Articulating a Theory of Change
Every day there are hundreds of petitions, call-your-legislator emails, and other requests for grassroots action sent across the Internet. What makes some of them spread like wildfire while others are ignored? It’s not enough to rely on the emotional impact of the message or even the timing. Effective online organizing today requires a working theory of change: A concrete theory of how people taking the action you ask them to take could lead to the desired result. This 75 minute session will use real life examples to explain a theory of change and how you can articulate one in your next online action.
Stephanie Taylor is the co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) and organizing director of Change Congress. She started her career as a field organizer in the Midwest and Appalachia for SEIU District 1199. Four years later, she entered the field of online organizing. Her experience includes positions at the AFL-CIO, the Democratic National Committee and MoveOn.org. She was also the field and GOTV director for Rep. Tom Perriello's (D-VA) winning 2008 campaign against Virgil Goode, and an early senior adviser with that campaign.
