In this memorable keynote address from the 2009 Gathering, Marshall Ganz explains community organizing as a form of leadership development with a very specific definition: "taking responsibility for enabling others to achieve purpose in the face of uncertainty." According to Ganz, this type of community organizing has five core elements: 1) bringing people together around shared values; 2) building commitments with one another; 3) a dynamic structure that creates space for collaboration; 4) a strategy that can adapt on an ongoing basis; and 5) measurable action.

Speaking candidly about a lifetime of experiences—15 years with the United Farm Workers to recent work with the Obama Campaign—Ganz details the lessons he's learned and how those insights have formed his understanding of community organizing. Don't miss his inspirational stories about how the Obama Campaign used a leadership development school to engage people for a common purpose. Ganz's overarching message? This moment of challenge and hope holds unprecedented opportunity for all nonprofits to mobilize citizens to fight for freedom and democracy.