query: hiring organizers--funding

[colist-admin at comm-org.utoledo.edu]

[ed:  I am going to split this discussion into two threads--the funding 
question and the what is organizing question.  This message contains 
Sarah's and Doug's responses to the funding question.]

From: "Planned Parenthood" <sstand at gwi.net>


In response to:
 >
 > Organizing is - or ought to be - about generating the constituency
 > resources it takes to assert constituency interests. Going to more elite
 > founations for heftier handouts does nothing to build a stronger base
 > of support for democratic organizing. There's no free lunch. This is one
 > the reason it is so important to attract committed and talented people
 > to to organizing work (not because the salaries are "competitive" -
 > they never will be - but because it offers a real opportunity to make a
 > difference) and why rebuilding democratic institutions that are self-
 > sustaining, like unions, is so important. Marshall
 >

I agree that we need to be building a sustainable base-not relying on
foundations for handouts , but I think it is absolutely wrong to avoid the
issue of salaries by saying "there is no free lunch." Organizers must eat,
and they must raise families. (being committed doesn't get you very far in
terms of rent and food) Why are there so few women organizers and organizers
of color? I believe it is because we have not pushed our community based
organizations to prioritize fair, and even generous, salaries for staff.
This organizing culture makes it extremely difficult to continue in the work
and thus--become a mentor for younger staff. Prioritizing good salaries and
benefits so that the work can continue and we can train and build and ever
increasing and diverse cadre of organizers--now--that's sustainable.

Sarah Standiford
Portland, Maine

*********************

From: "Doug Hess" <DHess at frac.org>
To: <colist at coserver.sa.utoledo.edu>
Subject: Re: Colist digest, Vol 1 #316 - 4 msgs
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John Bean wrote:
"Given that working class communities do support some sorts of organizing, 
why do we continually have to turn to foundations, canvassing upper income 
neighborhoods, and other non-community based entities or strategies to 
support even modest salaries for the kind of organizing discussed in the list?"

Again, I'm not so sure that this "let's just fund ourselves idea" is going 
to work (or has worked).  Examples from the 1920s that don't exist now 
might tell us something.  Labor unions have often not organized the poorest 
and disconnected, storefront churches may be examples of local community 
building, but not really the same as organizing power around complex local, 
regional and national policy and market institutions.  Again, I don't think 
the empirical evidence is there.


Doug Hess
Food Research and Action Center
Senior Policy Analyst
1875 Connecticut Ave, NW #540
Washington, DC 20009
ph. 202-986-2200 ext 3004
fax 202-986-2525
http://www.frac.org