Power Building

Powerful organizations accomplish more.

They are more capable of achieving policy goals, strengthening their member base, and increasing their fundraising. The State Environmental Leadership Program provides its members the opportunity to build their power through grasstops development, power assessment and power mapping.

"This is the best tool we could have right now to really drill down and to win the votes we need to win. We now have an in-depth campaign plan that focuses on three target districts. It also trained a new leadership team on how to implement this program in all future campaigns. Hilary was the impetus and the know-how that we needed to switch our way of doing business and get a winning plan."
- Traci Sheehan Van Thull, Planning and Conservation League

What is grasstops development?

Grasstops are influential people who your organization can count on to weigh in on important environmental issues. Most advocacy organizations involve grasstops in their work already. Grasstops often author letters to the editor, act as spokespeople for a cause, or contact decision makers directly at key moments. However, few organizations have methods of strategically identifying areas where they need to build grasstops relationships, finding new grasstops leaders, and sustaining engagement with grasstops.SELP’s grasstops program helps organizations develop systems to address these needs and build a systematic, sustainable, and strategic grasstops network. By consistently growing its grasstops base in these ways, an organization builds its power.

"The SELP grasstops program has helped the OEC build the concept of "grasstops" throughout our organization, from water or energy policy to our legislative advocacy. In our business it's all about "relationships," and by institutionalizing the idea of grasstops, it helps all of our staff in all of their campaigns."
- Keith Dimoff, Ohio Environmental Council

What is power assessment?

Power assessment is a data driven analysis of how much power or influence an organization has. It also analyzes the characteristics of that power. An assessment can help an organization choose campaigns and target power building efforts. Because the process is data driven, it can make an organization aware of important shifts and trends that may have not been previously perceived. It gives an organization a chance to step away from campaign-level thinking and critically look at the organization as a whole. Though this exercise is similar to those done by many electoral groups, it is actually a c3 activity used by many grassroots organizations to strategically decide how to increase their organization’s power.

What is power mapping?

Power mapping is a strategic exercise aimed at a particular campaign. By assessing how much power or influence an organization has over the target of a campaign and identifying where that power comes from, the organization can more strategically plan the campaign. The process can identify where the organization can spend its efforts to be most successful and efficient. By viewing campaign planning through a power mapping lens, an organization can be sure that it will be more powerful at the end of a campaign, regardless of whether the campaign was won or lost.

What is strategic communications?

Effective communications, speaking to your audience in a way they will hear and understand, is crucial both to advancing progressive environmental policy and to growing organizations. It is important that all areas (program, membership, organizing, etc.) of an organization understand and utilize strategic communication concepts so that all the organization’s messages are consistent and coordinated. The goal of SELP’s strategic communications program is to assist our members in improving their communication capabilities by building off of and adding to their existing communications efforts.

"Ultimately the strength of an organization's program work equals the strength of its fundraising and vice versa. SELP's Grasstops Development Program provides skills that will enable you to build relationships that will strengthen both. By strategically creating partnerships with grasstops leaders and maintaining them in a meaningful way, an organization increases its power both to win program goals and to engage those leaders in financial support as well."
- Kim Gilliam, Fox Mountain Consulting

How can an organization benefit from power building trainings?

Better ability to prioritize programmatic and power building goals
Ability to create more targeted campaigns
Increased fundraising potential through grasstops networks
Greater effectiveness in campaign goals due to increased organizational power
More efficient use of time and financial resources use because of strategically allocated efforts
Stronger organization after each campaign regardless of winning or losing
Better poised to cope with economic or programmatic challenges

For more information about increasing your organization’s power through these trainings, please e-mail Marissa Degroot, mdegroot at selp.org