American Medical Student Association

Grassroots Organizing

Project Planning

• AMSA Project Planning Tool
• View our Grassroots Local Project Showcase

Grassroots Organizing - Development & Theory

Downloadable PDFs

• Marshall Ganz: Why Stories Matter – (Sojourner’s Magazine, Mar 2009) 
  Marshall Ganz, who developed much of the strategy for the Obama Campaign of 2008, discusses in this article the importance of story-telling in organizing efforts.
• Luis Manriquez: A Reflection on Work with the Sound Alliance
  Luis is a medical student at the Univ of Washington who discusses his organizing experience with the Sound Alliance.
• 10 General Strategies for Grassroots Organizing with Medical Students
  Practical suggestions compiled by past AMSA Grassroots Team 
• Community Development: Basic Pointers
  Developed by the 2010-2012 Health Justice Fellow, Sonia Lazreg, to guide organizers through the initial process of building a network of allies within a community. 
• “Organizing 101” - Training Session 
  Shared with us by The Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR). Can be modified depending on group size & time constraints.

Websites

• National Service Resources e-Organizer
• Progressive Communicators Network
• Smart Meme

Books

• Reveille for Radicals (1946). 2nd edition 1969, Vintage Books
  Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals (1971)
  (1946). 2nd edition 1969, Vintage Books (1971) by Saul D. Alinsky
• Roots for Radicals: Organizing for Power, Action, and Justice (Continuum International Publishing Group, 2003) by Ed Chambers
• Why David Sometimes Wins: Leadership, Organization, and Strategy in the California Farm Worker Movement. Oxford University Press, 2009 by Marshall Ganz
• You Can't Be Neutral On A Moving Train: A Personal History of Our Times (1994) by Howard Zinn
• Roots for Radicals: Organizing for Power, Action, and Justice. Continuum International Publishing Group, 2003 & The Power of Relational Action. ACTA Publications, 2009 by Ed Chambers
• Don't Think of an Elephant!: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate--The Essential Guide for Progressives (2001). Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 2004 by George Lakoff
• Organizing for Social Change: Midwest Academy Manual for Activists. The Forum Press, 2001 by Kim Bobo, Jackie Kendall, Steve Max
• Stir It Up: Lessons in Community Organizing and Advocacy by Rinku Sen
  
• The Activist Cookbook: Creative Actions for a Fair Economy by Andrew Boyd