Every organizing campaign has the battle of the story at its core. Using the Center for Story Based Strategy's (formerly Smart Meme) framing this presentation shows how we have used story based strategies to win campaigns using the example of the Invest in People, Not Prisons campaign where our organizing efforts moved more than $5.2 Million dollars away from a jail expansion in Contra Costa County into investments in job training, services, and housing for formerly incarcerated people.

1. Story Based Strategy to
Win Campaigns

2. From Framing to Curation - Integrated
Communications Strategy to Win Campaigns
•Storytelling/ Framing - The Battle of the Story!
•Editorial Calendar !
•Media Relations!
•Social Media Channels !
•Email Platform/ List Building !
•Website - Social and Regularly Updated !
•Curation for Reporters and Funders

6. Humans are the Narrative Animal
The currency of narrative is not truth, it is meaning

8. NARRATIVE ANALYSIS OF
POWER
STORY-BASED
STRATEGY

9. Narrative Power Analysis
 Changing the Stories: not what people
don t know, but what they do know =FILTERS
 Examining Dominant Stories: “the status quo”
 Stories can Normalize Power/Universalize
Experience
• Power shapes Point of View of the story

11. Meme
A unit of self replicating cultural information "
"
Contagious ideas, stories, images, and rituals that spread from imagination
to imagination, generation to generation, shaping and shifting human cultures…
a capsule for a story to spread…

15. Frame
The larger story that shapes understanding of
information, experiences, and messages; the structure
and boundaries of a narrative that defines point-of-view
and power. Frames operate as pre-existing narrative
lenses in our minds.

16. Looting
Finding

17. Elements of Story
 Conflict
 Characters
 Imagery/Show Don t Tell
 Foreshadowing
 Underlying Assumptions

18. Winning the Battle of the Story
 Frames the Conflict
Draws our attention to particular details of the story
and avoids others outside the frame
 Amplifies the Voices of Impacted Characters "
Stories speak to us through relevant Spokespeople
 Imagery/Show Don t Tell -- Engage Peoples Values
A good story emphasizes values and imagery over data
 Foreshadowing --Shows the Future/Offer Vision
People will only go someplace that they have first "
been to in their minds
 Challenges Assumptions
Makes the invisible visible
Changes the Story

20. Invest in People, Not Prisons

21. How the Campaign Developed
• Developed Messaging with Leaders !
• Went from talking about ‘realignment’ to Invest in People, Not Prisons!
• Capture the agitation - Prayer, Clergy, Photos that speak Emotion!
• Capture compelling images - record audio - take key quotes, edit photos with
Camera + - post on Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram - tag leaders - Share!
• Curate Campaign Media and Social media messages on Scoop.it and Pinterest!
• Keep developing messaging and allow it to change - Invest in Playgrounds,
Not Prisons

25. Connecting issues and connecting communities

26. "My name is Martin Gonzales,
and I'm part of St. Marks Church
and also a part of CCISCO. I
wanted to say thank you for
supporting my community. The
first time we came to one of these
meetings I almost lost my kid
(unborn child) and I'm still here
trying to support my community.
And I won't support another jail
because I don't think my baby
needs another jail. He needs
programs and playgrounds, and I
will support playgrounds for free
if they want me to build them I
will do it. I will support anything
that makes my kid a healthy and
better person, thank you."

28. CCISCO and the Safe Return Project Organizing efforts lead toward the stoppage of the jail !
expansion and a $5.2 Million dollars investment in people coming home !
in Contra Costa County

29. Safe Return Project members present their work and organizing efforts!
at the New Organizing Institute Roots Camp Conference !
in Washington D.C.

30. CCISCO and the Safe Return Project Win the City of Richmond’s Martin Luther King Award
for Community Service for the Invest in People, Not Prisons Campaign

31. Extending the story !
based campaign to other !
campaign areas …

33. You can find stories in campaigns
anywhere you just !
have to be creative!
and pay attention to the details… !
here’s one example

34. “Getting ready to get out the vote from Richmond Bethlehem
Missionary Baptist Church”

35. “Neighborhood Strategizing with Melahia and Pat Douglas”

36. “These were our friendly guides to one Richmond neighborhood”

37. “Sometimes you have to do a bit !
more than knock on doors,!
time to fix the chain !
while we work at fixing these!
broken political systems!”

38. 'Oh I know these guys I will take you there’

40. Story Based Campaigns from Conception to Web
• Develop Framing with leaders using story based campaign template good
examples: Let My People Vote, Invest in People Not Prisons!
• Design Campaign Flyers, Social Media Photo based messaging, solidify
campaign strategy, timeline campaign with editorial calendar !
• Develop short talking points - Do media/ spokesperson training with core
team of leaders who will be speaking to the media!
• Send press releases, call and tweet reporters and editorial desks !
• Action: capture photos that tell the story of the action, record audio (and video
if you have enough people)!
• Post best photos with quotes from leaders on social media channels, then
curate your posts based on your campaign for reporters and funders