JUST's Theory of Change

Justice Unites Savannah Together is a grassroots community organizing coalition of diverse congregations united in pursuing justice across Savannah-Chatham County. The mission of JUST is empowering faith communities to pursue justice together by responding to community problems and advocating for equitable policies and initiatives in Savannah-Chatham County. Our vision is to advance justice and equity in our community. 

The core work of JUST is advocacy for justice. By advocacy we mean mobilizing

resources, building coalitions, and engaging in strategic communication to

bring about policy changes or societal shifts that align with justice and

equity.[1] We define justice as the fair and compassionate allocation of resources and opportunities, focusing on reducing inequities and barriers and fostering inclusion.[2] 

The JUST theory of change advances our core work by combining deep understanding of priority issues with a clear-eyed view of the politics of achieving meaningful change.

1) To be effective, JUST must be politically salient for decision-makers, which means having a popular base to which decision-makers would want to appeal or, at least, not wish to alienate. JUST is a network of faith-based communities sharing both a general commitment to addressing injustices and inequities and specific commitments to issues selected democratically by the membership. The political salience of JUST is increased by:
 

a. Coalition size and diversity: A basic tenet of our strategy is to maximize both the number of affiliated congregations, and the diversity of religious traditions included in the network. Membership is contingent on a commitment to the mission, vision and basic processes by which JUST operates. Demonstrating a broad base of support for our justice agenda optimizes the probability of achieving meaningful reforms.

b. Many voices, one song: Beyond the number of member congregations, the active engagement of individual congregations and individual congregants is essential. Like other coalitions, JUST relies on its ability to turn out its base and to have that base be consistent in its messaging. To that end, JUST leadership provides guidance and support in engaging both congregations and congregants.

c. Mobilize resources: JUST recognizes that it must have adequate resources to operate effectively. To that end, it is implementing a multi-pronged financing strategy, including dues, individual giving, corporate giving, foundation grants, and in-kind contributions. Board policy prohibits gifts that may give a donor undue influence over the choices and operations of the organization.

 

1) The power of JUST to catalyze change depends on the impact of the issues we espouse, as well as the political salience for decision-makers. Our process for issue selection is aimed at ensuring our priorities reflect the experience and realities of the broader Savannah-Chatham County community. Issue selection is derived from three methods:

 

a. Personal stories: The starting point for selecting priorities begins with Listening Sessions, where congregants tell personal stories about the difficulties, hardships and injustices they experience. The Listening Sessions yield incredibly powerful and revealing tales. Invariably, individual tales reflect widely shared experiences, which helps drive the JUST agenda.

b. Research and Magnitude: The priorities that emerge from the personal stories lead to the formation of Research Committees, which are composed of congregants with relevant education and experience and those who have a special interest in the topic. The responsibility of the Research Committees is to assemble the relevant data on how many people are afflicted by the priority issue and the severity of the consequences. These data-driven insights provide the basis for presenting a mandate for change to policy makers.

c. Evidence-based solutions: Advocacy also depends on proposing credible solutions. Developing proposed solutions is also part of the mandate to the Research Committees. They are responsible for considering the relevant evidence, consulting with experts, drafting evidence-based policy proposals, and estimating resource requirements. The work of the Research Committees is presented to the JUST Board and the Team Assembly, at which all congregations are represented. The policy proposals of the Research Committees must be approved by the Board and the Team Assembly.

 

1) Advocacy is our direct action to influence government decisions, in which we mobilize the JUST coalition, assemble partners and allies, and communicate directly with policy makers about the problems and solutions we have identified, and offset opposition. 

a. Community Partners: JUST collaborates with civic and business leaders, as well as other organizations with aligned missions, to strengthen our campaign efforts. Community partners play a vital role in lending their support to JUST’s policy proposals. JUST is intentional and strategic in building alliances with these partners when shared goals align.

b. Government Alliances: JUST actively builds alliances with local government to deepen our understanding and advance our mission. By engaging with allies within legislative bodies such as the City Council and County Commission, as well as administrative agencies, JUST leverages diverse perspectives, experiences, and commitments. We seek out individuals who share our vision and collaborate with agencies whose missions align with our goals, such as the housing authority and the school district. These partnerships provide valuable insights and help secure support from within the government to drive meaningful change.

c. Nehemiah Action: The Nehemiah Action is JUST’s large-scale public gathering to advocate for specific systemic changes and policy reforms. The term is inspired by the biblical figure Nehemiah, who boldly advocated against unjust practices and called for fair policies. The Nehemiah Action brings hundreds of citizens to mass meetings with the key decision-makers, where they are presented with JUST’s proposals and have an opportunity to respond.

1) The fourth element of JUST’s Theory of Change focuses on tracking change and maintain communication both internally and externally.

a. Tracking progress and impact: In developing policy proposals, JUST also stipulates key markers of progress to be tracked. These are aimed at policy outputs, such as the amount of funds allocated for affordable housing, and policy outcomes, such as the number of low to moderate income families securing affordable housing. Assessment of both implementation and consequences allows JUST to interact with policy makers based on evidence and provides the substance for communication with internal and external audiences.

b. Keeping membership engaged: Active involvement of congregations and congregants is key to our advocacy strategy. This requires ongoing communication with our membership. To that end, JUST deploys a variety of means, including a newsletter, email, small group meetings, congregational team meetings and Team Assemblies.

c. Media strategy: JUST builds relationships with local media outlets, especially where the reporters have a special focus on a policy issue that is a priority for JUST, e.g., the education reporter for a local newspaper. By providing trustworthy information JUST helps keep its priorities in the public eye and deserving of attention by decision-makers.

The above elements yield fairer and more compassionate allocation of resources, reduced inequities and barriers for the disadvantaged, and greater inclusion in opportunities for economic and social advancement.

The JUST Theory of Change is morally focused, evidence-based and politically realistic. It is grounded in models from the policy sciences literature, combining elements of the policy cycle model and the advocacy coalition model in ways adapted to our context. Our focus in on issues that cause acute and widespread hardship in the Savannah-Chatham County community. Our goal is to secure policy changes that alleviate specific injustices. We carefully define the problem and propose solutions for which there is sound empirical grounding. We are acutely conscious of the potential for overt opposition and dilatory tactics. We build coalitions and engage in strategic communication to both advance our agenda and offset opposition. Ongoing assessment is integral to our strategy for change, which helps us continually refine our understanding of the substance and politics of our priority issues. The Theory of Change has been applied repeatedly and has been quite useful in guiding JUST’s approach and achieving beneficial results.

[1]Adapted from Cohen, D, de la Vega, R., and Wayson, G., 2001. Advocacy for Social Justice

[1] Adapted from United Nations (2020) :Social Justice in an Open World: The Role of the United Nations