Orange County Justice United

52 leaders came together as Justice United on Monday July 18 to plan our power building strategy this summer and advance our campaigns for affordable housing, strengthening community relationships with police. 

Together we committed to reach out to 394 members of our institutions and communities to describe our issue campaigns, get reactions, and to invite all to help shape our work. Our goal is also to secure turnout commitments for our September 15 Assembly.

Talking points were distributed to help guide this conversation, along with sign up sheets (Count on Me Forms), attached below.

We also discussed canvassing at the upcoming Fairview Live event on August 20. Follow this link to sign up and for more information. 

We will report on our progress with this strategy at our Countywide Leaders Meeting, August 25, 7:00 - 8:30 pm, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Hillsborough (1710 Old NC Hwy 10, Hillsborough). There we will hear presentations on the specific commitments from decisionmakers that we will be seeking at our September 15 Assembly. 

(Please bring all completed “Count on Me” forms with you to this meeting, as well as a firm turnout number for the Assembly)

Included below are resources to help with your outreach: our timeline and action plan for the summer, descriptions of our issue campaigns, handouts, and additional reading.

DETAILED ACTION PLAN JUNE - SEPTEMBER

JUNE 16 - JULY 18

Pledge minimum 20 members from your institution to attend Fall Assembly on September 15, 7:00 - 9:00 PM, St. Thomas More - to win commitments from local law enforcement for negotiated solutions that improve relationships with immigrants, people of color and to set up, frame affordable housing action in winter 2017.

Name core leadership team (Clergy, Executive Director, 3 - 5 key institutional leaders) capable of organizing power within your institution in support of these campaigns.

Identify affordable housing resources within your institution:

1. Identify: Land owned by your institution suitable for affordable housing development.

2. Individual members of your institution willing to develop affordable housing on their land

3. Potential funding sources for affordable housing (Endowment, denominational, foundations) that you can access via your institution.

Create list of potential adbook investors - the top 10 companies with whom your institution does business, and your contact person within those companies.

CORE TEAM MEETING JULY 18

7:00 - 9:00 PM, United Church of Chapel Hill

Deadline for action goals listed above. Participants report on progress identifying resources, naming Team. All plan / train for canvassing / house meeting action. Please bring list of potential adbook investors to meeting.

Who Should Attend: Core Leadership Team (Clergy, Executive Directors, and 3 - 5 key institutional leaders).  

JULY 18 - AUGUST 25

Core Teams engage 600 members of their institutions, residents of the communities that surround them, and employees of major employers to test and refine issues. 

Top leaders meet with UNC / Hospital administrators, municipal government, Orange County staff, non-profit agencies, to understand their self-interest, determine land holdings, finances, and find common ground on affordable housing.   

Top leaders meet with heads of local law enforcement, district attorney, elected officials and others to understand self interest around public safety and strengthening relationships with immigrants, people of color.

COUNTYWIDE LEADERS MEETING AUGUST 25

7:00 pm - 8:30 PM, UU Congregation of Hillsborough

Deadline for action goals listed above. Report from meetings with local law enforcement, affordable housing decision makers, and canvassing actions. Plan strategy for September 15 Assembly.

PUBLIC ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 15

7:00 - 9:00 pm, St. Thomas More.

TURNOUT GOAL: 300 PEOPLE

Win commitments from local law enforcement / elected officials to improve community relationships with police. Frame, build momentum for affordable housing assembly in 2017.

HARD MONEY CAMPAIGN

CONTEXT: In 2015 Justice United’s funding sources were by 30% hard money (member dues and some individual donations) and 70% soft money (denominational or family foundation grants). This makes JU’s long term existence vulnerable to the shifting priorities of outside funders.

PROPOSAL: Campaign to ensure long term financial stability and to protect the political autonomy of the organization, by increasing percentage ratio of hard money to 70% of total budget - sufficient to cover core expenses (Organizer package, Metro IAF contract) by end of 2017.

ACTIONS:

1. Dues Restructuring: Member institutions commit to adjust membership dues payments over next 2 - 3 years to 1% of their operating budget. Maintain dues cap at $10,000 and introduce dues floor at $1,500. (Organizer to develop creative solutions with low budget organizations to meet floor).

2. Adbook Campaign: Leaders identify the top ten companies with whom their institution does the most business, and commit to inviting each company to invest in the mission of JU via buying an advertisement of their choosing in our 2016 Annual Report (adbook), which will be made available to the combined 17,000+ members of JU institutions. Deadline for ads November 15. 2016 Adbook goal: $10,000.

Individual Donor Campaign: Member institutions pledge to turn out a combined audience of 175 to our ticketed hymn sing along fundraising event organized in collaboration with Durham Beer and Hymns (propose

On the night of June 16 over 60 leaders from institutions across Orange County pledged to support campaigns to resolve top community concerns around policing, affordable housing, and raising hard money to ensure our political autonomy and our continued ability to act effectively. Below is a summary of these campaigns and Justice United's action plan for the next three months. Each summary contains links for further information.