Database

Organizing Data

A successful organizing drive is developed through relationships between workers of a workplace.
An organizer's job is to map, track, and use these relationships to build a succesful campaign.
All data supports the development of the strategic plan for the campaign.
An organizer will choose the data management tool that gets the job done with the least hassle.

Must move quickly.
Limited bureaucracy.
Built on the trust of the inside committee.
In most drives, inside committees organize workplaces, not union staff organizers.

Top-level organizing structure hierarchy:

Structures are data-driven:

Each structure needs scaffolding to hold that structure up.
All members/individuals are assigned to a level by what the data we collect and manage says.
Relationships, recruiting, follow-ups, understanding if the drive has run out of room is all decided by the data map.

You should be able to draw a map from the start of the drive to the end of who signed who, when, why, and sometimes where.
We track issues, questions, follow-ups, problems, engagement with the campaign, recruitment, anti-union activity, and the physical workplace.
A full map of influence netwrok in the workplace.
Complex campaign: Recruitment & supporting the structures are not possible without a detailed and current list.
Without a comprehensive list, we cannot file at the Board.

The Database of choice for Ontario Organizing is Rukovoditel[^1]. It has the following characteristics which makes it ideal for our needs:

[^1]: Rukovoditel is an open source project management software solution for small teams.