By Daniel Mackintosh, Lead Organiser for West London Citizens (in appreciation of critique from colleagues Fiona Meldrum and Sebastien Chapleau) There is no substitute for the deep work of organising and building the base of leaders who drive our organising. That base building, which is the core of the organiser’s work, includes spotting talented leaders, … Continue reading Partnering for power
Rebuilding an old muscle – taking on corporate power in the USA
On 26 and 27 October 2025, I was the guest of COPS-Metro in San Antonio and joined them to celebrate 50 very impressive years of local organising. This is a reflection on their work and how it could apply to our organising in the UK. ‘Markets were made to serve us; we were not made … Continue reading Rebuilding an old muscle – taking on corporate power in the USA
Building the base is a never ending process
Civic leadership and building the base are never ending processes By Daniel Mackintosh A mistake I made as a junior borough organiser was assuming that when I had built the team, done the listening and chosen the issue, the team that existed at that point was ‘the’ team. And so I stopped the process of … Continue reading Building the base is a never ending process
Reflecting on my organising
Dilraj Kaur September 2025 Five years into organising and now beginning my sixth year, something feels different. I carry a deeper knowledge of the method and the theory of change, but also the same question that I think most people with a moral compass—or who see organising as a practice of their faith or as … Continue reading Reflecting on my organising
Pruning
(reflection from Richard Powers book 'The Overstory') by Sebastian Chapleau, Assistant Director Citizens UK Pruning is one of the most important disciplines in caring for trees, particularly those that are grown to bear fruit. Left untouched, a tree will put its energy into endless new shoots, tangled branches, and dense foliage. At first glance, this … Continue reading Pruning
Organising as a Spiritual Practice
Written by Charlotte Fischer, Director of Love and Power Please note: I don’t think organising is or should be primarily about spiritual or in fact any personal development - at its core, it’s public and structural - “the messy work of bringing people together, from different background ands and experiences, to change the conditions that … Continue reading Organising as a Spiritual Practice
On Strategy – George Gabriel
On strategy My first series of blogs, taken together, represent a broad theory of change for how local organising can root a movement, how that can scale to become capable of winning major national change, and the role for the most impacted within this work. This approach seeks to ground movements in place and people … Continue reading On Strategy – George Gabriel
Fast and Slow
By George Gabriel, former Nottingham Citizens Organiser who also helped to build Sage Passage. The day I started community organising in Nottingham there were just three foodbanks, the day I despondently left there were twenty three. So why do I now consider it a success? By building constituencies organising delivers change in a way which … Continue reading Fast and Slow
Action is oxygen for our organisations – without it, they die
By Daniel Mackintosh How will your organisation benefit from embedding community organising practices and being part of a people power alliance? A version of this post is on the Citizens UK website here. Many people who see how community organising can win campaigns, end up saying to organisers: ‘ok, so I get you want our … Continue reading Action is oxygen for our organisations – without it, they die
15 Things I wish I knew when I started as a Community Organiser
Alistair Rooms, Community Organiser with Newham Citizens, Citizens UK I have a huge amount to learn about organising, but through borough organising for 4 years and speaking to colleagues I have learned a few things about organising. Here are a few thoughts I have gathered along the way.In general the two key skill sets of … Continue reading 15 Things I wish I knew when I started as a Community Organiser
The Iron Rule 