First Steps

ORGANIZE A WALK PLANNING COMMITTEE

Form a Walk Planning Committee. In addition to your Walk Contact, you may want to include people to fill the following positions:

• Media Coordinator – to distribute press releases, follow up with media representatives, and to coordinate media and granted interviews on the day of the event;

• Public Education/Outreach – to coordinate distribution of flyers and posters, and to initiate brief presentations to interested organizations and groups

• Volunteer Recruitment – to coordinate volunteer recruitment on the day of the event, and to coordinate follow up with volunteers after the march

• Logistics – to oversee Men’s March physical site needs, e.g. permits and equipment

• Walk Manager – to commence and manage Walk activities, e.g. manage the program, organize program participants, and to tell everyone when to start the Walk and when to clean up and go home

• Security Manager – to help maintain safety and order along the Walk route, and handle any potential hecklers or agitators (this last concern is not necessarily expected to occur at this event).

If possible, fill Planning Committee positions with trusted members of other organizations and agencies; as support members if not coordinators. Assess the resources available to each organization and use them wisely. Resources include: volunteers, equipment, connections to funding sources or donors, connections to celebrities and/or the media, etc.

Contact like-minded organizations and individuals to be your organizing partners. Use the opportunity of planning this Walk to make some new friends and deepen existing relationships with friendly organizations. Think out of the box, and think diversity. Contact rape crisis centers, feminist men’s organizations, civil rights organizations, progressive religious organizations, unions, parent groups, student organizations, colleges and universities, professional organizations - everyone you can think of.