This toolkit was created to aid self-motivated individuals in creating

and scaling-up sustainable solutions to environmental, social and

economic issues. It is a handbook for helping aspiring sustainability

change agents educate, engage and empower people of all ages

with sustainable solutions through research, action and awareness.

The Organizing Toolkit is composed in a sequence that reflects the

original genesis of IDEAS; however it is not essential that each

step is taken in the order provided. Whether focusing your efforts

on a K-U(niversity) campus or a local community, this toolkit will

provide a light in the dark as you approach the many unknowns of

community organizing and sustainability.

With this Organizing Toolkit, you are embarking on a journey of

personal, communal and societal transformation. The source of light

evolves with each step, becoming brighter, more energy efficient

and in turn, more sustainable. On behalf of the IDEAS Movement,

we are honored to join you on this journey of illumination.

The IDEAS For Us Staff and Board of Directors

Dear You

with love

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Heat Assemble a Team |/ pg.01

Oxygeninspire a common purpose / pg.05

fuelpic a solution / pg.08

ignitionideas toolkits and resources / pg.10

incandescentdocument. publicize. socialize / pg.12

c.f.l.establish a chapter / pg.15

l.e.d.Sustain a chapter / pg.18

1heatAssemble a Team

Start by peacing (yes, with peace) together a cohesive team.

Find other motivated and concerned individuals who share

similar concerns and interests about sustainability. Gather to

discuss issues you feel need to be addressed on local-to-

global scales. Between 3 and 6 proactive individuals ready to

dedicate themselves to sustainable change is a great start! As

you come together, the heat increases like a nebula giving birth

to a star.

Beginning an IDEAS chapter has always been a fun and social

endeavor. Befriend your team, spend time together, and relate

beyond the context of IDEAS! This also makes you a more

attractive option for potential teammates – folks always want

to join the fun!

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askWhat (passions, convictions, understandings, desires, needs, desperations, inspirations, etc.) unites us?1

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What gives us diversity?

how can we find these qualities in others so they will join us?

how can we use these qualities for propogating sustainability?

what and how can we learn from each other?

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campusesStart by reaching out to family, friends, classmates, even

professors or staff on the K-U(niversity) campus. Attend

events and organizations’ meetings to find other proactive

individuals who also want to make sustainable changes but

lack the guidance.

Start by reaching out to family, friends, colleagues, coworkers,

peers, patrons, and common encounters. Get involved with

community teams and local establishments. Rooting in

diverse niches of the community gives you a broader pool of

potential teammates.

communities

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In the spring of 2009, while frequenting a local pizza dig called Lazy Moon, some members of IDEAS for UCF found their conversations over beer and pizza kept leading to intense discussions about environmental issues, such as climate change and sustainability. People sitting near the table would feel the heat and sometimes join in, until upwards of 10-15 people, most strangers to one another, were involved. The initiative “Drink Beer, Talk Climate” was born.

Moral: anyone anywhere can be engaged. Break the distance and silence between yourself and other human beings by recognizing their potential for contributing to solutions.

2oxygeninspire a common purpose

Once you build a team, it’s time to decide on a common purpose.

Remember that acronym, IDEAS? It stands for Intellectual

Decisions on Environmental Awareness Solutions. Although the

mission of IDEAS is to advance sustainability (which encompasses

environment as well as economy and society) IDEAS’s solutions

tend to emerge from environmental awareness.

conceptTriple Bottom Line of Sustainability:

- Environment/Planet

- Society/People

- Economics/Profits

IDEAS inspires RAA (pronounced: raw) solutions: Research,

Action and Awareness.

Research solutions focus on experiments that lead to

discoveries which become the solutions adopted by the public

through social and behavioral change. Action solutions focus

on applying the knowledge, skills and experiences of solution-

building and solution-implementation in real-world, tangible

contexts. Awareness solutions focus on transferring the

knowledge and understanding of sustainability issues and

solutions to IDEAS members and the general public.

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askwhat issues need to be addressed for a more sustainable society?1

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how is the local environment and society affected by this issue?

do we want to perform research, action or awareness?

what are the costs and benefits associated with each?

what smart goals do we want to accomplish?

are we best suited for research, action or awareness|?

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campuses |&communitiesGather and begin planning SMART goals, strategies and tactics. A host of awesome organizing resources are open-sources by the New Organizing Institute. http://neworganizing.com/toolbox/organizing-and-leadership/

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In the fall of 2009, IDEAS for UCF members saw that the polluting of plastic bags was an issue around campus. As a solution, members brainstormed an innovative solution that would minimize, and eventually eliminate, plastic bag consumption on campus. One idea led to another and they created “T-Totes,” a plastic bag reduction campaign which offers a solution to the plastic by converting old t-shirts into reusable tote bags, thus eliminating the need for plastic bags. In addition to sewing these bags on demand, IDEAS now uses solar PV panels and bike-powered motors to power their sewing machines, furthering the educational awareness of this initiative.

Moral: problems are a matter of perception. IDEAS sees problems as opportunities for solutions - mo’ problems, mo’ solutions.

3fuelpic a solution

PIC stands for Project, Initiative, Campaign. You have a

team. You have a common purpose. What’s left? Solutions!

Solutions are all real-world sustainability and environmental

awareness efforts implemented through the IDEAS movement.

They are both qualitative and quantitative in nature.

A Project is a short-term solution. Projects are comprised of

one or several events at one or more locations, carried out over

the duration of four months or less.

An Initiative is a mid-to-long-term solution. Initiatives are

comprised of many events with changing locations, stakeholders,

impacts, and populations impacted. Initiatives are implemented

over the duration of four months or more. An Initiative may be

comprised of several Projects.

Campaigns are long-term directions for Initiatives and Projects.

Campaigns are more applicable for functional IDEAS Chapters

because they are long-term by nature.

These categories are relatively flexible. Throughout the history

of IDEAS, some Projects have gathered momentum to become

Initiatives. Some Initiatives have slowed into Projects. Some

Campaigns have led to incredible Projects and Initiatives.

For clarity, consistency and coherence, all Initiatives and Projects

are encouraged to retain the name IDEAS in any combination of

terms (ex: IDEAS for Policy; Healthy IDEAS, etc.).

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IDEAS joined a nation-wide competition called CO2nsequence: Organize to Be Heard in the fall of 2009. The competition was based on a point system ranked by the different media used for engagement - photo, video, or writing - to raise awareness about a clean energy future. Through the CO2nsequence campaign, IDEAS created an Initiative called “Bikes Save CO2nsequences.” Cyclists continue to congregate and ride around UCF’s campus, raising awareness about alternative transportation.

Moral: Plant two trees with one shovel – projects, initiatives and campaigns can serve many overlapping purposes and accomplish many goals. Just be sure to keep track of what’s what!

4ignitionideas toolkit & resources

You’re HOT! The fire triangle is complete – heat, oxygen and

fuel – with a Team, a Common Purpose, and a plethora of

proven Solutions. The key is in Ignition.

Here’s where you start small and scale up quickly. Like building

a fire, begin will small actions to help you gain confidence,

credibility and publicity. These early flames are smoke signals,

demonstrating to onlookers that you and your team are on your

way to illuminate the community with sustainable solutions.

As you begin to explore other IDEAS toolkits and put them to

work, the intensity of your movement will only escalate.

IDEAS For Us, the non-profit guiding the IDEAS Movement,

exists to provide methods and resources for increasing

movement capacity – in the form of Toolkits, Operational

Documents and various resources. Toolkits are guidelines for

anyone seeking to scale up sustainable solutions.

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info toolkitThis toolkit will help you understand IDEAS better. Educate

your team and members on the history and structure of

IDEAS, the IDEAS Movement and IDEAS For Us, the non-

profit. You can more confidently and cohesively communicate

what IDEAS is and what IDEAS does.

You’re looking at it! Use this toolkit to spark up IDEAS in your

community. ‘Nuff said.

Use this toolkit to help your team select an already proven

project, initiative or campaign. Solutions are categorized by

Research, Action and Awareness, so use this toolkit to find

a good fit for your team. Best practices and instructions for

various solutions are provided throughout.

This toolkit will help you gather metrics about the work you

and your team are doing in the community. Potential partners,

donors and volunteers value this evidence of your team’s

movement capacity. Light bulbs come marked with wattage

– the Documentation Toolkit helps you determine your own

luminescence in the community.

The Efficiency Guides provides a process of setting goals

for making chapters successful in manifesting the IDEAS

movement in their community.

organizing toolkit

solutions toolkit

documentation toolkit

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efficiency guides

Please visit www.IDEASForUs.org for Downloadable PDFs.

5incandescentdocument. publicize. socialize

Your team is functional and it’s time to expand your movement

capacity. Now is when you scale up fast by documenting,

publicizing and socializing.

Documenting allows a team to show what it does. Data about

members, events and impacts provide an empirical, numerical

story. Photographs tell a story in a different language than

words or numbers might, communicating the emotions of

moments, connecting with an unspoken language embedded

deep within a person.

Anytime your team meets for an event, whether it is a meeting

or even participating in another organization’s event, capture

those moments and document them for future use – in creating

partnerships, writing grant proposals, etc. This is most easily

accomplished with a camera and the Documentation Toolkit.

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Publicizing allows a team to broadcast its effects to an audience

that it may not otherwise be able to access. Newspaper, radio

and television are conventional media for publicizing the efforts

of your team. Teams simply need to write a press release

(template provided by IDEAS For Us) and submit it to any and

all media outlets. Media channels often post contact information

for press releases online. When the media shows up to events,

be sure to assign someone as the spokesperson to interact with

them, providing logistical information as well as insightful and

inspiring comments about the team and its efforts.

Socializing – in actual, digital and virtual realities – is the most

effective way to publicize your efforts. Word of mouth. Social

media. These are boosters with the potential to propel your

team’s movement capacity in unfathomable ways. Best of

all, these are media that members of your team can engage

with simultaneously and individualistically. Create accounts

on various social media sites to promote your team’s events

and exhibit documentation of your efforts. Expand your team’s

network with a mere click of a button.

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In the spring of 2010, IDEAS Miami helped host a rally on Miami Beach protesting off-shore drilling in Florida and demanding a clean energy future. After contacting local media contacts and local newspapers, IDEAS was able to make front page of Miami’s premier morning edition - the Miami Herald - and raise awareness to the greater Miami community about the importance of banning this action off our coast!

In the 2009-10 academic school year, 25 stories about IDEAS For UCF were published in the university’s newspaper, the Central Florida Future. This led to an unprecedented increase in membership, almost tripling the amount of active, committed members in IDEAS for UCF.

Moral: let the media spread your message and do the marketing for you.

6c.f.l.establish a chapter

At this point, you’re a beacon. Your presence in the community

is felt and well known. Your team is creating a clear and positive

impact, and the momentum is increasing with every action. It’s

time to establish your presence in the community in a more

permanent and lasting way – establishing an IDEAS chapter.

In order to establish a chapter, a New Chapter Agreement

must be created between your team and IDEAS For Us. A

template is available from the IDEAS For Us website. This

document allows IDEAS For Us to track the creation of new

chapters and to be able to support these new chapters.

With the New Chapter Agreement, your chapter will need to

set up a constitution. IDEAS For Us also provides a template

of a New Chapter Constitution. Each chapter has autonomy to

adapt the constitution based on their own style of leadership

and self-governance.

The processes of creating campus and community chapters

are inherently different. Community chapters only need to

complete the aforementioned operational documents provided

by IDEAS For Us. Campus chapters will usually need to register

through student government associations. By doing so,

campus chapters can receive financial and material resources

from their schools. Start by researching different programs,

majors and environmental organizations currently existing on

campus. Our aim is not to dilute the movement on campus, but

rather to enhance it with fresh, innovative ideas and systems.

conceptNew Chapter Constitution

- Resarch different programs, majors and

environmental organizations currently existing

on campus. Our aim is not to dilute the

movement on campus, but rather to enhance

it with fresh, innovative ideas and systems.

- Contact your Regional Director or Bio

Regional Coordinator listed on the IDEAS

For Us website for further guidance, support,

and resources!

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chapter structure & supportOperational Documents

• New Chapter Agreement (required by IDEAS For Us when

establishing your chapter)

• Efficiency Guide (required by IDEAS For Us each semester to

upkeep your chapter’s status)

• New Chapter Constitution (to provide a structure of governance

to your chapter)

• Press Release (to publicize the efforts and impacts of your chapter)

• Memorandum of Understanding (to establish the conditions of

partnerships with your chapter)

Examples of Executive Roles

• Co-Presidents (to handle relationships with IDEAS For Us,

student governments and other organizations)

• Secretary (to act as scribe, time-keeper, vibe-checker in meetings)

• Treasurer (to handle all resources and assets belonging to

the chapter)

• Historian (to document events through various media)

• Communications/Outreach (to handle recruitment, marketing

and social media)

Baseline Events

• Executive meetings

• Chapter meetings

• Anything from the IDEAS Solutions Toolkit!

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youth environmentalmovement partnerresources• 350 (www.350.org)

• Sierra Student Coalition (www.ssc.org)

• Energy Action Coalition (http://www.energyactioncoalition.org/)

• Rainforest Action Network (www.ran.org)

• Greenpeace (www.greenpeace.org)

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7l.e.d.sustain a chapter

Establishing a chapter is just the beginning. Sustaining a chapter

requires much more creativity and innovative thinking. People

move – it’s inevitable. Due to this fact of life, chapters need to

constantly pour effort into recruiting and retaining members.

Each semester, your chapter is responsible for submitting an

Efficiency Guide to IDEAS For Us, in order to update the non-profit

on your chapter’s status and community impact. This document

is readily available in a template on the IDEAS For Us website.

As a community organizer, you are always recruiting. Every

person is a possible change agent and should be valued for

their potential. Every encounter is an opportunity for publicizing

and socializing. Do not forget that people are, beneath all,

people. Finding and connecting with the deeper humanity in

the people you meet will help you to discover and further your

own. Keep a positive attitude with people even if they’re not

interested; especially if they’re opposite to your own. We learn

the most from perspectives far different than ours. Much like

diversity of species in an ecosystem, diversity of perspective

and opinion make for the healthiest chapters.

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Membership retention is a similarly complex, engaging and

everlasting process. Social cohesion and a sense of belonging

are key. Encouraging members to claim ownership of the work

they do will allow them to feel invested in the chapter. Achieve

this by inviting members to acquire active and meaningful

responsibilities. Inviting and promoting members into executive

roles has a similar effect.

Mentoring is an incredibly profound experience for both

mentor and mentee. By solidifying intimate social bonds

between members, the possibility for retention is increased

dramatically. Mentors and mentees share knowledge, skills

and experiences, which bring them closer together by means

of sustainability work. The bonds formed can extend beyond

the bounds of IDEAS, flourishing into beautiful friendships.

Traditions are also incredibly effective for creating cohesion

among social teams. They also create history, which will give

your chapter a unique identity in the scope of the larger youth

environmental movement and IDEAS Movement. The autonomy

that chapters have to personalize their own constitutions also

extends to traditions. These traditions can be embedded in already

existing campus and community traditions, and vice-versa.

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Organizing is a process of evolution, of elevation, of actualization.

Not only are you and your team organizing strategies and campaigns,

implementing solutions and building networks, you and your team

are also growing as people. The process outlined in this toolkit is

meant to help individuals and teams develop stronger organizational

and leadership capacities. The process is also meant to be a path

to self-discovery, helping you to uncover your passions, talents and

possible directions in life while sustaining the world’s systems with

bold, innovative, attainable solutions.

sharingthe light

IDEAS For Us, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, accredited

by the United Nations, advancing sustainability and environmental

awareness through campus and community action.

The IDEAS Movement is growing international sustainability

across communities and K-U(niversity) campuses around the

world, IDEAS provides people of all ages with opportunities to

make a positive impact for generations to come.

The mission of IDEAS is to educate, engage and empower

people of all ages with sustainable solutions through research,

action and awareness.

Authors:

Chris Castro

Sebastian Church

Henry Harding

Viktor El-Saieh

Graphic Design:

Stephanie Wrong

Written Summer 2011

Revised Summer 2013

Think@ideasforus.org

ideasforus.org

facebook.com/ideasforus

twitter.com/ideastweetsus