Part 4: From Story to Action
Stories don't just move people emotionally — they move campaigns strategically. In this module, Bev and Marcela get practical. What does it look like to take a worker's story and turn it into a petition, a shareholder proposal, public testimony, or a campaign demand?
Marcela shares what it was like to stand in a Home Depot parking lot and watch, firsthand, how day laborers and contractors find each other — an ecosystem that never shows up in the company's financial reports but that would collapse without immigrant labor. That story became a shareholder proposal. Bev shares how workers plan together the phases of a campaign, from petition to public testimony to community pressure, and how the general public becomes an ally when they understand what workers are actually facing.
Key Takeaways:
Stories are strategic tools. They can be used in petitions, public hearings, campaign materials, and testimony
Worker voices at shareholder meetings change what boards hear and what investors vote on
Translating human experience into business language is a skill and organizers and investors can do it together
Every campaign needs a clear ask: "Here's what we need, and here's how you can help"
Reflection Prompt: Based on the story you've been building across this course, what would you ask for? What is the one change that would make the biggest difference? And who has the power to make it?
Download Resource
Your Campaign Ask Worksheet — A structured one-page tool for turning a collective story into a specific, actionable demand. Includes prompts for identifying the target, framing the ask in terms that resonate with different audiences, and anticipating pushback. Designed for use in union meetings, organizing committees, or one-on-one coaching conversations.