The Memphis Advocacy & Community Organizing Landscape Analysis, conducted by a coalition of advocacy organizations and funders led by Stand for Children Tennessee, seeks to provide a comprehensive view of advocacy and organizing across Memphis, Tennessee. This report presents findings on focus areas, approaches, barriers, needed support, and opportunities identified by local organizations committed to enhancing the Memphis community. Our goal is to strengthen the overall advocacy and organizing landscape to advance systems change for social, economic, and environmental justice in Memphis and beyond. This report also aims to use these insights to assist local, state, and national funders in offering targeted support and fostering collaboration.
Recommendations
For Funders:
- Provide multi-year, unrestricted funding to allow for flexibility, innovation and infrastructure building.
- Shift power dynamics and embrace trust-based philanthropy models centered on open communication and mutual accountability.
- Prioritize support for Black-led and People of Color-led grassroots organizations positioned to address core systemic inequities.
- Bolster capacity building through operational support, staffing resources, culturally resonant practices, and openness to test new approaches.
For Organizations:
- Nurture more grassroots, neighborhood and place-based organizing initiatives tailored to localized needs.
- Strengthen partnerships and coalitions among organizations for a multiplier effect on impact.
- For non-advocacy-specific nonprofits: strengthen partnerships with advocacy and organizing groups to enhance capacity and connection to communities, improve direct services, and mitigate the risk of blowback from increased advocacy.
- Enhance training opportunities to develop specialized skills like power mapping, fundraising, policy analysis and a sustainable pipeline of organizers.
- Implement supports focused on wellbeing to combat burnout risks and prioritize self-care.
For Elected Officials & Governments:
- Adopt collaborative, open-minded approaches and create opportunities for substantive engagement with community organizations.
- Commit to transparency in decision-making processes to build trust and reduce adversarial relationships.
- Implement policies and protective measures to safeguard the rights of advocacy and organizing voices.
- Facilitate equitable access to resources, information and decision-making processes.
Only through strategic cooperation and long-term investment guided by trust-based models uplifting impacted communities’ voices can Memphis catalyze transformative, systemic change towards true opportunity, safety, and equity for all residents. This report serves as a comprehensive call to action.
