A Well-Developed Methodology: We teach techniques and methodologies that have worked in rural, urban, suburban, white, Black, Hispanic and working-class communities. Leaders in our network work from a plan that consistently brings results and allows them to move quickly from a loose coalition of neighborhood institutions to a powerful force capable of organizing thousands of people to coalesce and prevail on major issues.
Organizer recruitment Program: Gamaliel has an ongoing program to recruit diverse and professional people to staff its affiliates. Gamaliel prides itself on its record and capacity to attract women and minorities to this profession.
Gamaliel offers more than 100 training events each year:
Gamaliel organizes three national weeklong trainings per year, an advanced leadership/strategic campaigns training, Ntosake women’s leadership development training, African American Leadership Commission, National Clergy Caucus, and national leadership conferences across the country. These events reach more than 1,000 in total in a typical year.
National Leadership Training: This 7-day residential training presents the concepts and tools an effective leader needs. It affords a person the opportunity to reflect on his/her present and future potential roles in the public arena. The method is Socratic. The style is agitational. Several trainings are offered yearly.
Clergy Training: A 3-day training program conducted by and for the Gamaliel National Clergy Caucus and other clergy leaders. This training includes tools, concepts and methodologies for becoming effective in balancing the demands of their own institutions with issues of justice and community concerns. It also provides a supportive network of clergy experiencing similar demands.
Advanced Leadership / Strategic Campaigns Training: A 5-day program offered once annually to 75 top leaders. The ALT combines a deeper level of agitation with storytelling, power analysis, fundraising, communications, and other organizing skills. Since 2012 the event has been held in Washington, D.C., providing opportunities to network with national allies and partner organizations as well as to meet with public and elected officials throughout the government. This program is designed to challenge and equip leaders to assume major responsibilities within their organizations.
Ntosake: The word comes from South Africa and means “She who walks with lions and carries her own things.” This is a women’s leadership training program conducted by and for women. It is designed to present ideas and concepts for becoming effective and powerful leaders. It also provides a support network for women. The program is designed to help women overcome the internal and external obstacles faced on the journey to becoming powerful and effective leaders. Learn more about Ntosake here.
Organizer Retreats: For the professional network staff, Gamaliel holds several professional organizer retreats, including for its Organizers of Color table, as well as Training for Trainers and other staff development sessions.
Issue convenings: As needed, campaigns will gather key leaders, staff and partners for planning meetings and strategy sessions; the Civil Rights of Immigrants campaign, for example, typically gathers key leaders at least once per year to plan strategy.
National Leadership Conference / International Leadership Assembly: Leaders from across our organization including affiliate presidents and key leaders, leadership from our national tables and campaigns, and key staff gather once a year or as needed. In addition, periodically Gamaliel calls an International Leadership Assembly, or ILA, attended by leaders and staff from across the network including our allied organizations in the United Kingdom and South Africa.
Local Training: Day-long or weekend training programs are conducted regularly in the local setting of each of Gamaliel’s affiliates. The trainings either introduce new leaders to the basic concepts of organizing or develop, for established leaders, specific skills around outreach, civic engagement, power analysis and recruitment or other topics. Contact your local Gamaliel organizer or state director for more details.
Custom training sessions: organizations as varied as the National Urban League, Jobs with Justice, TASH and others have asked Gamaliel to provide custom training sessions for their members. If you are interested in a custom training session for your organization, please contact Jay Schmitt, Operations Director.