Reporting fresh off a coffee shop tour reconnecting with organizers exploring opportunities to dial-up our efforts, locally and nationally, on the road up to the 2024 election and beyond. Wanted to share both the challenges and opportunities that surfaced—while inviting you to join us for what’s ahead!

Wondering if these challenges resonate?

  • A loss of organizing culture amplified during the pandemic and ongoing disappointment of not being heard by our politicians *many we’ve elected!
  • A frustrating pattern of playing defense stuck blocking the harmful bills coming through our legislature vs. having a vision of alignment and what we’re fighting for.
  • Not to mention, the sheer wasting of resources around our elections with the most recent $51 million WI Supreme Court race and small fraction that went toward organizing something that could be sustained after.

It’s not all bad news—there were sources of hope heard too! Real opportunities in the coming year to chart a different course.

  • The 2024 election with the focus of national attention and resources.
  • The potential for redistricting with fair maps opening a whole new field of play and the chance
    to rebalance power.
  • Fresh off the election, will be the 2025 biennial budget in WI and other states with an opening to reset the policy priorities for the coming years.

In reflecting on the Wild Project’s role within the larger ecosystem of changemakers in Wisconsin, there are two immediate contributions we will make. The first is supporting a scaled effort to grow the organizing capacity of organizations committed to building a deeper constituency through the training and coaching of emerging leaders. We feel the strategic window to do this will be the first 6 months of the year when there is still time to build something on the road up to the election.

But the goal is to not just train folks for training sake. Our hope is to also serve in the role of convening the same organizations who are doing the intentional capacity building work together to develop collective goals around what is a statewide governing platform that could connect the dots across our organizations/issues and that we would want to organize towards in ’24 and beyond. Something that could animate the work for us all!

In the coming weeks we will be meeting with organizational leaders across the country who want to be a part of this effort, finalizing our joint 2024 training dates and begin the work of visioning together. If you are or your organization is interested in participating, please reach out to us here.

We’ll be in touch very soon with more updates as this takes shape.

Forward,
Dan Grandone, Founder and Coordinator