Town Hall Results

We are not alone
Togetherness
organizers are often strong generalists
Being more relational and less transactional
There are so many different methods of organizing
I’m not alone
Anyone can be a developer!
How to support community leaders
We’re not in it alone
That rural America is not yet lost
We are powerful and pragmatic
Not alone
Our power comes from rural and small town places
We are not alone
I learned that we are many, and if we come together as small town organizations we can wield so much power
Love is all
Support exists if you simply ask for it
How to organize around crisis
I learned more about the history of indigenous people.
So many unique, powerful campaigns that I never even thought about implementing
There is not enough information about federal spending bills
We're facing so many of the same challenges
we’re more alike than we think❤️
Natives have power in small numbers
We need more spaces like this
Base building strategies
the most  amazing, creative, innovative  organizing is happening in small towns
More trainings are available than I previously knew about
We need more collective power
So much honestly. I have ideas about deep listening, digital to offline organizing, fundraising, collaboration, and so much more
Strategies to make our Action Fund (c4) stronger.
We need more training across the field
we need more training for organizers
Build power
There are so many people like me!
Connecting across difference
Leadership development and power mapping!
There are a lot of organizations doing this rural work that I’ve never heard of!
Commonalities across diverse communities.
We need to organize men.
Rural America is stronger than we think
I don’t have to feel so isolated anymore.
"Use the crisis to accomplish more of your agenda. 
There are opportunities for collaboration."
We need to be more deeply matrixes into formations across this country in rural spaces because we need each other’s strengths.
So much! We have more in common than we’re told. We need more spaces like this. We need more funding.
We are stronger when we work together
There is a consensus for change
I learned is there’s a lot of rad people doing really great things. There’s so much knowledge within this space and we need to connect further, share our knowledge, and build power together.
Relational organizing gets the money to the people
Differing c4 models
We all have similar challenges and are not the only ones doing the work.
There are strong examples of mass organizing winning in rural areas - it’s not a pipe dream!
How much creativity this work benefits from
We are not alone and we can be stronger together—information sharing, capacity
Electoral politics seemingly is missing the healing justice message and we can't deal each other if we don't heal ourselves
Organizing is an ebb & flow - impermanence is power
That rural America is not yet lost and hqs amazing orgqnizers
The organizing energy is incredible
We are more powerful than we might’ve realized
Narrative is key in organizing
The need for more public involvement to generate public forum to zero in on need
We are all asking similar questions and seeking similar solutions. Together we will find them.
Lots of people want to have an easy way to access federal grants
strategies for digital organizing
The federal implementation money is the biggest opportunity in a generation to leverage money for our communities
Other folks in different states are facing some of the same stuff
Some people are ready for the tough conversations but some still are not
We have a valuable network of loving, creative and powerful people doing the hard work because it is the right thing to do.
Small towns complex relationships
Rural organizing is the FUTURE of the progressive movement
W regardless of where you live the issues are the same: affordable houses; food insecurity; right wing attacks on our civic institutions
I don't need to move away from my community to have a good life.
How resilient and driven people are to make a difference in their small town!
I should trust my instincts!
I need to be more bold and empower my members to be bolder and braver
training and agitation is important for rural organizing
Other people get it! The values in rural communities are different, and valuable.
You can & should explicitly bring up race using the race class narrative to effectively talk about issues and bring people into the fold who wouldn’t normally connect to issues when race is discussed.
I need to give my base more opportunities to stand in their power. I need to consider the definition of organizing at our organization and how we can build more power.
Learning the Self-interest of those involved is absolutely necessary
So great to meet other organixers and see new ways to grow
so many resources
I learned that there is a need for more spaces of connection. We need the intentional space of hashing out narrative and story of our base/folk. It is our responsibility to tell our powers stories.
I admit being more strategical with your connections.
How to engage with people that disagree with me, ways to decolonize, we don’t talk about disabilities/accessibility  enough.
I learned the White House knows organizers exist and want to help
I learned about how to have conversations with people who dont want to talk to you, how to talk to people who have opposing views & we need more opportunities for organizers in communities of color
What intelligence, integrity, care, and innovation is in the room
I learned that my ideas were valid. I just needed to find folks who understood what I was working with.
"We need Autonomy to gain Power, 
And We need Power to gain Autonomy."
We are not just interested what building power means but curious about how we build it in a way that is sustainable and transformative.
That rural America is not yet lost
There’ are good pockets of organizing in small towns and greater connection and integration of training and  other capacity building could  build more power.
everyone  needs more support
I learned that I'm not alone, and that there are a lot of people who realize and understand the importance of rural organizing.
The sense of shared situations leads to a great sense of community and a desire for networking and communicating to move forward with heightened energy