Base Building From Scratch: An Organizing Module for Movement Workers Using Action Network
Seven modules for organizers building power in communities of color and historically under-resourced places. You will learn the theory of change behind base building, how to run a real 1:1, what relational organizing looks like in Black, Brown, and immigrant communities — and you will leave with a working Action Network instance you set up yourself. Grounded in Georgia organizing tradition; honors Black leadership and the lineage that taught this country how to organize.
MdR Palacios · Lead Instructor, Movement Infrastructure
Maria del Rosario Palacios is the Executive Director of Common Cause Georgia, where she leads multilingual Election Protection infrastructure, voting-rights base building, and culturally responsive anti-disinformation strategy across the South. She is a 10-year certified train-the-trainer instructor with UGA's Fanning Institute for Leadership, a published author (Project Management for Xingones), and a former Training Manager at Generation Data where she launched the first Spanish-language Intro to Progressive Data course. This module is built on a decade of base building inside multiracial coalitions in Georgia — and is co-developed with organizers, deep canvassers, and Action Network trainers who taught the trainer. Black organizing tradition is named throughout, by name.
Relational, not transactional
A base is built one conversation at a time. We center the 1:1 — agitate, listen, and ask — over the email blast or the rally headcount.
Honor the lineage
Base building in the U.S. South was taught to this country by Black organizers — Ella Baker, the SNCC field secretaries, the Highlander Center, SCLC's Citizenship Schools. We name them.
Action Network (free tier)
A free, open-source-friendly progressive CRM used by labor unions, racial-justice orgs, and community groups. You will set up an instance — no credit card.
Georgia · 2018–present
The case study runs through Georgia: Black-women-led infrastructure (Stacey Abrams, LaTosha Brown, Helen Butler, Nse Ufot, Tamieka Atkins), turnout shifts, and what it actually takes.
What you will do
You will move from "what is a base" to "I have one started" — with a theory of change you can explain in 60 seconds, a 1:1 you can run this week, a relational map of your community, and a real Action Network instance with your first 25 people in it.
Name your theory of change
Why base building, not mobilizing? Power-building vs. messaging. Spectrum-of-allies thinking. Write your one-paragraph theory you can repeat to a new volunteer.
Run a real 1:1
Story-of-self / story-of-us / story-of-now (Marshall Ganz). Agitate, listen, ask. Practice the open-ended question. Schedule and run your first three.
Build the relational map
Who is already trusted in your community? Where do people already gather? What does relational organizing look like when historic disinvestment is the ground you're standing on?
Set up Action Network
Free account, group, tagging convention, first opt-in form, first email, first event RSVP. By the end you have a working CRM and a launch list.
Modules in this course
Seven modules (about 30–35 minutes each). Each ends with a downloadable working template you can use the same week.
Why base building, why now: theory of change
Base building vs. mobilizing vs. messaging. Power-building theory of change. Spectrum of allies. Your one-paragraph theory you can repeat to a new volunteer this week.
Begin Module 1 MODULE 2 · 35 MINRelational organizing in communities of color
Black organizing tradition (Ella Baker, SNCC, Highlander, Citizenship Schools). What relational work looks like in Black, Brown, immigrant, and under-resourced communities — and what to never do.
Begin Module 2 MODULE 3 · 30 MINThe 1:1: the unit of base building
Story of self / story of us / story of now (Ganz). Agitate, listen, ask. The open-ended question. Schedule, run, and follow up on your first three 1:1s.
Begin Module 3 MODULE 4 · 30 MINAction Network from zero
Why Action Network (free tier, union-built, open-data-friendly). Set up your account, your group, your tag conventions, your first opt-in form. End the module with a working CRM.
Begin Module 4 MODULE 5 · 30 MINThe ladder of engagement
Moving people from signature → event → host → leader. Tags and lists that match the ladder. The first email, first event, first ask. What to do when people don't show up.
Begin Module 5 MODULE 6 · 30 MINMeetings and leadership development
Meetings as movement infrastructure (Haug). Distributed leadership (Ella Baker's group-centered leadership). Snowflake model. Replenish the bench so the work outlives you.
Begin Module 6 MODULE 7 · 35 MINGeorgia case study: the work that flipped a state
The arc — from Highlander to SNCC to NAACP-GA to the New Georgia Project to Black Voters Matter. What 'organize, don't mobilize' looked like on the ground. Your base-building plan, in writing.
Begin Module 7What you take home
Seven working templates that fit together as a base-building starter kit. Each one unlocks when you complete its module.
| Template | Unlocked in | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Theory of Change One-Pager | Module 1 | Your one-paragraph "why base building" you can repeat to a volunteer in 60 seconds — with a spectrum-of-allies worksheet. |
| Relational Map (community asset map) | Module 2 | A one-page map of trusted gathering places, historic Black-led institutions, and existing leaders in your community. |
| 1:1 Conversation Guide | Module 3 | Story-of-self prompts, agitate / listen / ask blocks, open-ended questions, and a follow-up tracker. Use it Monday. |
| Action Network Setup Checklist | Module 4 | Step-by-step: account, group, tag taxonomy, first opt-in form, first welcome email. Screenshots included. |
| Ladder of Engagement Tracker | Module 5 | Five-rung ladder (signer → attender → host → leader → trainer) with the AN tag that matches each rung. |
| Meeting & Leadership Cadence Doc | Module 6 | Weekly check-in agenda, monthly leadership cohort, and the question you ask every leader every month. |
| Georgia Lineage Reading List | Module 7 | Annotated reading list of Black organizing texts and primary sources — Ella Baker to Tamieka Atkins. |
How the course works
| Design choice | How it appears in this course |
|---|---|
| Honor Black leadership and lineage | Ella Baker, SNCC, Highlander, Citizenship Schools, and present-day GA leadership (Stacey Abrams, LaTosha Brown, Nse Ufot, Helen Butler, Tamieka Atkins) are named where their work informs the lesson. |
| Relational, not transactional | The 1:1 is the unit of work. We do not start with the email blast, the petition, or the rally headcount. We start with the conversation. |
| Free tools, by design | Action Network has a real free tier. We use it. No credit card, no paywall. You finish the course with a working instance. |
| Narrative arc | The course tells a story: from "why" (Module 1) through "how" (Modules 2–6) to "what it looked like on the ground" (Module 7, Georgia). You can hear the through-line. |
| Names, not abstractions | Theorists and practitioners (Ella Baker, Marshall Ganz, Hahrie Han, LaTosha Brown) are credited by name; academic sources are cited at the bottom of each lesson. |
| Operational, not theoretical | Every module ends with a downloadable working template you can use this week. |
Who this is for
- New organizers and field staff at progressive nonprofits, 501(c)(4)s, labor unions, and community groups.
- Volunteer leaders stepping into their first staffed organizing role.
- Communications and digital staff who want to understand why the email list is downstream of the 1:1.
- Funders and ED's who need a shared vocabulary with their organizers.
- Long-time organizers who learned by doing and want a written text to give the next person they train.
Prerequisites: None. No prior organizing experience required. No tech background required. If you can use Google Docs, you can finish this course.