COMMUNITY ORGANISING TRAINING
1. Building Local Leadership
Inspiring Others and Forming the Core of Your Association
Every Association begins with people, not plans. Leadership grows when individuals learn to share their stories, connect with others, and build trust through action. In this topic, you will learn how to develop that foundation of leadership within your community.
Strong leadership is not about position or authority. It is about influence built through respect, consistency, and shared purpose. The goal is to create a group of people who can rely on one another and take initiative together.
1. Storytelling and Motivation
Change begins with story. People are motivated by emotion before strategy, and by connection before instruction.
In this part of your learning, you will explore the Story of Self, Us, and Now framework for explaining who you are, why you care, and what you and your community can do together.
A clear, honest story builds trust. It gives others a reason to see themselves in your experience and to act with you.
Practice:
- Write your story in three parts: who you are, why this work matters to you, and what your community can achieve together.
- Share it with someone you trust and ask what part of it connects most strongly.
Trainer’s Reflection:
When I first started sharing my own story, I realised that people responded most to the why rather than the what. They connected to the reason I cared, not the list of things I had done. Once I began speaking from that place of honesty, conversations became genuine, and others began offering their own stories in return.
2. Relational Organising
Relationships are the foundation of leadership. They are formed one conversation at a time.
Relational organising means taking the time to meet people, listen carefully, and understand what motivates them. Each connection strengthens your network and lays the groundwork for collective action.
Try this approach:
- Meet with three people who might share your concerns.
- Ask them what they value, what they want to see change, and what would motivate them to act.
- Listen more than you speak. The goal is not to persuade but to understand.
In Practice
During one of our early efforts, we met with people who had very different views about how to address a local issue. Rather than debating, we listened. Those conversations revealed shared frustrations and values that had never been voiced before. Within weeks, people who began as strangers were meeting regularly to plan our first action.
3. Identifying Emerging Leaders
Not everyone leads in the same way. Some organise details, others inspire through example, and some bring practical skills that hold everything together.
Your role is to recognise potential in others and create space for them to use it. Leadership spreads when people are given responsibility and support.
In practice:
- Notice who follows through on commitments.
- Encourage people to take ownership of small but meaningful tasks.
- Acknowledge effort and reliability publicly, as it reinforces leadership behaviour.
Trainer’s Insight:
I learned that leadership often shows itself quietly. It’s not always the person who speaks the loudest but the one who keeps things moving when others hesitate. Recognising and encouraging that kind of steady contribution builds a culture of reliability and respect.
4. Forming a Core Team
A new Association needs a dependable core group, a handful of people who share purpose, values, and trust. This team will guide early actions, host meetings, and model the culture of the wider organisation.
Steps to build your team:
- Meet regularly, even if the group is small.
- Make decisions together and keep communication transparent.
- Agree on clear expectations and hold each other accountable.
Consistency matters more than size. A small, organised group with a shared sense of purpose will attract others naturally.
Reflection:
Think about the people you already know who share your concerns or values.
Who could you meet this week to begin building those first connections?
Leadership begins when someone takes the initiative to start that conversation.
Trainer’s Reflection:
When we first began forming our core group, we met every week, even when only a few could attend.
Over time, that consistency built trust. People began to see that this wasn’t just another idea but it was something that could be real and lasting
Summary
Building leadership begins with personal connection and grows through shared purpose.
By learning to tell your story, build trust, and recognise leadership in others, you create a foundation that supports every campaign, action, and Association that follows.
[NEXT: Understanding Power and Purpose]
6. Meetings and Decision-Making
Develop the ability to run effective, fair, and productive meetings that lead to action.
You will learn how to chair discussions, take minutes, and maintain transparency while fostering participation and respect. This section also covers how to handle conflict, mediate disputes, and keep fairness and fellowship at the heart of your Association’s culture.
Handbook Modules included:
5. Running Effective Meetings – Keeping the Association Alive and Working Well
10. Conflict and Resolution – Keeping Fairness and Fellowship at the Centre
[VIEW TOPIC 6 – Meetings and Decision-Making]
7. Growing Membership and Momentum
Keep your Association active, growing, and sustainable.
This section focuses on developing leadership capacity, maintaining engagement, and building strength for the future. You will learn how to recruit and mentor new members, share responsibility, manage resources, and plan for long-term success.
Handbook Modules included:
6. Developing Leaders and Committees – Sharing Responsibility and Building Capacity
11. Growth and Sustainability – Building Strength for the Future
[VIEW TOPIC 7 – Growing Membership and Momentum]
8. Connecting with the Wider Movement
See how your local work fits into the national story.
This section explains how independent Associations link together to form a coordinated, state-wide, and national movement. You will learn how to maintain your local identity while contributing to shared advocacy, cultural renewal, and representation at every level.
Handbook Modules included:
4. Building an Association – Turning Informal Networks into Lasting Structures
12. Movement and Renewal – Carrying the Work Further Afield
[VIEW TOPIC 8 – Connecting with the Wider Movement]
Next Steps
Once your group is active and organised, use the Heritage Australians Constitution Toolkit to formalise your Association, elect a committee, and connect into the wider movement.
Learning Topics
Each section below is a standalone topic drawn from the Community Organising Handbook. You can start anywhere, but together they form a complete pathway from your first local meeting to building state and national representation..