Five Year Plan

A Summary of the Plan

Working to create accountable, inclusive and more fully democratic communities is a daunting task. When ROP established itself in the chaos of the Oregon Citizens Alliance's 1992 initiative to classify one segment of the population as "abnormal and perverse" it anticipated that democracy would continue to be challenged on a variety of fronts. These challenges have indeed continued in schools, in town halls, the legislature, and at the ballot box across the state. In spite of the enormous challenges local groups faced over the years, the magic of the ROP connection meant Oregon towns and cities had groups speaking out for inclusive democracy and human rights. And these human dignity groups have held out the vision that every resident should be assured equal rights and equal protection under the law.

ROP has developed from its all volunteer staff to an active office and permanent home in a house in Scappoose, OR. The evolution from no staff to one part-time staff to four staff is a result of thoughtful growth over 8 years. The growth is directly linked to local group needs. In 1992 we worked with 20 newly formed groups. Now ROP works with 45 member groups and another 20 contact groups. ROP expanded to meet the needs of local groups for resources and support, as well as to address the range of assaults on human dignity. In 1999, staff and board realized it was time for a long range plan to plan proactively for future development to advance the mission of ROP. Leaders knew the times had changed. We needed to see if ROP resources needed to shift accordingly.

The one-year long-range planning process was facilitated by Deb Ross of Western States Center and involved the board, staff, and 40 local leaders of the ROP. We began with a survey of local leadership to rank what work of the ROP is the most valuable to members and what other areas of support local leaders would like to see available. Survey feedback grounded the evaluation of ROP's existing programs and structure. The evaluation allowed us to strategize future goals and objectives. ROP's goals and objectives for the next five years are the result of this work. You can review the 14 objectives listed in this planning document. The goals are listed below with some context for your consideration.

Goals

1. Build statewide power for democracy through Rural Organizing Project. As the saying goes, power concedes nothing without a challenge, and we must have our own power base to challenge injustice effectively. A critical part of ROP's power comes from the consensus among local groups as to how and why we use the power that together we create. This goal is intended to use coordinated action to maximize our collective impact in the pursuit of human dignity.

2. Build local group capacity. A democratic and effective ROP requires local groups to make decisions, design and carry out action plans and work in concert with others. It is a goal of ROP to continue and expand work with local groups to build their analysis and structure to do the work of human dignity. This goal seeks to assure that local group capacity is a priority.

3. Improve ROP's statewide database of activists and supporters. This goal acknowledges that if a group is not growing, it is shrinking. ROP will improve the quality of data, quantity of data, and its interaction with people on our database. Goal three also includes working with local groups to improve their ability to communicate locally with effective data systems.

4. Educate members about links among oppressions, organizing and power. So often in rural communities we encounter the same people gathering around the same issues. This goal is to help local groups bring in and educate new members who may not see their immediate self-interest in a given issue, but through discussion and analysis the connections become evident. Without self-reflection and evaluation of why we do our work, we cannot learn how to make it better.

5. Clarify the membership structure and roles. Because ROP grew as an organic part of the response to the anti-democratic work of the OCA, ROP's membership structure and roles are not as well understood as a growing organization needs them to be. This goal will work with current member groups to strengthen the democratic structure of the ROP and better define the roles members, staff, and leaders play in the organization.

6. Break isolation through communication. One of the most important things ROP learned in its early days is how easy it is for rural people who have the flicker of justice in the hearts to feel isolated from each other. Sharing a vision of what can be is one of the most energizing and engaging activities we can take on. ROP's newsletter, email systems, and forums are all methods of breaking the isolation toward building community to establish a more just Oregon. This goal seeks to insure our communication structure grows to meet needs over time.

Supporting these goals, ROP describes 14 objectives to meet the goals over time. Two types of objectives are outlined: infrastructure objectives geared to improve the structural elements of the organization to be able to carry out our mission, and program objectives designed to strengthen the content of ROP's work for inclusive democracy and human dignity. The goals and objectives will be discussed with local leadership teams over the next year.

ROP Goals and Objectives

Goals:

Build statewide power for democracy through Rural Organizing Project.
Build local group capacity.
Improve ROP's statewide database of activists and supporters.
Educate members about links among oppressions, organizing and power.
Clarify the membership structure and roles.
Break isolation through communication.

The following objectives grow from the ROP's mission and support its goals.

Objectives -- Program

(Program objectives directly support the mission.)

Objective 1. Analyze ballot measures for their impact on democracy in Oregon. Use this process to develop internal ROP leadership and to inform the ROP membership and the general public of potential threats or opportunities to human or democratic rights.

Objective 2. Explore through research, discussion and activism solutions to how Oregon campaigns are financed. Intent is to expose sources of funding to candidates and how that influences their decisions. Longer-term intent is to make it realistic for working class and people of color to run for office.

Objective 3. Improve Oregon's infrastructure for addressing and preventing hate crimes.

Objective 4. Maintain and expand the capacity of ROP to respond to unexpected and/or emerging issues that impact human rights and human dignity.

Objective 5. The ROP will organize at least one statewide campaign per year on policy issues affecting poor Oregonians including food stamp access and/or other aspects of the safety net. These campaigns will be designed to build local group capacity as well as to win on the issue(s).

Objective 6. Continue to provide leadership and actively participate in strengthening the working relationships and joint projects of the Devolution Collaborative.

Objective 7. The ROP will work to increase local group capacity to combat discrimination and to work effectively individually and with allies (such as Causa) to advance racial equality and immigration rights.

Objective 8. The ROP will work to increase local group capacity to combat discrimination and to work effectively individually and with allies (such as Basic Rights Oregon and NARAL) to promote gender equality.

Objectives -- Infrastructure

(Infrastructure objectives strengthen the organization.)

Objective 9. Develop and refine ROP's organizational structure to increase clarity around membership status, services, expectations, and accountability. Implement new structure with support and input from the majority of ROP local groups.

Objective 10. ROP will focus resources to help a minimum of 7 local groups per year build stronger, sustainable, and inclusive* organizational structures that meet set criteria.(* Inclusive of a variety of constituents, such as people of color, youth, sexual identity, people with disabilities, varied class background, and educational experience.)

Objective 11. ROP will allocate resources to maintain and create useful tools that further local group organizing and support concerted action among ROP member groups.

ROP will maintain and improve current tools Kitchen Table Activism, the ROP Report (Newsletter), ROPNET (email communications) and the Rural Caucus and Strategy Session (annual conference)
ROP will develop new tools to help examine the roles of power within a community and to teach basic organizing techniques.

Objective 12. Develop a database of activists, voters, and supporters, which can be used in mobilizing for statewide campaigns, voter education and GOTV (Get Out the Vote) efforts, fundraising, and lobbying.

Objective 13. Develop a communications strategy that includes the successful implementation of the Oregon News Service.

Objective 14. Explore the feasibility of adding a related 501 (c (4) organization as part of the ROP.

These goals will provide the road map for the organization to chart its work over the next five years. Please review these goals in the context of what is needed to help your organization build power locally and what statewide power will benefit your work. The conversation about this plan began at the ROP Caucus on May 6, 2000.