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Toolkit

The Winter/Spring Organizing Campaign

The Winter/Spring Organizing Campaign is one half of our Year Round Organizing Strategy, complementing our Ed Summer and Back to School campaigns.
Educator listens to a conversation
Published: 08/18/2020

We Are NEA 

Whether you’ve been an educator for one day or 40 years, NEA has your back, is by your side, and on your team. NEA makes sure you and the needs of your students are heard in the halls of power. And together, united as members, we make things happen. We move mountains. We make history. 

Learn why we organize in this video highlighting educator’s voices:

    Winter Organizing Campaign: Theory of Change

    Winter/Spring organizing is not a program or bootcamp, but rather funding that directly supports educator voice campaigns to grow and strengthen local and state affiliates. 

    Organizing Principles

    Integrated Comprehensive Issue-Based Organizing Campaigns are animated by the following principles.

    • Issues Matter. Sustained membership growth and retention are outcomes of authentic engagement on issues that our members have identified as priorities. Issues may vary, but there is always a traceable connection to educator voice.
    • Winning Matters. We must run campaigns and programs firmly anchored in achieving the demands related to our members’ priorities. Wins could be school board policies, new contract language, legislation, or any policy or practice change that meets the demands articulated by our members.
    • Funding Matters. Almost all our members’ demands have one thing in common: they cost money. Money that most districts do not have. This means that campaigns cannot end with the new school board policy or improved contract language. We must ensure there is a consistent funding source to meet members’ student-centered demands.
    • Integrating Local and State Affiliate Campaigns Matter. We believe that opportunities for deep structural changes affiliate membership growth depend upon building integrated local and state affiliate campaigns and programs that support both. This only happens when all affiliate stakeholders involved from the beginning, to ensure that their voices are heard in the campaign planning process and that all parties understand the local and state campaign plan to win!

    Campaign Organizing Model

    This campaign strategy focuses first on identifying local priorities through surveys and one-on-one conversations with educators, students, and community members. During this organizing period, affiliates will also develop and strengthen their internal organizing capacity, by building out organizing committee, building representative structures, and assess leaders and structures. Then, education associations and their coalition partners will generate demands related to these priorities. Priorities and demands can create a policy agenda for local school board races, inform the state affiliate’s legislative priorities, and help shape the revenue demands that the affiliate will make of the state legislature and governor.

    The Winter/Spring Organizing campaign is part of our Year-Round Organizing Framework, which is designed to work with educators throughout important cycles of their year. Other components of the Year-Round Organizing Framework include:  

    Who Do I Contact? 

    Looking for who to contact in your state about Ed Summer before signing up?  Check out the list of state teams. To connect with an NEA organizer, email our team at [email protected].

    Sign up your local

    Be part of the vibrant campaign that is changing how our union organizes and communicates with members and potential members.
    Educator listens to a conversation

    Important organizing resources

    We've compiled a complete library of resources to promote a culture of organizing at your affiliate.
    National Education Association

    Great public schools for every student

    The National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest professional employee organization, is committed to advancing the cause of public education. NEA's 3 million members work at every level of education—from pre-school to university graduate programs. NEA has affiliate organizations in every state and in more than 14,000 communities across the United States.