4. How advocacy organizations can build their capacity to win with guest Ludovic Blain

Blueprint for California Advocates

There is so much knowledge in my interview with Ludovic Blain I don't know where to start!

Mr. Blain is the Executive Director of California Donor Table, a statewide community of donors who pool their funds to make investments in communities of color so they have the power and resources they need to elect people who represent their values and needs and help govern and hold decision-makers accountable.

He helmed CDT's work, starting in 2010, with community organizations in Orange and San Diego counties and in the Inland Empire that, over time, yielded historic election results with national implications. Democrats won seats in Congress, in Sacramento, and on the local level that had been widely regarded as "unwinnable".

I am a huge fan of CDT's laser focus on, in Mr. Blain's words, "investing in communities of color and working with organizations to build up their capacity to win, to win over time, to win consistently, and to be resilient. To survive when they lose in order to win more in the future."

We discuss:

- The transformation of San Diego and Orange counties and the Inland Empire

- Winning is not linear and it's our job to keep trying

- How organizations can and should expand their work into partisan campaigns, i.e. don't play checkers when your opponent is playing chess

- Where orgs can look for C3 and C4 dollars

- CDT's efforts to establish civic engagement and power building collaborations around the state

- How organizations can "help govern" right now

- What organizations can do right now to start building capacity

Like I said, there is so much value for advocates in this discussion.

Transcript of this Episode

Learn more about California Donor Table. Also check out these CDT supported collaborations: Inland Empire United, Orange County Civic Engagement Table, Lift Up Contra Costa, and Communities for New California.

Hosted by Kristina Bas Hamilton, founder of KBH Advocacy. Learn more about KBH Advocacy.

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