Brett Banter

Something is happening in your community that just lights a fire under you. It makes you furious. It gets under your skin and it itches and burns until you want to scream, and scream some more. You tell your neighbors and your friends and you complain to your family. But guess what? Until someone steps up to the plate, nothing is going to change.

A constant state of peaceful, blissful cooperation when multiple people with different ideas and agendas all have to coexist is virtually next to impossible to ever achieve. Controversy in local communities is nothing new, and it happens each and every day. You’ve probably experienced anger, or at the very least frustration, over a community issue at some point in your lifetime.

That’s where the grassroots movement comes in. Whether it’s speaking out for or against a piece of legislation, or campaigning for something you strongly believe in, or asking your government to intervene in an issue that needs attention, you literally have untapped power at your fingertips to make change happen…. you just have to think strategically!

Case Study: Several years ago, our company helped build a coalition to oppose the construction of a new mega landfill in Spartanburg County, giving it the clever and memorable moniker F.O.U.L. (Friends Opposing Unnecessary Landfills). As part of the effort, Brett recruited elected officials and key community leaders to publicly fight this issue, speaking out against it at appropriate venues and events. We incorporated these spokesperson opportunities with collateral materials and key press conferences scheduled around community visibility. The result was an exceptional campaign that branded the coalition, gave it a name, and ultimately gave F.O.U.L. the advantage to win the dispute.

Had the supporters of the mega landfill succeeded, millions of tons of out-of- state garbage would have been brought into the county, in exchange for millions of dollars going into the county’s pocketbook. Because of the coalition’s strong, permeable grassroots movement, county officials denied the petition.

So when it comes to grassroots organizing, you have a number of tactics to consider:

• Create and distribute your own one-page fact sheets or flyers
• Call your legislator’s office and ask to meet him/her in person
• Recruit others to your cause by hosting tables, booths, or handing out literature where appropriate
• Write a letter to the editor and have as many other people as you can write letters as well
• Seek out key elected officials or local influential people who support your cause and ask them to publicly back you
• “Bird-dog”, or show up at an elected official or issue ‘decision-maker’s’ event to influence others (try to avoid personal attacks or outward displays of anger)
• Create visuals – posters, signs, stickers, buttons
• Create a viral, pass-along email campaign
• Post in any online discussion forum you can find related to your issue
• Get on the social media train and create Facebook and Twitter pages for your campaign, or write articles and post them to Digg and other similar article sharing sites

The above grassroots strategies are just a starting point, and when using them you should carefully consider the overall impact on your particular campaign and what you hope to accomplish. Be prepared to talk to the press. You should always have a designated spokesperson and talking points prepared ahead of time. Making a grassroots campaign a success can be an extremely rewarding task, especially as you watch your efforts swell and gain momentum! Happy campaigning!