A security culture is a set of customs and measures shared by a community whose members may engage in sensitive or illegal activities. Security culture practices minimize the risks of members getting arrested or their actions being foiled. While we are trying to stop bad things from happening, our powerful opponents (usually governments or corporations) are working hard to stop us. This guide is about the security measures activists can take to protect ourselves and make our work more effective. This guide mostly focuses on the actions of law enforcement, such as intelligence officers and police, as it usually has the greatest authority to target activists. Law enforcement uses the legal system to harass protesters. Law enforcement investigates and infiltrates groups. Law enforcement disrupts activities. Opponents and law enforcement engage in targeted excessive force and violence. This guide also describes some ways for activist groups to protect themselves, including assessing risk, weigh the pros and cons, manage emotions, be nice and supportive, stop bad behavior, and more.

Know your role before, during, and after social movement actions. Roles might include activist/organizer/coordinator/campaigner, fundraiser, researcher, scout, artist, etc. During an action, people might be: risking arrest, directing supporting, liaising with police, peacekeeping, talking to or reaching out to media, etc. This guide describes all these types of roles and actions. After an action, some roles that might be needed include lawyer, documentarian, fundraiser, letter writer, etc.

Federal tax rules prohibit section 501(c)(3) organizations from participating or intervening in a political campaign in support of or in opposition to a candidate for elected public office. However, organizations may lobby, educate voters, encourage voter registration and participation, and advocate for issues in a nonpartisan manner. This guide gives background information about IRS definitions of organization types and details the many types of activities that 501(c)(3) organizations are and are not allowed to pursue.

Learn how to become an activist, plan a political campaign strategy, and start a grassroots movement -- all while not burning out. This guide includes chapters on organizing, campaign strategy, action tactics, wellbeing, communication, digital tools, legal rights, and theory of change. Learn how to set up an inclusive movement, how to make decisions democratically and how to mobilize people and keep them engaged. There are different types of strategies depending on local political and social contexts. Find tools for editing videos, designing graphics, managing social media, developing websites and much more. Even though you might not refer to yourself as an ‘activist’, this handbook can be useful for anyone who would like to achieve societal change.

The First Amendment protects your right to assemble and express your views through protest. However, police and other government officials are allowed to place certain narrow restrictions on the exercise of speech rights. This guide describes specific protest rights, including the following. Your rights are strongest in what are known as “traditional public forums,” such as streets, sidewalks, and parks. You don’t need a permit to march in the streets or on sidewalks, as long as marchers don’t obstruct car or pedestrian traffic. Shutting down a protest through a dispersal order must be law enforcement’s last resort. When you are lawfully present in any public space, you have the right to photograph anything in plain view, including federal buildings and the police. When you can, write down everything you remember, including the officers' badge and patrol car numbers and the agency they work for.

A theory of change can help guide campaigners, their teams and communities. A well-crafted theory of change helps align the available energy, keeping your team focused and clear-headed about the change you plan to make and how. To influence people and institutions to veer from the status quo or the path most frequently taken – such as deciding to reject a development application or to prioritize programs that put health, the environment and education first – we need to understand what makes them tick. Community campaigners often craft theories of change that rely heavily on awareness-raising. A theory of change created to explain how we’ll influence one or more political decisions this year is unlikely to provide a compelling explanation about how people who share our values and concerns will bring about a better world over decades or generations. The theory of change for a campaign we aim to win this year will be based on this year’s political realities and incorporate fine-grained information about what will influence specific decision-makers. Here’s an example: IF workers and community members refuse to provide labor and services for the construction of a new coal mine THEN the mine’s development will be slowed and costs will increase, possibly resulting in the mine not going ahead BECAUSE the company relies entirely on local labor and community resources.

Lay a solid foundation for a campaign by working backwards from long-term goals to identify the conditions that must be in place in order to achieve those goals, and why. This is a campaign planning methodology that forces participants to get specific about how social change happens. Participants start with the long-term goal of the campaign, and then work backwards to identify all the conditions needed to achieve that goal. Next, get specific about what actions participants can take to create those conditions. Developing a theory of change can be particularly helpful during the early stages of campaign planning. It guides participants to choose the right tactics to most efficiently achieve those outcomes, and helps avoid the common mistake of jumping immediately into action without connecting today’s tactics with tomorrow’s strategy. This also includes a training guide to lead participants through an exercise to devise their theory of change.

One-on-ones are how to invite people into organizing work, encourage people to step into leadership, uncover barriers to campaigns, and so much more. To build the power needed to stop unending war, climate chaos, and inequality across race, class, and gender, it’s critical that new people come into movement organizations, are given meaningful roles, and ultimately stick around—instead of marshaling the same, small group of people who already know and agree. One-on-ones are a key vehicle for how that happens. Here’s a 6-step model to use to help plan one-on-one conversations. Whether following this model, adapt it, or use a different one, having a clear sequence of steps to learn and practice helps prepare and meet goals in your organizing conversations. Here are the 6 steps of a one-on-one: introduction, issues and stake, agitation, educate and plan to win, the ask, and next steps.

Nonviolence is based on a desire to end all violence – whether physical violence or what's been called 'structural violence' and 'cultural violence' – without committing further violence. Nonviolent activists also want their activities to be an expression of the future they are trying to create, and their behavior reflects the world they want. When they use phrases such as 'speaking truth to power', 'affirming life', or 'respecting diversity', they are invoking fundamental values that themselves are a source of strength for them and a point of contact with those they want to reach. Nonviolence strengthens a campaign in three main ways: 1) Among participants in a campaign; by fostering trust and solidarity among participants, they usually are put in touch with the sources of their own power to act in the situation, facing their fears. 2) In relation to a campaign's adversary; nonviolence aims either to inhibit the violence of an adversary or to ensure that violent oppression will 'backfire' politically against them. 3) In relation to others not yet involved; nonviolence changes the quality of communication with bystanders or 'outsiders' – people not yet concerned about the issue or not yet active in a movement, or people who could be potential allies.

Here are the four simple questions that could transform your advocacy strategy and increase your impact. Campaigners and advocates try to influence change and make a difference on the issues, and for the people, that they care about. However, processes of change are complex and unpredictable, so it is often difficult to decide exactly what to do. Faced with this complexity or messiness, when planning campaign strategies, advocates often try to simplify by: identifying a problem and a solution; producing campaign messaging, policy proposals and research which supports the analysis; and communicating core messages to as many people as possible using multiple channels (media, lobbying, social media, supporter mobilization, etc.). Developing a theory of change can help you to: “zoom out” and better understand your role in the context of the broader processes of change; reflect on and theorize about how change might unfold and what role you can play in it; build a common understanding within your team and strengthen critical or evaluative thinking which is vital for effective advocacy and campaigning; remain focused on the change you are working towards and how what you do makes a difference, so when the context changes you don’t lose your way; strengthen your understanding of your progress and results and your contribution to change; and develop a framework for measuring your learning and effectiveness.