Unite & Rise Power Playbook 3: November 2025 – January 2026

Overview

Power Playbook 3 is a guide that includes timely activities for Leagues to participate in Unite & Rise 8.5. These are focused on current or emerging events and what Leagues can do to respond from Nov. 2025 through January 2026.

Power Playbook 3 focuses on building strong, intentional partnerships to expand the League’s reach and impact. The following resources are meant to support those partnership activities and provide guidance for connecting with allies and community organizations.

This guide is for League use only and should not be shared publicly. 

Click the button below for a PDF version of this playbook. The Power Playbook 3 PDF includes a calendar to help Leagues outline and plan their activities for the coming months.

PDF: POWER PLAYBOOK 3

Additional Unite & Rise Resources

• Unite & Rise 8.5: Public Landing Page
• Unite & Rise 8.5: Master Initiative Toolkit
• Unite & Rise 8.5: One Pager | | Leagues are welcome to share these when tabling or discussing Unite and Rise activities. One-pagers are available in color and black/white.
• Nonpartisan Messaging Guidance

Recorded Trainings

• Nov. 18, 2025 | Session 1: Laying the Groundwork: Building Sustainable Partnerships (Passcode: v0%3i=S3)
• Dec. 16, 2025 | Session 2: National Partnerships for Local Engagement (Passcode: E?t8wTLe)
• Jan. 20, 2026 | Session 3: Partnering for Voter Engagement Ahead of 2026 Elections (Passcode: +A59uUky)

Laying the Groundwork: Building Sustainable Partnerships

The Community Tool Box | This free service from the Center for Community Health and Development at the University of Kansas provides several step-by-step toolkits to guide collaboration, coalition-building, and community change work. Leagues can use these tools as a practical companion, helping you critically assess intentions, power dynamics, allyship practices, and partnership health before and during collaboration.

The Nonprofit Risk Management Center | This article offers a thoughtful guide to structuring intentional, mutually beneficial alliances rather than accidental or superficial ones. Learn about the risks of partnerships, like misaligned expectations, communication breakdowns, or hidden power dynamics, and offers practical strategies to manage them.

Everyday Democracy | A nonprofit capacity-building organization that provides technical assistance to groups working to build multiracial democracies within their communities, offers several free resources to help build a multi-racial democracy at the local level.

Reaching Out to Partners

Local Partners 

We encourage state and local Leagues to reach out to community organizations in your area that have aligned interests and are engaging new audiences. When building a local partnership, make sure you consider LWVUS’ Guidance for Nonpartisanship in Partnerships and reference the resources listed above.  

National Partners  

Our Grassroots Power Partners have officially signed on to Unite & Rise 8.5 and have state and local chapters across the country ready to collaborate. Use these resources to reach out and begin the conversation with your local area chapters: 

• AAUW Locator | Find your local AAUW chapter information here
• NCJW Locator | Find your local NCJW chapter information here  

LWVUS also has a number of national organizational partners who have signed on to conduct general joint voter engagement activities. Consider reaching out to local chapters to build a partnership:  

• Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated | Delta Sigma Theta (DST) and LWVUS have partnered to activate, expand, and support civic collaboration between chapters and Leagues nationwide. This toolkit provides a roadmap from which to build and includes resources to build sustained civic engagement and foster inclusivity. Find your local chapter information here.
• Lambda Theta Alpha (LTA) Latin Sorority Inc.| LTA and LWVUS have partnered to activate and support collaboration with their 150+ campus chapters. You may be contacted by your LTA chapter if there’s one in your area, or you can reach out to [email protected] to connect to your local chapter if there’s a program you’d like to partner on.
• Girl Scouts USA |  LWVUS and Girl Scouts USA have an active national partnership that includes co-created materials to help local Leagues and Girl Scout Councils or Troops work together to help Scouts achieve civics badges, complete the Promote the Vote national service project, or co-host civics education and empowerment programming. Information on how to contact your local Girl Scouts Council and resources for programming can be found here.
• American Library Association | LWVUS and American Library Association have an active national partnership that includes a co-created Election Collaboration Toolkit and Guide to Civic Collaboration to help local Leagues and libraries expand their work together. Find your local library contact information here.
• The School Superintendents Association (AASA) | LWVUS and AASA launched a national partnership aimed at collaboratively supporting student voters and civics education. Learn more here, and reach out to [email protected] to get connected to your local school superintendent.    

Partnership for Voter Engagement Ahead of 2026 Elections

Each year, hundreds of thousands of immigrants complete the naturalization application process and participate in swearing-in ceremonies—also known as naturalization ceremonies—in cities and counties across the country. The League’s mission rests on the premise that civic participation is central to improving our systems of government and shaping the public policies that affect our lives. 

• Guidance on Voter Registration Services at Naturalization Ceremonies | In September 2025, USCIS issued new policy guidance stating that only state or local election officials can offer voter registration services at the end of administrative naturalization ceremonies held at USCIS facilities. Review our latest guidance for Leagues.
• VOTE411 Resources Toolkit | VOTE411 is the League’s trusted, nonpartisan “one-stop shop” for election information, offering personalized voting guides, candidate responses, and bilingual resources for every community. Whether you’re new to using VOTE411 or looking to expand your reach, this toolkit gives you everything you need to engage voters, work with candidates, and share clear, reliable information with partners.