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Team re:power

Who’s in the room: CSIO Edition

In June, re:power brought organizers from across the country together in Phoenix for the first in-person Campaign School for Issue Organizing program. The 2.5-day training covered everything from the fundamentals of campaign strategy to building volunteer programs, developing a fundraising plan, targeting voters through VAN, script-building, and more. The curriculum builds on the ethos that effective organizing isn’t just about securing electoral wins; it requires year-round base-building to sustain meaningful victories, and that work lives with the organizers who are building power around the issues that affect the day-to-day lives of their communities.

From seasoned veterans to fresh faces just beginning their organizing journey – the space offered teachable moments beyond the front of the room; in fact, the participants learned a great deal in their group work. 

Here are four inspiring organizers who joined us for this training. We connected with them to learn more about their organizations, recent projects, and lessons learned:

Jazmin Albertie (she/they)
Patterson, California
Data and Digital Organizing Manager

Jazmin Albertie

Jazmin works at PICO California, the largest multi-faith-based community organizing network in the state of California. Their mission imagines a new kind of economy — a moral one — in which basic life necessities are met (food, housing, jobs, healthcare, education, etc) so Californians from all walks of life can live in dignity and safety. In her work, Jazmin analyzes and synthesizes electoral data, invites people to in-person and digital actions, and supports voter contact efforts, like phone banks, text banks, and canvasses. Jazmin is currently revamping PICO’s welcome series, integrating the lesson on ladders of engagement to meet members where they are.

Kassandra Ramirez  (she/her/ella)
Nacogdoches, Texas
Rural Organizing Manager

Kasandra Ramirez

Currently, Kassandra works for Este Poder, a Latinx women-led organization centering young east Texans for their civic engagement and advocacy. Kassandra works directly with the youth through the student fellow program, coordinating with high schoolers and college students to equip them with the civic education and tools to become life-long voters. She took back to her team the lesson around the ladder of engagement and the four Cs to expand Este Poder’s reach into the community.

Cris Cuevas (all pronouns)
Boise, Idaho
Policy and Community Organizer

Cris Cuevas

Cris works at Poder Idaho, a Latinx-led organization empowering and uplifting immigrant and Latinx communities in Idaho through advocacy in five primary areas: economic justice, immigration, education, and labor & gender equity. Their most recent campaign, “Manejando Sin Miedo,” which means driving without fear, focuses on supporting legislation for driver’s licenses for all, regardless of documentation and status. The statement, “culture will eat strategy for breakfast,” resonated with Cris, who took the lesson to heart on how to build a resilient campaign culture.

Anvita Kandru (she/her/hers)
Coppell, Texas
Community Organizer

Anvita Kandru

SAAVETX Education Fund is a South-Asian women-led organization harnessing the political power of South Asians, the largest and fastest-growing minority in Texas; they operate statewide through civic engagement efforts and political education. Anvita works on translating voting materials in different South Asian languages since language access is a barrier to many non-English speakers and integrating those documents into their GOTV.  Anvita introduced to her team a more defined theory of change and a robust base-building strategy to move their people through the funnel of leadership development.

5 in 5: Five Reflections on Leading a Movement Building Organization for Five Years

This month as I celebrate my 5-year anniversary as the Executive Director of re:power, I’m reflecting on what I’ve learned leading a national movement building organization. When I joined re:power, it was not only a first for the organization to have a Black woman leader, but also a first for me – my first time becoming an Executive Director. I did a lot in those first two years to learn from my peers and mentors, stretch myself to grow, and find balance in this work.

Here are just five of my reflections that I hope will encourage others, especially my fellow women of color, stepping into their leadership.

1. Ground Through Purpose During Times of Crisis

When I stepped into the Executive Director role with re:power in 2019, it was a significant milestone for me and I was ready to embrace my leadership. Just as we began to reimagine our potential, the compounded trauma of 2020 hit, testing our resilience. Leading an organization through a pandemic while grappling with the personal and collective trauma of systemic racism was daunting, but we pivoted quickly to train over 2000 organizers online and form transformational partnerships with multiple foundations in that year alone. The mission of re:power and my purpose were crystallized during the pandemic, as the challenges underscored the critical need for unlocking the agency of historically oppressed communities and fostering adaptive leadership.

2. To Push Funders, Push Through Fear

Despite initial insecurities about fundraising, I led re:power to grow from a $3.1 million to a $6 million annual budget and rebuilt our reserve accounts. I challenged philanthropy and our movement to go beyond mere anti-racism rhetoric and put it into practice. This purpose became the driving force behind our actions as an organization. I learned that sharing a clear vision with funders and conveying the necessity of investing in re:power garnered their belief and support. 

3. Make an Inclusive Staff Culture Your “BAE”

Strategy is no good without a strong culture. My fellow senior leaders of color, and I, transformed a burnt-out staff with eroded trust into a values-grounded team. We addressed behaviors, policies, and practices misaligned with our vision, fostering a culture where staff, especially those most marginalized, could be their authentic selves with mutual accountability to our shared values. One staff member noted how my unapologetic leadership as a mother inspired them to reconsider their fears about parenthood. We grew from 11 staff members in 2020 and will soon be 25 by the end of this year. We continue to achieve our best work ever due to our strong staff culture. This internal work is essential to an organization’s success. Staff culture can’t be an afterthought, it must be BAE – before anything else. 

4. Innovate How to Approach Strategic Visioning 

The excessive focus on organizations having a strategic plan is a symptom of the non-profit industrial complex. Leaders must make highly strategic decisions to propel their organizations forward, even without a formal plan. For instance, the support and intentionality I aspired to create for women of color at re:power led to the development of new programming like the Women of Color Leadership Cohort, which supports 30-35 leaders annually across two cohorts. That’s why, for our strategic planning process to be more than a box we checked, it was essential to create an engaging process that involved our staff and board in creating a new strategic vision and brand identity. Our strategic planning process provided us with exceptional clarity, and thanks to our innovative approach and brilliant team, we ensured continuous progress and alignment.

5. Strive for Your Successor to Lead in Abundance

I am committed to building an organization where the next re:power leader of color will inherit an organization built on strength and purpose, allowing them to lead with abundance rather than focus on mere survival. To do this, I equip, mentor, and coach my executive team—entirely women of color—to be fully prepared to step into my role when the time comes. While many talk about building a strong team, few truly invest in preparing their successors for leadership. Too often, leaders cling to power instead of fostering the growth of those around them. I take the opposite approach. I prioritize succession planning with a high level of intentionality, focusing on developing leaders within my organization to ensure sustained success and impact. Our movement’s future depends on embracing this approach wholeheartedly.

State Voices Women of Color Cohort

From September to December, re:power facilitated a 9-week Women of Color Leadership Development Cohort for a group of 20 staff from across State Voices’ network, who hold roles ranging from Communications Associate to Organizing Director to Development Manager. The State Voices network now has more women of color staff than ever before and this program is focused on investing in their leadership and growth. 

We deepened our connection to State Voices after one of their staff participated in our February 2023 public cohort and recommended the program to the State Voices network. This participant stated:

“The content shared and worked through was unexpected but so needed—I love how you all connect everyday things that we often use for coping mechanisms as a way to harness our leadership and feel more connected to our inner selves. Thank y’all ❤️ “

State Voices participants from the Winter 2023 Cohort were enlightened and refreshed from their recent cohort experience. Many stated this opportunity helped them connect on a deeper level with other State Voices staff which enhances the work they do across the State Voices table.

“Thank you for the opportunity to be in this space and to heal. We as women of color do need to heal ourselves before we can heal the community.”

WoC – State Voices cohort member

Our WOC Cohort Alum are ambassadors for re:power and they stay connected to re:power by attending additional trainings, becoming facilitators for the cohort, and facilitating opportunities for re:power to partner with other organizations.

We look forward to seeing how our growing base of WoC alumni will continue engaging with us and championing our work in the future!

“This is magical and it works.”

WoC – State Voices cohort member

American Federation of Teachers

What we love about this work is the opportunity to train leaders across different social movements. In August, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) partnered with us to train 25 staff members from the National Political Department in developing a national volunteer activists program, slated to launch in 2024.

The AFT is gearing up to mobilize and organize its members, everyday individuals, and students, ensuring the safeguarding of public education across school board, state, and federal elections in the next five years.

The training introduced state and national staff to a relational organizing approach that can complement their electoral mobilizing strategies and tactics for the 2024 campaign cycle. There was a primary focus throughout the training on how electoral organizing connects to year-round organizing and movement building.

The curriculum included:

  • Developing a Transformative and Winning Field Plan
  • Campaign Strategy Development
  • Base Building and Direct Voter Contact
  • Building a Volunteer Program and Ladder of Engagement
  • Internal Team Management/Building Healthy Campaign Culture
  • Campaign Messaging & Communications
  • Introduction to Digital Organizing and Finding Our People Online

Introducing our new Alumni Community Manager

We’re thrilled to announce our newest staff member, Sagal Handulle! Sagal joined re:power in September 2023 as our first ever Alumni Community Manager. She will be working on the Strategy & Engagement Team to deepen our relationship with re:power alumni and help build a tighter network of incredible BIPOC women, trans & gender expansive people of color leaders.

Sagal Handulle
Alumni Community Manager

Sagal Handulle

Raised in central Ohio, Sagal Handulle graduated from The Ohio State University with a B.A. in Political Science. She got her start in politics as a Progressive Pipeline fellow with the PA Working Families Party and was shortly promoted to digital organizer. In her role, she developed digital strategies for campaigns and candidates—and found comfort in an organizing space that valued the need for a diverse point of view. Inspired by her own experience, she returned to Progressive Pipeline as the Fellowship Director, managing the flagship fellowship program and placing 400+ fellows with over 80 different employer partners.

Sagal completed re:power’s WOC leadership track this summer and felt a sense of safety, community, and kinship for the first time in her professional life. She joins the re:power team, ready to build on the momentum and deliver programming that taps into the unique experiences, challenges, and concerns faced by our alumni community. When she’s not working, you’ll find her at the gym, baking late at night, or writing short stories.

re:power Welcomes New Board Members, Kelley Robinson and Angela Ferrell-Zabala

re:power, a national training and capacity-building organization that exists to build a critical mass of social justice movements and their leaders who embody the ideology and practice of liberatory organizing, is excited to announce two new additions to our Board of Directors: Kelley Robinson and Angela Ferrell-Zabala. 

Robinson and Ferell-Zabala embody our core values of community, collective action, and abundance through their years-long commitment to organizing for material change in the lives of the most impacted. Most importantly, Robinson and Ferell-Zabala are both leading organizations that have built strong organizing coalitions and fought for necessary legislative and narrative change on issues that affect so many of us: Gun Violence Prevention and LGBTQIA+ rights. re:power’s Executive Director Karundi Williams shared, “In this critical time where states are rolling back human rights and gun violence is soaring, Kelley and Angela’s work is more critical than ever and their leadership on re:power’s board is in recognition of the need for more training and infrastructure support for their movements.”

Kelley Robinson

Kelley Robinson is the ninth president of the Human Rights Campaign — the first Black, Queer woman to lead the organization. The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality and liberation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. Robinson is widely respected for her work over the last 15 years creating and leading winning campaigns and programs and has been at the forefront in the fight for bodily autonomy and racial and gender equity. 

“At a time when LGTBQ+ people face a State of Emergency and our basic freedoms are on the line, I’m honored to join re:power on the frontlines of the fight for social, racial, and economic justice. Together with activists, organizers and advocates, re:power is building a collective of effective leaders who are committed to the fight for liberation without exception.” 

Kelley Robinson

Angela Ferrell-Zabala serves as the first ever Executive Director of Moms Demand Action where she is responsible for leading and growing the largest gun violence prevention grassroots network in the country . Angela has been with the organization since 2019 leading its movement building work and overseeing grassroots organizing, external, cultural and corporate engagement, and national partnerships and programming.

Angela Ferrell-Zabala

“As an organizer at heart, I am deeply honored to join re:power’s board and to help develop a powerful community fighting for our collective liberation. We don’t have to accept a reality where people’s livelihoods are threatened simply for existing. In order to realize the better, safer world that we all deserve, it’s critical that we invest in strong organizing training for leaders across movements — and re:power is doing exactly that.”

Angela Ferrell-Zabala

Our two new board members will bring their powerful leadership and deep experience to our already dynamic board.  Their vision will be invaluable as we continue to move toward our northstar of a multiracial democracy, liberated from the oppressive systems of white supremacy and patriarchy.

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