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Transformational Organizing Conversations

NEA’s Guide to Recruiting Conversations
This guide will help you start recruitment conversations and connect with educators while highlighting all that NEA has to offer at the local, state and national level.

How to use this toolkit

  • Don’t read the scripts in this guide verbatim. The most compelling way to get your colleagues to join is through a one-on-one conversation where you are engaging and listening authentically.  
  • Ask questions about the person and don’t be afraid to share a bit about yourself. Building a personal connection is the best way to recruit new members.  
  • Emphasize personal experience and local wins that your local association has delivered for members.  
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Thank you for taking the time to help build a stronger union.

When we speak up as part of our local union, we can win improvements to our daily lives, from higher salaries to protected planning time and guaranteed bathroom breaks. Each new member adds another voice to the millions of educators across the country working together to accomplish things one educator, one bus driver, one janitor, or even one district can’t.

One-on-one conversations are the most effective way to share the importance of membership to fellow educators. When members speak about how their local makes a difference in their own work, community, and personal lives, they are an influential force in building power in the union. 

By following the tips shared in this guide, you or your members will be able to communicate the transformational benefits of joining together as a union.

Get Tips from Other Members

Every member can play a role in growing the union, whether or not they have had formal training. Sometimes all it takes is starting a conversation, answering questions, and extending an invitation. NEA Today connected with members of NEA’s National Member Organizing Cadre to find out how to have conversations that make a difference in recruiting new members.

Preparing for Your Organizing Conversation

You do not have to have all the answers to questions from members and potential members, you can prepare for transformational organizing conversations and typical questions. 

Affirm, answer, and redirect (AAR) when possible. 

  • Affirm: Let them know you’re listening, you understand, and their feelings are valid. Don’t get mad at them—validate and educate them. 
  • Answer: Give a truthful, concise answer to the question. If you don’t know the answer, don’t guess. Tell them you’ll find out and get back to them. 
  • Redirect: Once you’ve answered the question, bring the conversation back to ask them to join membership. 

Facts to have on hand: 

  • Local leader names/association rep. names by worksite.
  • Dues information (per paycheck/month).
  • Committee & volunteer opportunities for members.
  • Resources available (worksite level, local level, state level, national level).
  • Political Action Committee or other electoral/legislative information.
  • Competing organization facts.

Conversation Cheat Sheet

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Starting the Conversation
  • I’m __________________. I’m an educator at ___________________, can I have a few minutes of your time? 
  • I’m here today as a member of _______________________, our local association for educators like you.  
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Suggested Questions
  • How long have you been working here? How’s it going this year? 
  • What is one thing that you would change about your job? 
  • Are you familiar with _______________________?  
  • We have _____________________ members right here in _____________________ and are part of a national network with nearly three million members. 
  • Our local association is made up of educators like us, who band together to help give all of us a stronger voice that can be used to improve our daily lives and help you change things like______________________________________________________________. 
  • That starts with advocating for higher salaries and better working conditions for educators right here. 
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Share Hope and Urgency

Together, we have worked with school administrators, school boards, and lawmakers from both political parties to: _____________________________________. 

For example: 

  • Improve healthcare benefits.  
  • Expand student loan forgiveness and repayment programs. 
  • Get duty-free lunches for educators.  
  • Improve the daily lives of educators so we are equipped to give students our best. 
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Your Call to Action

Ask them to join their union! 

  • Being an educator is one of the hardest jobs in the world and it’s never been harder than right now. With more members like you, we’ll have a stronger collective voice that improves our daily lives so we can give students our best. Will you join ______________________________ as a member? 
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Possible Follow Up
  • Do you know much about the benefits of being a member?  
  • In addition to giving us a stronger voice in important decisions that impact our daily lives, ___________________________ members receive comprehensive benefits including: 
  • Liability insurance to protect educators from false or unfair accusations 
  • Discounts on school-related items  
  • Professional learning resources and opportunities 
  • Are these things you could find helpful? 
  • Are these things you could find helpful? 

Sharing Your Union Wins 

It’s important to highlight the transformational power of union membership. Make sure to prepare several examples of ways educators have won positive changes through their union. If you are having a hard time shaping your stories of success, try using our BRAG formula!

B.R.A.G. Formula for Union Wins

BENEFITS:  What are the advantages of being a union member?  e.g.: collective voice 
RESOURCES:  How can/does the union support me in my work and professional life? 
ACHIEVEMENTS: What have we achieved that makes a difference in my professional life and the lives of the students I work with? What is the local/affiliate proud of? 
GOALS: What are we/should we be working to accomplish that will make a difference in my professional life and the lives of the students I work with? What is the local/affiliate working on? 

If you don’t yet have a concrete win (or can’t think of one), share the issues your union is working on now and how you plan to succeed. Remember, with more members, your union becomes more powerful and is better equipped to create change! 

Effective organizing should result in membership growth, increased engagement, expanding leadership, and real wins in the policies and practices that impact our members, our schools, our students and our communities—grounded in our values of equity, opportunity, and racial justice. 

Educators and allies in Portland sit together to shut down a bridge and demand investment in public schools.

Get Inspired with NEA's Union Win Map

Need inspiration for your B.R.A.G. conversations? We have gathered a union win for all 50 states. Check out our wins map to learn how NEA members are making a difference near you!

LISTENING WELL IS YOUR BEST TOOL TO RECRUIT NEW MEMBERS.  

The majority of your time in an organizing conversation should be spent listening to the other person. Not only does this show them you (and your union) cares about them, it also helps you to understand the issues that they want to get involved in. This will make you more effective at convincing them to join the union and become a leader! 

Be a Better Listener:

Listen 80% of the time and talk 20% of the time.
Ask follow-up questions using “how”, “what”, or “why”.
Practice empathy. If someone is sharing something in their work environment that upsets them, acknowledge and respect their experiences.
Give your recruit time to think about and answer your questions.
Localize the conversation by talking about specific issues in your community and district.

Things to Avoid:

Don’t ask questions that are statements. For example, don’t ask questions like: “Don’t you think smaller class sizes would be better?”
Don’t answer a question if you don’t know the answer. It’s ok to tell your recruit that you don’t know and will get back to them.
Don’t make comprehensive union benefits the focal point of your conversation. Your conversations should be focused on the needs and concerns of the person you are recruiting.
Don’t overwhelm the person you are recruiting by listing all the issues that could be facing educators.
Educators stand in classroom talking over an iPad

NEA's Guide to Worksite Visits

Worksite visits or blitzes are a great way for organizers to connect directly with potential and existing members. Check out our guide to learn how to prepare for and make the most of this important organizing tool.

Transformational Talking Points 

Equip organizers with these talking points and resources so they feel deputized and ready to start having transformational conversations with potential members!

Find suggested talking points in our recruitment conversation guides for Collective Bargaining States and Non-Collective Bargaining States. We have also created conversations guides designed to help you talk about issues important to our members. Check out resources on the following topics: Student debt, union 101, health care, and pensions.

Key Recruitment Message

Use this elevator pitch as a basis for your recruitment messaging. Make sure to tailor your talking points to your district and state!
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Introduce

[SEA/LEA] is the union for educators in our area. XX% of educators here in [state/district] are already members [if % is unavailable or really low: “We are part of the largest labor union in country”]. We work together to ensure that educators like you have a stronger voice so that we can actually be heard, get important issues addressed, and improve our daily lives.

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Educate

[SEA/LEA] is a union, which means that we have a legally protected right to negotiate for the causes we care about as educators. We regularly meet with lawmakers from both political parties to increase support for public education and negotiate with school administrators and school boards to make sure educators’ voices are being heard and respected. 

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Showcase Membership Value

We have worked with school administrators, school boards, and lawmakers from both political parties to: [reference specific SEA/LEA wins if possible] 

  • Negotiate for increases in salaries, though this is only a start and educators
    deserve more.
  • Win dedicated planning time for teachers.
  • Protect educators from mandates for additional work on nights and weekends.
  • Get schools to hire more staff to reduce class sizes and avoid understaffing.
  • Win student loan forgiveness and generous repayment plans for educators.
  • Improve the daily lives of educators so we are equipped to give students
    our best.
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Motivate

Being an educator is one of the hardest jobs in the world and it’s never been harder than right now. Banding together is the best way to make a real difference. With more members  like you, we’ll have an even stronger voice to improve our daily lives the lives of our students.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sometimes organizers will be asked questions that seem difficult to answer. Use these prompts to help you craft your response.

They ask a question you don't know the answer to.

Don’t answer a question if you don’t know the answer. It’s OK to tell your recruit that you don’t know and will get back to them! 

You’re ready to get started!

Use the following tools to get more ideas for ways to engage in the transformational conversations that are at the center of growing our union and winning the changes educators need and our students deserve. 
educators at a table for collective bargaining

Let's Talk About Series

Looking for a way to start the conversation around membership? We’ve created tools and explainers about the issues our members care about most.
Let's Talk About Student Debt Let's Talk About Pensions Let's Talk about Health Care
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Year-Round Organizing Framework

NEA members and staff are working together to grow our union. Learn more about NEA's Year-Round Organizing Framework and the four seasonal campaigns.
Year-Round Organizing Framework Year-Round Organizing Cards Solidarity With All Workers
union and collective bargaining art build

More Recruitment Resources

From sample email language to guides on how to talk about our Early Enrollment organizing, we have the tools you need to continue your recruitment outreach!
Recruitment Conversation Guide Worksite Visit Expert Guide How to Build Organizing Lists

Organizing Resources at Your Fingertips

This toolkit has the resources you need to support your membership drive! Access find videos, graphics, downloadable posters, and more to help you spread the word and recruit new members. Access Organizing
"We are the change we want to see in the world" sign at RedForEd rally

Year-Round Organizing at NEA

NEA's Year-Round Organizing Framework centers around key field strategies that naturally flow through each of the four seasonal components of a typical school year. Each campaign builds on the momentum of each other, helping members and staff work together to grow our union and create the change our public schools need.
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Great public schools for every student

The National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest professional employee organization, is committed to advancing the cause of public education. NEA's 3 million members work at every level of education—from pre-school to university graduate programs. NEA has affiliate organizations in every state and in more than 14,000 communities across the United States.
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