How to Use Art Spaces to Build Civic and Political Power | Nonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.

"In the early 1990s, Rev. Pat Robertson of the Christian Coalition (and his allies) used the installed customer base of their evangelical parishes to build a mailing list and then a following that they activated for political engagement. There is a lot one could say about how these groups leveraged the base of likely supporters and first messaged them, then activated them, then raised money from them, then incentivized thousands of them to get trained to lead,"

"The main point is that the Christian Coalition and its allies accessed their people in their spaces (churches) and then moved those people up what Sherry Arnstein, an influential public policy thinker and writer, famously called the ladder of participation. This model of civic engagement demonstrates the process of moving people from a state of passive receptivity to a place of co-creation and co-authority."

Effective movement-building begins with people already gathered in accessible places who share values and goals. The far right has long leveraged installed bases such as churches to build mailing lists, message supporters, raise money, train leaders, and elect and govern through them. Moving people up the ladder of participation shifts them from passive receptivity to co-creation and co-authority. Nonprofits can translate member engagement into civic influence by connecting local voting to tangible community support. Arts and culture organizations can use museums, theaters, and gathering spaces as power-building hubs, starting with voter registration and local political engagement.

Read at Nonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.