Empowering the progressive movement with relational organizing
Empower Project focuses on revitalizing organizing to help boost voter turnout, especially for BIPOC communities, through relational organizing–the practice of tapping into personal networks of friends and family to create change. We provide the software and expertise to help communities, progressive organizations, and nonprofits leverage their personal relationships to build power and dramatically expand the electorate. Our cutting-edge technology, Empower, stands at the forefront of the industry and is trusted by over 1,500 organizations nationwide.
We’re organizers, strategists, trainers, and engineers all grounded in community and collective action for a better future.
Vision
We envision a world where communities use the power of personal relationships to organize meaningfully for social justice, equity, and the freedom to thrive.
Mission
Empower Project is on a mission to recenter people in our movement and build more sustainable change through relational organizing.
Our Values
We believe in movement-owned technology and we are proud to be a nonprofit that prioritizes making an impact.
Our History
2011
We Built the First Relational Organizing Tool in the Industry
In 2011, we were working on the statewide recall elections of Wisconsin when we encountered a significant problem: the campaign had run out of phones and doors to knock on and they needed a new way to reach unregistered voters. That’s when we decided to start using relational organizing to get in touch with the people that weren’t listed on the voter file. It soon became clear that a tool was needed to track these efforts. It was at this point that the initial version of the Empower App, the first relational organizing tool in the industry, was created. Empower remains the most tested relational organizing tool with a world-class development team to back it up.
2016
We Began Research on Relational Organizing with Analyst Institute
We began a research partnership with the Analyst Institute after we identified a significant gap in the existing research landscape concerning relational organizing.
2018
The Efficacy of Relational Organizing Proves to be Outstanding
By 2018, we conducted 8 Analyst Institute experiments to test the efficacy of relational organizing and found that relational organizing had an outstanding impact on people, particularly BIPOC communities.
2019
Our Research Galvanizes the Progressive Movement
Our research results became public and were well received causing the progressive movement all around the country to be excited to implement relational organizing for themselves!
2020
We Reach 1 Million People Using Relational Organizing
In 2020 alone, we reached 1 million people using relational organizing, forever transforming the way the progressive movement organizes.
2021
We Launch our Direct Organizing Programs
On top of providing tech and training to our partners, we engaged 13,000+ volunteers to promote vaccine equity and education resulting in 55,000 confirmed relational organizing connections.
2022
We Execute our First Massive Statewide Direct Organizing Programs
We ran a massive program in Nevada where we ended up having 262,000 relational conversations with 160,000 people. On Election Day, we were tracking an average of one conversation per second.
2023
We Make History with our Programs Across 3 States
We ran three more successful programs in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky resulting in hundreds of thousands of conversations. Our programs in Pennsylvania and Kentucky are the first of their kind and size to happen in each state.
Today
Our Work Continues
Empower Project continues to work with groups in all 50 states to plan and implement effective relational organizing programs while we continue to spearhead the largest and most successful direct organizing programs in history.
Our Values
We believe in movement-owned technology and we are proud to be a nonprofit that prioritizes making an impact.
Collective Change
We prioritize the success of our partners, empowering them to achieve their goals for the greater good. By aligning our efforts, we believe we can build positive change faster and more effectively.
Coalition-building
We believe in the power of collaboration and working in coalition with like-minded organizations and individuals, recognizing that collective action is essential for achieving meaningful and sustainable change on a large scale.
Shared Learning
We believe in thorough research and sharing knowledge openly to strengthen our programs while simultaneously empowering our partners with the latest best practices.
Diversity and Inclusivity
We recognize that diverse perspectives and experiences are essential to the success of any movement. We believe that the best movements are those that embrace and represent more people.
Continuous Improvement
We embrace a culture of continual improvement and growth. We value feedback, from our research, partners, staff, donors, and the communities we work with serving as a catalyst for enhancing our impact and effectiveness in serving our mission.
Dismantling Systemic Barriers
We are dedicated to the foundation of good organizing, working to engage and empower communities that are often overlooked or marginalized, striving to reach even those who seem unreachable.
Shared Commitment
We are committed to our partners success and we understand it takes all of us, in every corner of the country, to create meaningful and long-lasting change.