Ask the "Who" Questions
Targets: Your targets are the people who actually make a decision. This might be a county board, city council, state legislature, school board or corporate board. Those who vote would be considered your primary target.Secondary targets are those people who influence the decision-maker. This might be a key staff person, business person, spouse, friend, fellow legislator or anyone else. Knowing who your targeted decision-maker listens to is critical to getting his or her attention and ultimately influencing the way they will vote.
Core Constituencies: These are the people who care most about the issue, have most at stake and/or are most willing to seek a solution. Think of these people as the natural constituency for an issue.
Allies: Allies are those individuals and groups who will support an issue even though it may not be their top priority. Finding and building relationships with allies is critical to success. Often the most unexpected ally can be the most powerful - a group of senior citizens who help advocate for a new youth serving initiative for example.
Opposition: These are the individuals and groups who will work against you. It is critical to explicitly define your opposition in order to understand who they are, how powerful they are and to anticipate what they might do.
Power Analysis: Once you have determined the targets, core constituency, allies, opposition and their relative strength you will have a power analysis that will allow you to develop appropriate organizing strategies and activities.