobbying. What that means is that MassPIRG, along with other public interest lobbies like USPIRG, Sierra Club and Greenpeace have adopted a strategy of influencing the legislative process by show of popular support and pressure tactics targeted at elected officials. These types of non-profits rely on large memberships and traditional voting constituencies, and thereby tend to use organizing methods that emphasizes large turnout and high visibility. To maximize these organizing goals, there are two basic organizing models: the Canvass and the Relational Model. This paper is now going to examine these two methods of organizing, since MassPIRG uses both methods.

Since MassPIRG, as a statewide organization, has two separate units. First, there is the Student PIRGs, which are made up of the university chapters, which UMass-Amherst is a part of, and represent student political goals. This arm of MassPIRG is primarily funded through the aforementioned student fee, and is the primary focus of this paper. The other is the Citizen PIRG; which is oriented more toward issues faced by the general public, such as water quality and consumer protection. This part of MassPIRG is primarily funded through a summer canvass. The reason why I make these organizational distinctions is because they illustrate a clear contrast in organizing models. More specifically, understanding the basic components of these two models is essential to understanding MassPIRG's recruitment model.

The following section will detail the Canvass and Relational models of organizing in a somewhat dichotomous fashion. The first possible method of high turnout and high visibility organizing is the Canvass Model. Relatively new in the scope of political organizing, canvassing offices are staffed with full-time directors, who hire and direct canvassers to solicit regular donations from the general population. As noted above, the Citizen arm of MassPIRG relies on a statewide summer canvass for funding, and focuses more on general public interest initiatives that enjoy popular support; examples include food safety and clean water campaigns.

In contrast is the second branch is the Student PIRGs, which utilizes a more relational method of organizing. Relational organizing models rely less on an organized, heiarical staff and more on horizontally-cutting, interpersonal bonds between members as the foundation for its coordination and action. The Student section of MassPIRG takes after this template. This is possible in part because this division of MassPIRG is funded through the student fee. This allows both more time and energy to be devoted to program work rather than fund raising, and partially insulates the groups from political winds, allowing students to take on more controversial or politicized issues. Examples of this include the Student PIRG's Global Warming Solutions and Save Dafur campaigns. Both the canvass and the relational methods come with their advantages and disadvantages.

Since MassPIRG utilizes both types of organizing, and they often have points of intersection, it is necessary to examine the relative merits of both templates. First, we will examine how lobby-specific non-profit's utilize canvassers, and the effects the format can have. Next, we will explore the relational organizing model, and pursue a similar analysis.