New Soil is a consultancy that helps labour and climate organizations develop and run campaigns to drive change.Our Services
New Soil supports clients through three primary means: partnering with our clients to develop strategies, providing an array of data science and analytical services, and performing general research. We are available to work worldwide.
Why “New Soil”?
Our world is flooded with information. Some in the business world say that “data is the new oil”. That statement lays bare the mindset that information is just another resource that can be exploited for profit. We seek to harness the same resources for different ends. We believe that information is like soil: it’s the ground upon which strong campaign strategies are built. From that viewpoint, we aim to help progressives plant the seeds of change.
What makes New Soil unique?
New Soil’s approach is informed by the strengths of its founder, John Burant, who brings a unique combination of skills and experience to this work.
Rigor: John trained as a scientist before focusing on campaign work. That intellectual heritage remains central. We don’t settle for qualitative guesswork when we don’t have to, and we seek to base our advice on quantitative grounds as much as possible. Our hard-core data and number crunching skills allow us to access and analyze sources that may be out of reach for others.
Breadth: John has worked with more than two dozen organizations on a variety of issues and different industries across the United States and Europe. As a result, we are able to triage quickly in new situations. We identify what’s familiar from our previous work and ask penetrating questions about what’s not familiar, so we can focus on the relevant issues without distraction. This breadth of experience also provides us with a reservoir of ideas and a keen awareness of potential pitfalls.
Leadership: John has held end-of-line responsibility for the success or failure of multiple campaigns, and in labour union settings, the responsibility for keeping members, and internal and external allies engaged in these efforts. Therefore we can appreciate the pressures on leadership and are sensitive to fault lines within organizations.
More About John Burant
John’s activism began in 1997 during his graduate studies at Yale University, when he joined the Graduate Employees and Students Organization, the pioneering effort to organize private-sector graduate student workers in the United States. After receiving a Ph.D. in theoretical chemistry, John joined Service Employees International Union, where he worked on staff for more than 20 years. After developing a strategic research team from scratch, he went on to lead internal organizing, bargaining, and policy work in the hospital industry in a three-state region and subsequently led the union’s national home care program. During this time, he initiated, supervised or made significant contributions to campaigns that brought 50,000 previously unorganized workers under union coverage. In 2014, he moved to Amsterdam, Netherlands, to anchor research and strategy work with the European Organizing Center, where he trained, advised, and coached staff in unions and union federations in multiple countries and industries. Since 2023, New Soil Analytics has been the home for his professional work. With New Soil, John has branched out to include climate advocacy as an additional focus area. See LinkedIn for more information.