Strategy & Organizing
A plan to win: Building a movement, Strategy and Moving Emotions
You want to solve a social problem. But meetings, one-off actions, or petitions alone won’t get you there. You need a plan to win. And you need a way to turn the anger and grief of those who agree with you into bottom-up power.
But how do you do that? How do you get people active, and how do you develop a campaign strategy? That’s where we come in.
Through our trainings you’ll learn the methods that helped successful movements win. Women’s voting rights, better wages, affordable housing, a less racist Netherlands: none of it happened by accident. Learn how to create your own plan to win, and how to get far more people engaged in your organization in a way that builds the political pressure needed to force change.
Our training offer consists of three standard trainings: How to Build a Movement, Campaign Strategy, and Moving Emotions. In addition, we can design and facilitate strategy sessions, brainstorm with you, join panel discussions, or create tailored trainings to fit your needs.
1. How to build a movementPeople power is more than just a slogan! In this training you’ll learn how to use the organizing method to get people active in your organization or campaign. We’ll show you how to turn people’s time, skills, and resources into real political pressure. That’s how we work toward solving social problems. Based on the theme you’re working on, you’ll learn:
| This workshop is usually offered as a full-day training, facilitated by two trainers with extensive experience as organizers. If preferred, it can also be shortened to cover only selected modules. The trainers facilitating this workshop can also provide advice and guidance on how to apply the organizing method within your campaign. Guides affiliated with this training: |
2. Campaign strategyLearn what it takes to develop a strategy that gets you from today’s problem to tomorrow’s solution, and how to move from protest to the kind of political pressure that truly drives change. In this one-day training, you’ll learn to use strategic tools that help you design strong campaigns; tools that not only help you win a campaign, but also strengthen your own organization. You’ll learn:
| This workshop is usually offered as a full-day training, facilitated by two trainers with extensive experience in campaign strategy. If preferred, it can also be shortened to cover part of the modules in depth while the others are only introduced. The trainers facilitating this workshop can also provide advice and guidance on strategic questions. Guides affiliated with this training: 198 Non-violent action methodsThe inverted triangleThe tactical starLadders of engagementMobilization |
3. Moving emotionsKnowledge alone isn’t enough, feelings also play a crucial role in social change. This workshop is designed to create space for that, in a non-spiritual way. Emotions not only matter when motivating people who are not yet active; within active groups, too, some emotions are constructive, while others are not. In this four-hour workshop, we explore what emotions can mean, both internally and externally, for your campaign strategy and your way of organizing. By the end of the workshop, you will:
| This workshop can be offered as an open session for people active on different issues within a broader theme, such as climate justice or the housing struggle. It can also be offered in-house for a specific group. The Moving Emotions workshop is usually offered as a half-day session, facilitated by two trainers. If preferred, it can also be shortened to focus on one module in depth while the others are only introduced. |
Peter Kodde (he/him) is a trainer, co-founder of Stroomversnellers, and an experienced strategist who loves to think along about winning campaigns, building movements, setting up new organizations and coalitions, using social media, and designing effective protest events. Peter has over 25 years of experience running campaigns on construction projects, fossil fuels, and deforestation. He helped shut down the Groningen gas tap, supported local groups that stopped shale gas extraction, and organized climate marches.
Peter also worked for ten years as a senior organizer at Milieudefensie. |  |
Other optionsDo you want advice on a strategic challenge, or are you struggling with a specific question about activating your base? We’re here to help. This can take the form of an advisory conversation, joining a strategy session, conducting research, or providing written advice. We can also work with your organization over a longer period of time, supporting your strategic processes from the inside, combining advising, training, and facilitating strategic discussions in a seamless way. | Guides affiliated with other options: The movement action plan Four roles in social change Turn your meeting into effective volunteer recruitmentAn effective petition for a winning campaign Mobilization |