Midwest Academy Strategy Chart

After choosing your issue, fill in this chart as a guide to developing strategy. Be specific. List all the possibilities.

Goals Organizational Considerations Constitutents, Allies and Opponents Targets Tactics

1. List the long-term objectives of your campaign.
2. State the intermediate goals for this issue campaign. What constitutes victory?
How will the campaign
* Win concrete improvements in people's lives?
* Give people a sense of their own power?
*Alter the relations of power?
3. What short-term or partial victories can you win as steps towards your long-term goal?
1. List the resources that your organization brings to the campaign. Include: money, number of staff, facilities, reputation, canvass, etc.
What is the budget, including in-kind contributions, for this campaign?
2. List the specific ways in which you want your organization to be strengthened by this campaign. Fill in numbers for each:
*Expand leadership group
*Increase experience of existing leadership
*Expand into new constituencies.
*Raise new money
3. List internal problems that have to be considered if the campaign is to succeed.

1. Who cares about this issue enough to join in or help the organization?
*Whose problem is it?
*What do they gain if you win?
*What risks are they taking?
*What power do they have over the target?
*Into what groups are they organized?
2. Who are your opponents?
*What will your victory cost them?
*What will they do/spend to oppose you?
*How strong are they?

1. Primary Targets
A target is always a person. It is never an institution or elected body.
* Who has the power to give you what you want?
*What power do you have over them?
2. Secondary Targets
*Who has power over the people with the power to give you what you want?
* What power do you have over them?
1. For each target, list the tactics that each constituent group can best use to make its power felt.
Tactics must be:
--In context
--Flexible and creative
--Directed at a specific target
--Make sense to the membership
--Be backed up by a specific form of power
Tactics include:
--Media events
--Actions for information and demands
--Public hearings
--Strikes
--Voter registration and voter education
--Law suits
--Accountability sessions
--Elections
--Negotiations

Goals	Organizational Considerations	Constitutents, Allies and Opponents	Targets	Tactics
1. List the long-term objectives of your campaign. 2. State the intermediate goals for this issue campaign. What constitutes victory? How will the campaign * Win concrete improvements in people's lives? * Give people a sense of their own power? *Alter the relations of power? 3. What short-term or partial victories can you win as steps towards your long-term goal?	1. List the resources that your organization brings to the campaign. Include: money, number of staff, facilities, reputation, canvass, etc. What is the budget, including in-kind contributions, for this campaign? 2. List the specific ways in which you want your organization to be strengthened by this campaign. Fill in numbers for each: Expand leadership group Increase experience of existing leadership Expand into new constituencies. Raise new money 3. List internal problems that have to be considered if the campaign is to succeed.	1. Who cares about this issue enough to join in or help the organization? Whose problem is it? What do they gain if you win? What risks are they taking? What power do they have over the target? Into what groups are they organized? 2. Who are your opponents? What will your victory cost them? What will they do/spend to oppose you? How strong are they?	1. Primary Targets A target is always a person. It is never an institution or elected body. * Who has the power to give you what you want? What power do you have over them? 2. Secondary Targets Who has power over the people with the power to give you what you want? * What power do you have over them?	1. For each target, list the tactics that each constituent group can best use to make its power felt. Tactics must be: --In context --Flexible and creative --Directed at a specific target --Make sense to the membership --Be backed up by a specific form of power Tactics include: --Media events --Actions for information and demands --Public hearings --Strikes --Voter registration and voter education --Law suits --Accountability sessions --Elections --Negotiations

Midwest Academy
225 West Ohio, Suite 220
Chicago, IL 60610