Reality 1: Individuals and projects you oppose, more often than not, have more money, more time, more resources, more connections, more saavy and developed strategies to sidestep groups like yours. The double kicker is... it is part of their job it to take you on and eliminate you as an obstacle to the project...and they get paid very well to do it.

Reality 2: They can be over-confident, and lack the dedication, consistency and attention to details that are essential to seeing something through. It becomes more problematic if you keep pressure and scrutiny on them throughout. Most are used to fairly " easy money" and there are still plenty of roll-over communities they can bring their power over, so it can reach a "why bother " stage.

Reality 3 : They count on groups like yours to die a death of natural causes such as in-fighting , apathy and lack of focus.

Reality 4 : a community, when organized under one purpose has a tremendous edge and more authority to do whats in it's collective best interests. It's very difficult to tackle a community defending its rights than a handful of individuals relying on lawyers. Although this type of battling surely is needed,it can help renew the community and allow a new dialogue amongst the community.

The first thing groups generally do is get way ahead of themselves. They assemble a mythical strategy based on people and resources they don't have and aren't able or willing to pay for. By doing this they lose precious time and energy and tax the precious momentum of the group. The first search must be from within. There can be some very pleasant surprises when you take inventory of the people and places within your base.

At your first meetings there should be a volunteer page laid out soliciting help. In addition to cash donations, always welcome, it should provide for sharing any thing from special skills such as legal, environmental and technical to more common skills such as typing or writing letters, delivering FOIL's, creating artwork, taking photographs etc. Also places to meet or hold fundraisers are very good resources. Volunteering goods and services or providing them at cost is also very helpful. Just ask. You could have a pretty healthy aggregate of tools wo work with.The idea that no skill or offer is too minimal. What is essential that whatever it is a person offers they can be reliably be called on to provide it.

When this information is collected it should be studied and applied to a general outline and strategy.The information that you have collected will give you some idea of the direction you need to take. This is the foundation you build off of. The members of the group and their resources are the backbone of your mission. There will be more input as time goes on, but being able to create movement from resources on hand is very effective and gets the group going somewhere. This helps encourage new participation.

Seek out passion and find the right place for it. You begin these issues outnumbered outfinanced and in some cases outlawed.
If you have to start small so be it. Know your strengths and know your weaknesses and work out from there.
It's what you have and you can make it work. It will grow and you can neutralize some weaknesses with new strengths.
Being the underdog has plenty of advantages.

Persistence and consistence

"If you say you're gonna do it, do it. If you do it keep doing it."
As previously stated

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