Katal: Civic Engagement
Discussions about civic engagement often focus on voter registration and turnout. At Katal, we do both.But civic engagement is much more than that.
At Katal, our theory of change recognizes that building a movement requires a large base of organized people. And while we work with those who are already a part of the movement —activists, community organizations, advocacy and policy groups, networks and coalitions, foundations, faith groups, and more – our engagement strategies target people who have not yet activated in this way. We want to grow the base. We do this through nonpartisan organizing and civic engagement.
Our members are people in New York City and throughout the state who have historically been marginalized and affected by poverty and mass incarceration. We make our initial connections primarily through flyering, canvassing, and knocking on doors. When our members join us, most of them have never talked with elected officials. At first, many of them don’t know who their representatives are or how to engage them. We teach this as the starting point of active civic engagement, learning how to influence the people who shape the decisions that directly impact our lives and our communities.
Civic engagement includes information sessions to discuss the issues and identify the people who make decisions about critical issues – and how to find and communicate with those officials. We guide our members and supporters on how to meet with elected officials and how to schedule, prep, and lead such meetings. We hold lobby days at the state capitol – and time and again have seen members we have trained teaching others and soon leading meetings themselves.
These are all forms of civic engagement. Katal members and supporters also join us for canvassing days, when we go into the streets to talk with New Yorkers. For instance, since 2022, our organizing team has canvassed nearly 200,000 doors across all five boroughs of New York City, including all of the large public housing complexes. We distributed materials and held thousands of conversations with our neighbors and peers. Members, supporters, and interns are engaged in a “burning shoe leather” style of organizing that takes time, grit, and persistence – and yields lasting results.
We also convene movement groups for shared learning and connection related to the legislative process in Albany. Since 2017, we’ve held our monthly NY Criminal Justice Reform Calls, which bring together individuals and groups from across the state working on various reform campaigns. These are not strategy or campaign calls; they’re monthly information sessions about legislative functions and the mechanics of policy reform. Our lobbyist joins these calls and offers their expertise and strategic guidance, educating participants on the inner workings of the legislature. People from a rotating mix of organizations provide short updates about their campaigns and how to get involved. The calls offer participants a detailed view of what the campaigns are doing and how they are doing it.
In February 2025, we started our weekly pro-democracy phone zaps, low-barrier entry points for people who, while compelled to take action in the face of rising authoritarianism, may not know where to start. Every week, we’ve gathered on Zoom to call elected representatives locally, on the state level, and in Washington, DC, urging them to take action to defend democracy, uphold the constitution, and protect the policies and programs our communities rely on. Our approach is nonpartisan – and most of the participants who join us have never called their elected representatives before.
Surviving and countering authoritarian threats and securing a stronger democracy requires harnessing and maintaining the collective power of the people – base building – and collaborating with other groups across sectors and ideologies. Working together in partnerships and coalitions, across methodologies and issues, is essential for building movements to catalyze a more inclusive democracy.
At Katal, we believe civic engagement is a cornerstone of community organizing. And we believe that organizing and advocacy should be geared around movement-building. We focus on methods and practices that grow our base while winning reforms that contribute to real, meaningful changes in the lives of our members, our communities, the city, the state, and beyond. Our track record of building power and winning campaigns is a testament to the effectiveness of this approach. It works.
At Katal, our theory of change recognizes that building a movement requires a large base of organized people. And while we work with those who are already a part of the movement —activists, community organizations, advocacy and policy groups, networks and coalitions, foundations, faith groups, and more – our engagement strategies target people who have not yet activated in this way. We want to grow the base. We do this through nonpartisan organizing and civic engagement.
Our members are people in New York City and throughout the state who have historically been marginalized and affected by poverty and mass incarceration. We make our initial connections primarily through flyering, canvassing, and knocking on doors. When our members join us, most of them have never talked with elected officials. At first, many of them don’t know who their representatives are or how to engage them. We teach this as the starting point of active civic engagement, learning how to influence the people who shape the decisions that directly impact our lives and our communities.
Civic engagement includes information sessions to discuss the issues and identify the people who make decisions about critical issues – and how to find and communicate with those officials. We guide our members and supporters on how to meet with elected officials and how to schedule, prep, and lead such meetings. We hold lobby days at the state capitol – and time and again have seen members we have trained teaching others and soon leading meetings themselves.
These are all forms of civic engagement. Katal members and supporters also join us for canvassing days, when we go into the streets to talk with New Yorkers. For instance, since 2022, our organizing team has canvassed nearly 200,000 doors across all five boroughs of New York City, including all of the large public housing complexes. We distributed materials and held thousands of conversations with our neighbors and peers. Members, supporters, and interns are engaged in a “burning shoe leather” style of organizing that takes time, grit, and persistence – and yields lasting results.
We also convene movement groups for shared learning and connection related to the legislative process in Albany. Since 2017, we’ve held our monthly NY Criminal Justice Reform Calls, which bring together individuals and groups from across the state working on various reform campaigns. These are not strategy or campaign calls; they’re monthly information sessions about legislative functions and the mechanics of policy reform. Our lobbyist joins these calls and offers their expertise and strategic guidance, educating participants on the inner workings of the legislature. People from a rotating mix of organizations provide short updates about their campaigns and how to get involved. The calls offer participants a detailed view of what the campaigns are doing and how they are doing it.
In February 2025, we started our weekly pro-democracy phone zaps, low-barrier entry points for people who, while compelled to take action in the face of rising authoritarianism, may not know where to start. Every week, we’ve gathered on Zoom to call elected representatives locally, on the state level, and in Washington, DC, urging them to take action to defend democracy, uphold the constitution, and protect the policies and programs our communities rely on. Our approach is nonpartisan – and most of the participants who join us have never called their elected representatives before.
Surviving and countering authoritarian threats and securing a stronger democracy requires harnessing and maintaining the collective power of the people – base building – and collaborating with other groups across sectors and ideologies. Working together in partnerships and coalitions, across methodologies and issues, is essential for building movements to catalyze a more inclusive democracy.
At Katal, we believe civic engagement is a cornerstone of community organizing. And we believe that organizing and advocacy should be geared around movement-building. We focus on methods and practices that grow our base while winning reforms that contribute to real, meaningful changes in the lives of our members, our communities, the city, the state, and beyond. Our track record of building power and winning campaigns is a testament to the effectiveness of this approach. It works.
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