Community Organizing 102: Building Powerful Campaigns

LEARNING AREA: Community Organizing and Planning
May. 2026
20
MKI Training
In person

Instructor:

Sarah Horsley & Melinda Vega

9:30am

Duration:

5 hours 30 minutes

Location

TBA
Boston, MA

Description

“Community Organizing 102: Building Powerful Campaigns” is a hands-on workshop on creating campaigns that both achieve wins and build the abilities of grassroots leaders. Instructors Sarah Horsley and Melinda Vega will delve into the many stages of campaigns, including research, education and mobilization, negotiation, protest/struggle, achieving wins, and celebration/follow up. Using interactive exercises and case studies, this workshop will offer concrete approaches and tools for power analysis, strategy design, managing coalitions, and messaging. Threaded throughout, we will emphasize the role of the organizer as coach, who supports community leaders to be the true drivers of campaigns. This training is intended for staff members and community leaders who have some experience in community engagement and organizing.

Participants will gain a deeper understanding of:

  • developing power analysis and campaign strategy collaboratively with community leaders
  • how leadership development, organizing, advocacy, and coalition-building work together to build power in marginalized communities
  • case studies of grassroots organizing campaigns

Participants will gain hands-on skills and/or resources in:

  • specific mobilization, negotiation, messaging, and protest tactics that groups have used to achieve affordable housing, jobs, and other community demands
  • ways to support community leaders in building skills and confidence in areas such as advocacy with policymakers and speaking to the media

MKI will provide coffee and pastries in the morning lunch in the afternoon.

Registration deadline

Registration fee

Regular $100, MACDC Member $50, Student/Americorps/Intern $25