In August 1995, a diverse group of people from throughout Virginia came together to form the Virginia Organizing Project, the first multi-issue statewide citizens organization dedicated to challenging injustice by empowering people in local communities to address issues that affect the quality of their lives. VOP is committed to helping people who have never been active before join with those who have already tackled community problems and work together regardless of differences in race, gender, class, sexual orientation, age, occupation, religion, geographic location or ability. We have refined an organizing model that attracts ordinary people for the long haul through a leadership process that develops democratic skills and builds a sense of ownership and community.

Prior to the formation of the Virginia Organizing Project there was no statewide organization in Virginia that encouraged the active participation and empowerment of many different groups of people on a variety of issues. Our analysis showed that to build an effective grassroots base working for long-term change in Virginia, we needed to start from the very beginning to deliberately build a multi-issue organization. We emphasize local leadership development and foster the ability of local groups to participate in community affairs on a variety of issues by creating local chapters and recruiting existing groups as affiliates. Spread across our state, VOP chapters are situated in the urban poor communities of coastal and northern Virginia metropolises, in the conservative heartland and in the mountainous areas of southwestern Virginia.

Through a growing base of grassroots involvement and a deliberate and intentional approach to issues, VOP has celebrated some very exciting accomplishments. We have won victories on living wage, affordable housing, environmental concerns, tax reform, anti-racism and sexual orientation initiatives, restoration of rights for former felons and more.

• Affordable Housing Campaign

As a result of VOP’s first statewide campaign, the Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA) approved more than $339 million to finance low-income homeownership and rental construction loans and set up a three-member creative financing team to work with local governments, non-profit organizations and developers to find new and more effective strategies to address low-income homeownership and rental needs throughout the state. Also, VOP and its affiliates were successful in getting VHDA to open up its public comment process and open its doors to legally documented immigrants. Formerly, only immigrants with permanent resident status qualified for VHDA loans.

• Criminal Justice Reform Campaign

VOP played a critical role in getting the governor to make major changes to the voting rights restoration process. Governor Warner reduced the application form from 13 pages to one page for former non-violent felons, replaced the five- to seven-year waiting period with a three-year waiting period and promised that applicants will receive a response within six months of submitting an application where, previously, no time limit had been set.

• Living Wage Campaigns

To date, VOP has succeeded in securing numerous living wage ordinances increasing wages for thousands of low-wage workers. In addition, VOP has supported living wage efforts in many other communities. In VOP's first private employer campaign, 107 consecutive weeks of protesting every Friday afternoon outside the Courtyard By Marriott in Charlottesville has resulted in the mayor of Charlottesville working with local hotel operators and Piedmont Virginia Community College to link job training with increased wages. Working with the Virginia Education Association, local churches, college students and low-wage workers, VOP will continue to expand these efforts in various parts of the state. VOP is pleased that more and more people are getting active in living wage campaigns.

In addition to these achievements, VOP has a growing list of victories on local issues, including changed policies that resulted in the first person of color serving on a jury in Lee County, changes in school non-discrimination policies in Charlottesville and Albemarle County to include sexual orientation and the removal of racist artwork from public buildings in Lynchburg, to name a few. We also have an active internship program where high school and college students are learning and applying organizing skills while confronting issues in their schools and assisting with living wage campaigns.

The Virginia Organizing Project has become a successful model for all Virginians to see how different constituencies can work – and win – together!