Earlier this month, National Domestic Workers Alliance and CPD held a weeklong retreat that kicked off an 18 month program called the Basebuilders Innovation Group (Get BIG!) to bolster the organizing capacity and internal infrastructure of NDWA affiliates and create the foundation from which they can increase the scale of their organizing.

Throughout the week, CPD and NDWA guided selected NDWA affiliates through a variety of organizing models, brought together organizers for training and to learn with one another, and provided critical resources and technology infrastructure such as a text message alert system and database to support affiliates. CPD led discussions around the pending immigration reform and how groups could use this moment to not only provide information and services but also to increase the size of their base.  CPD also helped the groups think about how they could use technology to help them manage and organize the large numbers of people that could be seeking their assistance once immigration reform passes. 

CPD will continue to be a core partner on the project in the coming months, working with NDWA and its affiliates to evaluate the base-building opportunities emerging from immigration reform and develop the technological capacity and internal workflows to serve the thousands of new individuals who will be coming to affiliates’ doors seeking assistance related to legalization; and, ultimately, leverage new technologies and systems to connect thousands of immigrants and workers to the NDWA membership, wrap-around services and advocacy efforts.