Relational organizing focuses on building genuine connections with volunteers for your movement, who in turn build more connections of their own. If that sounds familiar, it’s probably because fandom is a great example of relational organizing! We’re sharing the lessons fandom has to teach about this organizing strategy and showing you how your fandom skills can be applied for activism.

NEIL PHELPS, ORGANIZING EMPOWERMENT

An organizer, conservationist, bikewrench, and occasional barista committed to work that furthers self-determination, environmental reparation, and access to abundance in communities of color. Neil lives, works, and is in love with Saginaw, Michigan. He’s overjoyed to be part of organizing efforts all over the nation, as part of Organizing Empowerment’s training team.

JANAE PHILLIPS, FANDOM FORWARD

Janae (she/her) is a writer, experience designer, and community organizer. As Fandom Forward’s Co-Managing Director she has trained thousands of activists around the world and helped shape the landscape of fan activism. She writes about love, community, and the complicated business of everyday life - usually with a bit of magic involved. Janae is from the Sonoran Desert and lives on traditional Tohono O’Odham land in the city of Tucson, AZ. Find her at janae.online

KATIE BOWERS, FANDOM FORWARD

Katie (she/her) has been leading Fandom Forward’s campaigns since 2013, first as a volunteer and then as Senior Staff after joining the team in 2015. Katie has played an integral role in some of our most iconic campaigns, and her commitment to relational organizing and community-centered leadership has played an essential role in shaping the organization into what it is today. An avid reader with a desire to do good, Katie has been integrating her love of pop culture and social justice through youth organizing initiatives and experiential education since 2005.