Miami Workers Center
The Miami Workers Center is among the most effective community organizing projects in the country. It’s tasked with a big job: fighting for the rights of low-income communities of color in a hostile political and business environment. Along with Low-Income Families Fighting Together (LIFFT), a grassroots organization that the Workers Center built, it has won an impressive slate of victories, including: - Preserving 750 units of endangered public housing
- Securing $3 million in childcare for low income families - Organizing several successful rent strikes against slumlordsWinning a community-driven policy to limit vacancies in Miami-Dade County public housing system - Broadly raising public awareness of gentrification and the affordable housing crisis in Miami
When the Workers Center was awarded extensive SPIN services by winning a Tides Foundation Bridging the Economic Divide grant, we were honored by the opportunity to build the communications effectiveness of such a strong organization. The Workers Center already had a very sophisticated analysis of the relationship between strategic communications and organizing, regularly used innovative communications tactics to support their organizing and already had staff dedicated to communications work. So, in this case, our job was not to build communications capacity from the ground up, but to help optimize an already successful program. The SPIN Project’s position was similar to personal trainers working with a successful athlete.
The First Appointment: Communications Assessment
Ideally, the first step in helping any organization build its communications capacity is a communications assessment – a process of understanding and measuring the organization’s past communications work. Communications audits can vary in their level of detail; they can be simple snapshots or extremely in-depth analyses. In the Workers Center’s case, we went as deep as possible. This included: - Nexis and other media clip reporting research to gauge how the Worker’s Center had been represented in the media - Review of the Workers Center’s printed and Web materials, including press releases, brochures, etc., to gauge how the organization had portrayed itself, its campaigns, and its members - Personal interviews with key staff and other stakeholders to understand previous communications strategy, messaging, and organizational communications infrastructure - A scan of the Workers Center’s political and media environment to contextualize the assessment - Review of grant applications
By the end of the assessment, SPIN concluded that the Center’s greatest areas of potential improvement clustered around the need to craft a central message and consistent organizational identity and themes, as well the need to prepare new communications staff to succeed in their role of supporting the Center’s organizing. (This particular assessment process inspired SPIN staff to write an article discussing the tension between one-on-one organizing and strategic mass communication. You can download the article here.)
This assessment was also the beginning of another fruitful dimension of SPIN’s capacity building relationship with the Workers Center: training new communications staff. The communications audit wasn’t just something the SPIN Project swooped in to perform – we worked alongside the Workers Center’s new Communications Director to complete the audit. SPIN continued to work from this model throughout its work with the Workers Center. Instead of doing something for a client, we coach them to do it themselves. This kind of on-the-job training builds communications capacity and leadership in the progressive movement.
Personal Training: Training and Strategy Workshops, Ongoing Coaching
Once the Workers Center’s communications history and potential had been assessed, the SPIN Project began to support it where need was apparent. This included phone coaching with Workers Center staff, two visits to the organization’s community to train and strategize with staff and members, and inviting a Workers Center staffer to the SPIN Academy.
In these phone calls and site visits, SPIN built capacity by: - Training on the theories and best practices of strategic communications and its relationship to organizing strategy - Walking through the communications audit of the MWC and offering ideas about how to integrate its findings into the structure, budget, and programs of the organizationWalking the Workers Center team through communications strategy and framing and messaging development for the RENT campaign - Serving as an honest and knowledgeable soundboard for ideas and approaches to communications work - Facilitating a special collaborative communications planning session with colleague organizations fighting gentrification, including Tenants and Workers Support Committee and POWER
The Workers Center also sent their Communications Director to the 2005 SPIN Academy in Petaluma, California, where she received in-depth communications training and coaching while networking with up-and-coming progressive communicators from across the country.
Spreading New Capacity in the Local Community
At the end of a year of personal training with the SPIN Project, the Center realized that their colleagues in the Miami progressive community would benefit from SPIN training. They invited the SPIN Project to co-sponsor a training for community organizing and social service organizations in the Miami area. SPIN sent a strategist to conduct SPIN’s “Media 101” training, a day-long training in communications strategy, message development and spokesperson skills. The Workers Center arranged a panel of local journalists to discuss with the group real-life dos and don’ts for pitching nonprofits’ stories to the media. The day, which garnered rave reviews from participants, served to develop skills and build interest in strategic communications among the Workers Center’s allies in the South Florida progressive community.
Conclusion
The SPIN Project’s work with the Miami Workers Center represents, broadly, what the SPIN Project does best. We build capacity in organizations that can use that capacity to help them win real change. In the best cases, we work with organizations deeply and over an extended timeframe. And whenever possible, we provide training to entire communities of organizations that most need to increase their skill and power.
Very special thanks to Sushma Seth, Miami Workers Center Communications Director, for her help in developing this case study.
“The SPIN Project’s hands-on approach sharpened our communications program, taking it to a new level. Our communications audit was thorough, serving as a blueprint for a total program makeover. Training and support from staff was customized and exhaustive, getting to the heart of programmatic or strategic questions. Additionally, SPIN's consultation helped us navigate particular communications questions as well as strengthen our own strategic communications capacity.”
- Sushma Sheth, Miami Workers Center Communications Director
The Center on Policy Initiatives
The Center on Policy Initiatives (CPI) provides a case study of the SPIN Project’s working model of ongoing engagement and constant evolution to meet clients’ needs. We first began working with CPI in 1999, shortly after the organization was founded. Initially we consulted with the Executive Director on short-term strategies, and encouraged the organization to hire a staff person dedicated to communications. When a Communications Coordinator position was filled in 2001, the SPIN Project began an intensive process of training and coaching the new staff person, including offering tips on how to build a communications department and integrate communications with all of the organization’s programs. The SPIN Project’s continued consultation with CPI has helped us think about our work on an extended timeline. Working at length with CPI and other organizations like it, we’ve learned to tailor our services to meet the evolving needs of an organization in a communications start-up phase, through the growth curve, and continuing our relationship to remain available to help the talented communications professional they now have in place.
“I began my job as the Communications Coordinator with the Center on Policy Initiatives after five years as a researcher with labor unions. Prior to this position, my work focused strictly on union research and organizing. I had no experience dealing with the media... My work has benefited a great deal from my regular interaction with members of the SPIN Project staff. They have been willing to take my frantic phone calls, assist with planning and strategy, and provide me with important feedback on my work. The SPIN Project is an invaluable resource for me and my work at the Center on Policy Initiatives. The skills taught are clearly relevant to building strategies that are applicable to building relationships with the media, community organizing and coalition building.” – Paul Karr, Communications Director, Center on Policy Initiatives
Visit the CPI Press Room for a sample of their recent communications work.
InnerCity Struggle
InnerCity Struggle (ICS) promotes safe, healthy and non-violent communities by organizing youth and families in Boyle Heights, CA and East Los Angeles to work toward economic and social justice. In the fall of 2003, InnerCity Struggle launched a campaign to advocate for the building of a new high school in East LA. ICS offers a great example of how a small, youth-led social justice organization has successfully developed relationship with print and broadcast outlets in Los Angeles to leverage their community organizing efforts. While ICS originally contacted the SPIN Project to provide workshops on Spokesperson Skills and Developing Relationships with Reporters, our relationship has deepened to include ongoing coaching and intensive strategic planning on this campaign. ICS was able to collect over 3,000 petition signatures from students, parents and community members who supported the school's immediate construction. The campaign also included one-on-one meetings with school board members, community meetings and marches and rallies with hundreds of youth, parent and community members in front of the school board. These actions led to a vote on June 22, 2004 by the Los Angeles Unified School District board, in favor of a new high school, and a new elementary school. Subsequently, they have been able to leverage relationships with reporters to tell a broader story about youth and organizing in East L.A. The SPIN Project is committed to supporting ICS’ work as they move to build on this victory.
Visit the ICS Press Room for a sample of their recent communications work.
Jobs with Justice
Erica Smiley is Media Coordinator for the national office of Jobs with Justice. Founded in 1987, JwJ’s mission is to improve working people’s standard of living, fight for job security and protect workers’ right to organize. JwJ’s core belief is that in order to be successful, workers' rights struggles have to be part of a larger campaign for economic and social justice. To that end, JwJ has created a network of local coalitions that connects labor, faith-based, community and student organizations to work together on workplace and community social justice campaigns.
Erica was a participant at 2005 Making News: Greater Washington Advocacy Communications Conference. With assistance from the SPIN Project and ongoing coaching from SPIN staff Erica crafted a comprehensive communications plan for the organization that has allowed JwJ to implement strategic communications across their campaigns.
Jobs with Justice News & Updates has recent clips and media successes. | 
