Posts tagged Beth Becker

Back in December of 2010, I reflected on the previous RootsCamp.  Among the biggest negatives was the large crowd & less than stellar session leaders.  The positives?  The wonderful people and efforts of the New Organizing Institute, the activists and enthusiasm.

A little over a year later, we returned to the scene of the first RootsCamp (2006), the NEA Building.  Attendance was limited to a more reasonable number and the quality of experience was back up to the expected (very high) levels.

There was one session that was horrifically bad and I would certainly like to see more content geared at challenger candidates/campaigns, but overall it was a great experience with some wonderful sessions/presenters/discussions.

One of the more amusing sessions Saturday was led by Adam Green & Stephanie Taylor of the PCCC, “Fire the Consultants: Venting & Solutions.”  Similar to sessions they have conducted in the past, the intent is both therapeutic and to stop so many campaigns and organizations from repeating the mistakes happening far too often every cycle.  Among the more amazing revelations, one participant discussed how a consultant was 4 months behind schedule on a 6 week deliverable.  They asked what they could do about that, several in the room responded, “Fire them.”  A better question would be, why weren’t they fired after passing 12 weeks on a 6 week deliverable?

Too often candidates and lefty non-profits find themselves in this sort of situation.  Sometimes the result is a poorly communicated proposal, an inadequate or absent contract, or just the unwillingness to demand what was paid for by the organization.  Refer back to the Rules of Organizing, #9 If it isn’t written down, it doesn’t exist.  The consultant telling you they have written a plan, collected the data, and so forth isn’t good enough.  They have to both write down the plan and share it with the customer.  A good contract will specify that all data procured or created by the consultant in the process is also handed over (or shared digitally) to the customer.

Some RootsCamp attendees were put off by the title, and the animosity directed at consultants.  As a consultant, I say get over it.  The profession is rife with leeches, hacks and stuffed shirts.  The few good and honorable among us need to understand that, accept it, and not get hostile about being mistaken for one of vast majority of vultures that dominate the profession.  Unfortunately the burden is on us to prove we aren’t part of that majority that serves only to inhibit or exploit challenger candidates.