How to organize

[RWalker]

The first task of an organizer is to convey the organizational message to the targeted citizenry. This requires that we design the message so that it speaks to the concerns and needs of the citizenry we are trying to organize.

To facilitate this goal we must make sure organizers are well informed with the most up – to- date information on the general situation of our global citizenry and the specific situations of each citizen’s local milieu. This requires, first and foremost, the collective study and analysis of historical and contemporary matters affecting Africa and Africans and also proper theoretical information. Further it requires that the knowledge gained through this process must be tested and evaluated in the context of actual interaction with the peoples themselves. It is only then will the message truly be on target.

Massage the message into various formats, types and so forth to have the maximum reach amongst the citizenry. At the same time our message will be altered and qualified by the contact with the people, the citizenry, because in contact with them we will be gaining new knowledge all the time. It is not a one way street the organizer conveys information to the citizenry however the individual citizens, and the citizenry en masse, are also educating the organizer.


Use Customer Resource Management (CRM) – type approach in recruiting and persuading African to embrace their responsibility to be a conscientious citizen of Africa and the world. That is record / track every aspect of each contact between organizers and individual citizens, compile a database with the essential contact information for each individual citizen. Use the data to analyze the effectiveness of the organizer – citizen contact. Develop training formats and methods that can address specific weaknesses and shortcoming of an individual organizer that the analysis identifies. This data should also be used to critique the effectiveness of the message and message delivery system.

To convey the message to a mass audience we must optimize our meetings, events and programs. Get the most from your meetings, events and programs through careful and thorough planning, professional execution and attention to quality at each and every level of the meeting, event, or program. Perform a collective evaluation of each event, program, and meeting; and devise improvements based on the evaluation.

APPENDIX
Example approaches to organizing meetings, programs, and events taken from the academic world.



Running an Effective Meeting

Careful planning is the secret to running an effective meeting. Poorly planned or unplanned meetings are typically viewed as boring, unproductive, and a waste of time. However, with proper planning any meeting can be productive and fun. The following steps will guide you in planning a meeting that is informative and enjoyable to all members.

Before the meeting:

Define the purpose of the meeting. A meeting without a purpose is like a class without an instructor. The purpose is the reason why people come to the meetings. Without a purpose, members may feel that their time was wasted and it could discourage their return to the organization.

Develop an agenda.

(Sample Agenda)
I. Call to Order
II. Correction & Approval of Minutes from Last Meeting
III. Announcements
IV. Officer / Committee Reports
V. Unfinished Business
VI. New Business
VII. Special Announcements
VIII. Adjournment

Choose an appropriate meeting time. Set a time limit and stick to it.

Distribute the agenda and any other materials before the meeting so that members can be prepared.

The location of the meeting is very important. Choose a location that is easy for members to find... Be sure to select a location that will accommodate the size of your organization. Take time to check out the room prior to your meeting to ensure that the space is appropriate.

Be sure that everyone knows where and when the meeting will be held. If possible, hold meetings at the same time and place every week.

During the meeting:

Greet members to make them feel welcome and be sure to introduce any new members.

If possible, serve light refreshments.

Start on time. End on time.

Follow the agenda.

Encourage discussion so that you get different ideas and viewpoints. Remember that the organization belongs to all of the members. When members see that their ideas have an impact on the decision-making process, their commitment to the organization is increased.

Keep the discussion on topic and moving towards an eventual decision.

Keep minutes of the meeting for future reference in case a question or problem arises.

The leader or facilitator should model leadership skills such as staying on task, listening, valuing members, and appreciating diverse points of view.



After the meeting:

Write up and distribute the minutes within 2-3 days. Quick action reinforces the importance of the meeting.

Discuss any problems that may have surfaced during the meeting ...so that improvements can be made.

Follow up on delegated tasks. Make sure that members understand and carry out their responsibilities.

Put unfinished business on the agenda for the next meeting.

Most importantly, give recognition and appreciation to the members for excellent and timely progress!









Programs and events

Program and event planning help your organization achieve its goals, teach leadership skills, and foster camaraderie within your organization. However, it takes a great deal of planning and forethought prior to your event to ensure success. The following list will describe some basic programming tips that will help keep you on track.

Concept

Determine the goals of the program.

Examples: to bring a community together, to educate, to expose individuals to different points of view, to support other programs, to provide entertainment, to provide opportunities, to socialize, to recreate

Brainstorm the type of event and possible themes that will match your organizational goals.

Examples: speaker, film, dance, fundraiser, trip, food, festival, athletic event, recreational tournament

Decide on a program within your budget.

Discuss the options within your organization and make a group decision.

Planning

Date

Find a convenient date for members in the group and for the entertainment/speaker.

Choose a date that does not conflict with other existing campus programs.

Entertainment/Speaker

Determine the type of entertainment/speaker you would like to sponsor.

Research local, regional and national possibilities and negotiate a fee.

Location

Project the attendance to make sure that you have reserved an adequate facility.

Determine the type of space that is needed for your event and any special needs you may have. Specific facility needs may include the need for: chairs, tables, lighting, sound, a stage, open space, a cooking area, an outdoor area, lecture hall, etc.

Time

Determine a convenient time for your targeted audience. For example, if you want commuter students to attend your program, many are on campus during the day; so plan a time between day classes for a program. Do not plan a program when major organizations have standing meetings.

Budget

Project all expenses and incomes such as fees, advertising, security, food, etc.

Stay on budget.

Brainstorm additional funding sources if you need more money.

Publicity

Design publicity strategies for targeted audiences.

Design your promotion to fit the style and theme of the program. Be creative.

Make the publicity neat and accurate. Include the name of the program, date, time, place, and ticket information if necessary.

Distribute publicity in ample time. This allows people to plan ahead. Two weeks advance notice is ideal.

Food

Determine food needs. Are you planning a dinner or a reception? Who will cater this activity? ...

Implementation

Develop a list of tasks that need to occur before, during, and after the event; then determine who will be responsible for each one. For example: ushers, clean-up crew, stage crew, publicity, and hospitality.

On the day of the program

Arrive early to check on room arrangements and the set up.

Prepare a brief introduction statement. For example, "Welcome to tonight's performance sponsored by _________. If you are interested in having more events like this one, please talk to a representative of our organization."

Do an evaluation of the program at the next meeting.

Determine if you have accomplished your program goal.

Record both positive and negative results for future planning.

Send thank you notes to appropriate people.

[rebelAfrika]

This was so good, that I had to print this out to show to my comrades (who organize in the real world). Thanks for posting this bruh.

[Revolutionary_Student]

This is indeed what the people need to read! This is definately a printworthy thread!

[rebelAfrika]

Whoever made this a sticky...I'd like to say thank you. I was signing on to the forums myself because I just got the idea that I should make this a sticky, but I see somebody already picked up on this before I did.

[Revolutionary_Student]

Originally Posted by rebelAfrika*AAPRP

Whoever made this a sticky...I'd like to say thank you. I was signing on to the forums myself because I just got the idea that I should make this a sticky, but I see somebody already picked up on this before I did.

You're welcome!

[Guerilla Black]

Peace fam,
This is a great guide to running an organizatin meeting and event wise. I use the same strategies for the organizations i head on my campus. Here's an sample of an agenda.

Brothers For Awareness
General Meeting
October 06, 2005



Call to Order:
Approval of Agenda:
Executive Board Reports:
• Week of Empowerment
• Millions More Movement
Blacknificent Quote of the Day:
"The thing to do is to get organized; keep separated and you will be exploited, you will be robbed, you will be killed. Get organized and you will compel the world to respect you." -Marcus Garvey

Marcus Mosiah Garvey (August 17, 1887 – June 10, 1940) was a publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, crusader for black nationalism and founder of the UNIA-ACL. He was born in Jamaica. Garvey is best remembered as a champion of the "back-to-Africa" movement, which was interpreted as encouraging people of African ancestry to return to their ancestral homeland. He is also recognized as the most important prophet of the "back-to-Africa" movement. Garvey said he wanted those of African ancestry to "redeem" Africa, and for the European colonial powers to leave it.

Discussion
“Million More Movement, Unity, Empowerment, Genocide”

Old Business
New Business
Adjournment


Afrikan Concept of Day: Power
Word[Afrikan languge]
Tumi [Twi]
Agbára [Yorùbá]
Doole [Wolof]
Lèndo [KiKôngo]


Each One, Teach One!

Make sure you printed out enough copies of the Agenda for all members and visitors of the meeting.

I'll break it down also.
Call to Order is self explanatory. Call to order at a set time or when you feel that you have enough members to start a decent meeting, straggles always come in a lil late.

Next is the approval of the current agenda and of the minutes from last meeting. This is just in case the secretary forget to add an important comment or suggestion, or made an error, so that it can be corrected.

Executive Board Reports(President, VP, Secretary, Treasurer,Etc)
Some or all of the executive board may have a report that needs to be addressed to the general attendance. As in this case it was to inform our members and visitors of our upcomming Week of Empowerment, which was empowering events for each day of the week. Each event was broken down and detail, and everyone was informed of the location and day. Next, was to inform everyone of the Million Man March and give them information on how to attend.

Next was the blacknificent quote of the day, which i more than likely took from this website.
Our quote of the day ties into the discussio of the day, and i make sure the members make and draw a connection. Then i made sure to have a biography of the person quoted, so that the members know who that person is and his importance and relevance to our struggle.

Then we went into the discussion which takes the bulk of our meeting. Take this guide's advice! I once did not plan ahead for a meeting and figured i'd just "swing" it, and it went horrible! There was not alot of dialogue, the flow wasn't going anywhere in the discussion and it was just unproductive. Which shouldn't have been case if i prepared as the President or Exective Member should!

Make sure that the topic has relevance to the members and students. I was bringing the heat with certain topics. With the katrina controversy, i played audio of Kanye West's Comments, the tv personnell who said, the people are so poor and so black, these comments got my members real amped and ready to just berate the situation. From then we was able to say okay, we need to not just talk about it but be about it and was able to plan food and clothes drives.

Make sure that if you do have a successful meeting, to take that postive energy and put it into something productive. It's key to keeping members and keeping morale up.

Sometimes i do old business/new business before the discussion or sometimes after. I think i will stick to the agenda from now on, or put discussion after old business/new business and before adjournment.


After the discussion i refer back to the Agenda so everyone can see the Afrikan concept of the day and how it relates to todays topic. Each One, Teach One, is our groups motto.

After we adjourn, we all get into a circle and hold hands and venerate our ancestors, by saying a name of an ancestor famous, obscure,relative,etc who made an impact in your life. We go around one by one, after the last person. The leader says Each One, and the group says Teach One. Repeat two more times, then we break.

Usually we don't all break but stay around talk so more but the meeting is "officially" over.

I'm going to see if i have any sample flyers and i can address things like promotion and events.

[Revolutionary_Student]

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[G.O.D.F.A.T.H.A.]

Organization is the key to blackcess.