What is organizing?
We believe in the power of movement organizing to create healthier, more participatory democracies. In fact, a great deal of the rights we enjoy as Americans were brought to you by organizers. Women’s right to vote, the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act—all of these and more were fought for and won by organizing movements facing serious democratic challenges.
A lot of people don’t know what organizing is—or think it is only related to elections. Actually, there are many different types of organizing—including electoral organizing, but also issue, labor, tenant, and digital organizing.
If voting is the mechanism that puts people in power, organizing is the mechanism that sets priorities for people with power once they’re there. When everyday people have the opportunity to organize, they get to set priorities for their communities. That means more civic participation, more equity, and more democracy for all of us.
Our Strategy
We’re building a stronger, more equitable democracy.
When people know how to organize, they can build a democracy that’s responsive to people’s real needs. Until underserved communities have a clear path to influence, they will continue to struggle against systems that were not designed to empower, protect, or sustain them. Making organizing training and coaching free and strategic is key to building that influence.
At Rising Organizers, we’re organizing for a more equitable and just future. Grounded in anti-racism and social justice principles, we fight for a future that none of us have ever seen. We live in a country where our economic system enriches the wealthiest among us and disenfranchises the poorest, where anti-Blackness is rooted in our history and infrastructure, and where true democracy is still the struggle of every generation.
At RO, we’re building power—and we’re building imagination about what’s possible. Through our trainings, political education programs, and community engagement work, we are fostering the future of social justice advocacy.
“I am so blown away by Rising Organizers and this program. I really didn’t know what to expect and it was so successful for me.”