Post on 29-Dec-2015
Retirement Insecurity
Savi
ngs -
IRAs
hav
e be
en d
ecim
ated
by re
cess
ion
Loss of Home equity – speculative
mortgages, hom
e equity lines of credit &
reverse mortgages
Pensions – Eliminated thanks
to corporate restructuring
Soci
al S
ecur
ity –
pro
pose
d
cuts
to b
enefi
ts
We need to Expand Not Cut Social
Security
Social Security Social Security
CCC & Retirement Security
There was a fight in Washington with all the usual suspects: Liberal and Conservative think tanks, Labor unions & corporate lobbyists. CCC was asked to engage organizations that have deep relationships in communities and could bring everyday Americans into the debate – real people .
First we picked states & groups for a set of varied reasons:
• States that factor large in Presidential politics: IA, NH, (early primaries ), OH – key battleground
• We wanted states where Senators were in ( or will be in ) tough races and would need to take a stand: ( 2012) ME, MO, MT, VA, FL, ( 2014 ) MI, NC
• We wanted a few places with key Congressional champions IL ( Schakowsky), MN, ( Ellison) WA, ( Murray), OH ( Brown), IA ( Harkin)
• We wanted to bring in some states and communities that
other national groups were not adequately engaging: AL, LA and Manufactured Home Park Communities
2011 -2012: 445 events. , 12,900 directly engaged
221,000 people have received multiple emails, phone calls and hard
copy newsletters with information about Social Security.
Roughly 3,177,000 people have on multiple occasions listened to,
read, or seen on TV media coverage from our perspective or
covering events organized by our partners.
An additional 20 million or more have read, watched or heard
media coverage of a few breakthrough events conducted by our field
partners.
Lots of Activity in 2012
Michigan, North CarolinaWashington State all added in 2013
Our Theory of Change Good information isn’t enough – Think Tanks Never
Change Policy on their own, We need to educate, mobilize and organize real people to build power to make change.
Stories are powerful - Lift up people’s real experiences
Defense is a losing plan – We need an offense: Social Security Can and Should be Improved
Action Is Essential & Making People in Government Uncomfortable is Usually Necessary
Change is not made over night – we need a committed cadre of grassroots leaders who will own & carry the fight
• With few exceptions, the real local leaders are completely unknown outside of the community.
• Many people may know the names of the top local labor leader or banker or businessman, but rarely do we know the names of the many natural leaders who possess a following of twenty or thirty people.
Saul Alinsky
Why Grassroots Ambassadors ?
Why Grassroots Ambassadors ?
Well Intentioned Policy People Can Not Make Change On Their own, We need peer Organizers and Educators to Get Out the Word and the Information, To Excite and Mobilize Their Families, Neighbors, and Networks – Real People Make Change
Stories are powerful - Lift up our own stories and each others – see our experiences in other people’s lives
Change is not made over night – we need a committed cadre of grassroots leaders who will own & carry the fight
Grassroots Ambassadors
Peer Organizing: Tabling , speaking at community meetings to recruit & inform other people, informally recruiting other people through social networks, and structured outreach such as phone banking list, canvassing neighborhoods
Advocacy: Persuading & Motivating local institutional leaders, mayors, state representatives to make them agents of change for our cause – getting them pointed at our targets
Spokespeople: Get our message & the policy content out in the media to shift the public and the politician’s idea of what is possible
More Change Requires More Action
Michigan,
North Carolina
Washington State
all added in 2013
Grassroots Ambassadors Allow Us To: Reduce Dependence On Staff, Get More Done, Reach More People Change the Public’s Idea of What Is Possible